If you’re expecting your firstborn child, you probably have someone planning a baby shower to celebrate this big life moment. Preparing for a new baby takes a lot, and baby showers are a great way to get some of the baby items you might need, from clothes to strollers to diapers.
Big parties like baby showers require a lot of work, and they also produce a lot of waste. One way to combat this is by throwing an earth-friendly baby shower. Although there are many other aspects of baby showers that require planning, one thing you can do is have shower gifts sent to your house.
Asking that your shower gifts be sent to your home will help eliminate the paper trail, encourage guests to purchase from environmentally-friendly companies, and reduce waste from wrapping paper and similar packaging.
Why Should I Have Gifts Sent to My House?
It may seem like having gifts delivered to your home would be the opposite of sustainable. After all, trucks and planes drive a long way, using a lot of gas and so on. However, having gifts sent to your home can reduce waste, especially if you purchase from earth-friendly companies.
Some companies have taken steps to neutralize this issue (literally). When planning your wishlist, check to see if the companies on your registry offer carbon-neutral shipping.
Look for Carbon-Neutral Shipping
Carbon-neutral shipping methods produce a net zero of carbon dioxide emissions and work to reduce the global impact of shipping practices.
With the advent of shipping containers and overseas transport, the shipping industry’s carbon footprint increased exponentially. There was an influx in oil spills, underwater noise pollution, and air, water, and sediment pollution.
At Tabeeze, we like baby footprints, not carbon footprints. That’s why we’re just one of the awesome companies that provide carbon-neutral shipping.
We (and many others) partner with Clovery, an organization that helps businesses offset the environmental impacts of shipping every step of the way. Clovery’s unique API tracks emissions in real-time; there is no guesstimate on carbon emissions. Based on that data, Cloverly makes the world a greener place through programs geared to reforestation, solar energy solutions, and greenhouse gas capture.
Consider Sustainable Packaging
Have you ever opened a huge box and found a tiny chapstick-sized product in there? You rifle through the paper, pulling it out like a magician revealing an endless scarf from the tip of his sleeve. Why is there so much unnecessary packaging?
When guests send gifts to your home, they can check what company’s packaging process. Look for groups that partner with organizations like EcoEnclose. That way, you know that the gift will come free from random, unnecessary tags, copious paper inserts, and the usual suspects. Plus, everything that does come in that neat little box will be recyclable.
Opt for Environmentally-Friendly Cards
When someone gives a gift, they will usually add a gift card signifying who it’s from, made special with a personalized message. It’s a kind and thoughtful gesture, but perhaps not the best for the environment. Paper is one of the most recycled materials, but certain features, like sequins or glitter, render a card unrecyclable.
Guests who want to send a card can do their part by opting for cards made from recycled materials that aren’t sold in plastic sleeves. Cards with plantable seeds embedded in the envelope are lovely and a feature sure to be appreciated by anyone with a green thumb.
Even still, the only way to create no waste with gift and card-giving practices is to use email. When you send a gift, click the option that lets the sender know the package is on the way — sent with love (for the parents-to-be and Mother Earth).
Say Goodbye to Gift Wrap
Another common (and somewhat wasteful) practice in baby shower gift giving is wrapping the gifts. Although gift wrap can be pretty and cute, it usually just ends up in the trash.
By having gifts sent to your home, you still have the excitement of opening them without the wastefulness of throwing out the wrapping paper.
Why Should I Have an Eco-Friendly Baby Shower?
We’ve mentioned before that baby showers tend to have a lot of waste. However, an organic, earth-friendly shower can be healthy for the guests and for the earth.
One of the reasons that Tabeeze offers eco-friendly delivery and packaging is that we believe in protecting the earth. We all should do our part to combat climate change, to protect our planet from things that can harm it.
What happens to the earth can affect our children, so it’s important to do our part. By supporting eco-friendly business practices, you can play a part, however small, in keeping our planet safe.
What To Put on an Eco-Friendly Registry
Environmentally-friendly gifts aren’t just healthy for the environment; they’re also better for your family. Baby supplies with fragrance, phthalates, nickel, and more may activate allergies or introduce toxins to your home.
Here are a few ideas that scream green.
Toys
Baby toys are oh-so-adorable. Each completely precious teddy bear and stuffed lion pulls at our heartstrings. Opt for toys made of environmentally-friendly materials and are GOTS Certified Organic.
For practical and necessary items like teethers, you might like wooden options and those made from BPA-free plastic. Babies put a lot of things into their mouths that we wish they wouldn’t — at least we know these are safe.
Diapers
Diapers are one of the biggest, most consistent expenses of a new parent’s life. Since parents go through roughly $900 of disposable diapers each year, a festive yet practical diaper cake display will be more than welcome. Disposable diapers, while practical, can be costly and not super sustainable. In that case, some parents might appreciate cloth diapers.
Cloth diapers aren’t for everyone, but they can be a sustainable and economical option for interested parents. When looking for cloth diapers, check that the materials are skin-sensitive and gentle.
Onesies
“Smooth as a baby’s bottom” is a popular idiom for a reason. Babies really do have skin smoother and softer than adults.
Their skin is 30% thinner than an adult’s and, therefore, more prone to irritation and injury, including rashes, allergic reactions, and sunburns. That’s why the best onesies and baby clothes will be as gentle as your baby’s skin.
The Tabezee Bottom-Up Baby Bodysuit is 100% GOTS Certified Organic and so smooth you’ll wish you had a matching pair. This onesie is free of phthalates, nickel, solvents, and flame retardants. The label is printed on the suit, so there are no itchy tags to cause a pre-nap meltdown.
Hand-Me-Downs
You could also ask that guests with children bring gently-used hand-me-downs. It’s a great way to continue reusing clothes so that they don’t end up in the waste bin.
Hand-me-down bibs, onesies, jackets, and blankets are fantastic options to welcome the newest addition to the crew with love.
Doing Our Part
Baby showers are fun and beautiful celebrations of an incredible time for expectant parents. Make this moment even sweeter with an environmentally-minded shower, starting with gift shipping practices.
With earth-minded companies, it can be much easier and more earth-friendly to have gifts sent to your home instead of having your guests bring them themselves.
Earth-friendly business practices ensure that the next generation’s first breath will be of clean air, and their first steps will be on green earth.
Sources
10 Tips for Throwing an Eco-Friendly Baby Shower in Jul 2022 | KidSaversNetwork.com
Fostering An Eco-Friendly Mindset For Gift Giving | The Environmental Magazine
How to Host an Eco-Friendly Baby Shower | Green Child Magazine
What To Know About Carbon-Neutral Shipping | | Longview News Journal
How to Make a Baby Shower Diaper Cake | Verywell Family
Baby-Soft Skin is Also More Sensitive | New River Dermatology
