The Shower Diva: Where Fun Reigns!

Melissa Moog, Itsabelly

Baby planner and co-author of Itsabelly’s Guide to Going Green with Baby makes throwing an eco-friendly shower easier for Diva Darlings!

Isn’t it exciting to see more and more people making healthier, more Earth-conscious choices? As a citizen of this planet, and especially as a Mother, I feel we all have a stake in protecting two very precious things: our little ones and our planet. So thank you for considering a Green Baby or Bridal Shower or Bachelorette Party! What a great start for the next phase of your Guest of Honor’s life! Whether she is a dyed-in-the-wool, Birkenstock-wearing, organic Earth Mother, or brand new to green living, an Earth-friendly party is a fantastic way to honor her choices and help her begin her new life in the most natural, healthy way.

Plus, as the hostess, you’ll be surprised at how easy it can be to throw a green shower! Yes, I know that there are a million eco-friendly messages out there and an overwhelming number of products to choose among, but keep in mind that one of the most important techniques for going green is to simplify.

Making green choices is not about purchasing certain items – it is a state of mind – so if you have been wondering how you’ll ever choose “the best organic paper streamers and soy-based plates,” let yourself off the hook and simplify, simplify, simplify. This doesn’t mean you have to have a dull party. Any shower theme can incorporate eco-friendly choices and part of the fun is working together and using your creativity to go green! I’ll illustrate by borrowing The Shower Diva’s formula for throwing a fabulous Baby or Bridal Shower: Plan, Prepare, and Party!

1. Plan

First, don’t try to do everything yourself. There is no rule that one hostess has to take on all the work. Start simplifying by enlisting a few close friends to help out. A Baby or Bridal Shower or Bachelorette Party is about coming together as a community to honor a special friend. Showers are a lot more fun and a lot easier on the hostesses when there are many hands to share the work.

Get together for a planning session and divvy up the shopping, preparations, party duties and clean up. A sample plan might include one friend going to the farmer’s market for fresh fruits and vegetables, and another friend gathering fresh flowers from her garden to use as decorations, leaving the friend who is opening her home to the guests time to do her cleaning and decorating. See? It’s simpler already!

Working as team means you’ll also be able to combine resources. One friend may have a beautiful collection of lace table cloths that can be used. Another friend might have a set of festive cocktail glasses. Real linens and tableware are far more elegant than paper or plastic and can be washed afterward instead of being thrown away. Yes, you’ll have dishes to do, but with a dishwasher and a few friends to help, the clean up is fairly quick and easy.

As you are planning, keep the following tips in mind:

• Do a little brainstorming about party themes before you settle on one. Your hostess team might have a lot of creative, Earth-friendly ideas for one theme, but feel stumped about another. The Shower Diva offers a lot of fun ideas for Baby Showers, Bridal Showers, and Bachelorette Parties. Start with her lists and let your imagination go green!
• If you’re planning a Baby Shower, The Oregon Environmental Council offers a free Tiny Footprints Baby Shower Kit to help you get organized. It’s free on their website.
• Consider what fresh produce is in season when you plan your menu and grocery shopping will be much easier. Organic food and beverages are readily available in most grocery stores and farmer’s markets these days. If you don’t have a farmer’s market in your community, become familiar with the Earth-friendly choices at your local big box stores. Trader Joe’s is another good option for finding organic products.
• Consider which hostess lives closest to the shops you need to visit and group your purchases by location so you don’t have to run all over town for supplies. Shopping locally is inherently green – and simpler - because you will save shipping, gas, and travel time.
• Plan to decorate sustainably:
  • Choose decorations that can also be used as favors. Small potted plants or flowers, or soy candles do double-duty very well. Place them around the room in recycled glass jars or baby food containers.
  • If someone on your hostess team has a green thumb, ask her to cut fresh flowers from her garden. Between all the members of your team, you can probably come up with a nice variety of pretty bottles and vases from around the house to create a festive, original display.
  • Another alternative is to use small gift items for the Guest of Honor as decorations during the party. For instance, at a Baby Shower, you might use clothespins to hang diapers and onesies on a string. Or colorful wooden baby blocks and other toys can be used on the tables and gifted to the Mother-to-Be after the party. At a Bridal Shower, you might use your clothespins and string decoration to hang kitchen towels or colorful cloth napkins that match the Bride-to-Be’s new kitchen. Purchase or make reusable metal cocktail picks to use during the party and give to the Guest of Honor afterward.
• Planning to have a guest book? Consider creating a unique gift instead by having party-goers sign a t-shirt or onesie with a permanent marker. The Guest of Honor will treasure it as a fun reminder of her special day.

2. Prepare

1. Send invitations, sustainably. Instead of sending paper invitations, try evite. It’s a free service and they have a large selection of electronic invitations. Or, if paperless isn’t your style, send “plantable invitations” printed on special seed paper or make your own invitations out of recycled paper.
2. Prepare the refreshments. Have each member of your hostess team choose one food or beverage to prepare so the work is spread around.
3. Prepare the party space. The hostess team should arrive early to decorate so they have plenty of time to get things ready and can take a break between finishing the preparations and greeting the first guests.

3. Party!

Have a wonderful time with your Guest of Honor and give yourself a pat on the back for doing a great job of saving time, money and waste!

Green Giving

Like Earth-conscious lifestyle choices, the best gifts are also simpler. My favorite eco-friendly gifts are the gently used clothes and toys I received. Your Guest of Honor may feel the same way, so ask her if recycled items are acceptable to her.

If you are purchasing new items, avoid toxic chemicals, particularly if any item will enter the mouth, be slept on, or breathed. Babies are especially vulnerable to absorbing toxic chemicals in their environment. A surprising source of dangerous toxins are flame retardants in sheets, crib mattresses and sleep wear. Testing now shows the polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, used as flame retardants are so toxic that some states are banning them. The Federal government has also recently banned Phthalates, a type of plasticizer chemical used in most crib mattresses prior to the ban. Normally, I’m all for recycling, but in the case of crib mattresses, don’t. You’re better off spending the money for a new mattress that conforms to the new safety standards.

Wrapping gifts in paper or using gift bags, creates a lot of garbage. A better idea is to wrap gifts in diapers, baby blankets, towels, tote bags, or bandanas. Your packages will be colorful and your Guest-of-Honor will receive two-gifts-in-one.

A few other Earth-friendly products I’ve tried and love include:

• Earth Mama Angel Baby organic baby products. Their body butter is the best and it’s Earth-friendly and non-toxic so I continued to use it after my pregnancy and still do.
• Reusable baby wipes are another favorite of mine. Mama Rose’s Naturals sells them with Sunshine Spray, which is an antiseptic, can be used on baby’s bottom, and makes a great air freshener. Imagine how many disposable wipes would not be in the landfills if everyone went back to using reusable cloths instead of throwaways!
• Bamboo linens are very soft and warm. Try Buchic for affordable choices.
• Earth-friendly cleaning products. New Moms or new Brides will be glad to have a gift basket of quality non-toxic cleaning products. Seventh Generation products are excellent and available at many grocery stores now.

Keep in mind that some guests may not be well-versed in green living. The Guest of Honor can help them out by registering at an eco-conscious store or for Earth-friendly gifts.

Watch Out, Green is Catching!

If you’re new to sustainable living, I just want to warn you, it is kind of addictive. You start out with one little change in your habits and the next thing you know, you’re reading labels a little more carefully. Then you realize that Earth-friendly choices are the safest, and often the simplest and least expensive. The next thing you know, you are a regular Eco Mama! It happened to me and I’m loving it!

About Melissa Moog

Melissa Moog is the founder of Itsabelly Baby Concierge service and co-author of Itsabelly’s Guide to Going Green with Baby: Mom-Tested Tips for a Healthy Baby and Happy Planet. As one of the first baby planners in the U.S., Melissa is fast becoming the “eco-friendly family” expert. Read her newest product reviews and parenting tips at her blog, and if you’re in the Portland, Oregon area, catch her monthly as the Green Parenting Expert on Fox 12 BetterTV.