6 Tips to Green Your Baby Shower

Invitations

Save paper and postage and have the host of your baby shower invite guests electronically. If you\'re a stickler for the paper kind, insist on recycled paper, or use plantable paper invites. The adorable onesie-style invites shown here (also used as party favors) are made from seed paper that your guests can plant and watch grow into wildflowers. From Swallow Tail Farms.

Other sources:
\r\n Botanical Paper Works
\r\n Plantable Paper

Gifts

While you\'ve probably already registered for organic cotton onesies (check out the ones from Obli Organics and Sama Baby) and limited plastic stuff, remember to consider the green option wherever you can, like glass or BPA-free bottles. Aren\'t ready to commit to cloth diapers? Consider a hybrid model such as G Diapers, which use a flushable, biodegradable insert and a washable (and adorable!) covering. The company makes a starter kit, that is a great gift for moms-to-be. If your host is planning a disposable diaper cake, make sure they\'re the chlorine-free kind, such as these from Seventh Generation.

The folks behind Wee Generation, a collaboration between Seventh Generation and Healthy Child Healthy World, have created a well-designed eco-friendly diaper bag that is in limited edition through the end of this year.

If you want to include playthings in your gifts, attendees, check out our feature on safe toys. Websites such as The Little Seed and Branch Home are good resources for green goodies.

Gift Wrapping

Let guests know you\'d like to keep the waste to a minimum (at least while you can, eh?). Politely suggest gift wrap that is reusable, such as infant blankets, cloth diapers or fun fabrics. Lucky Crow makes it easy with colorful reusable gift bags, shown here.

Decorations

Keep it simple and hit up the farmers\' market for flowers and organic fruit to stack in bowls. Light up the room with soy candles. Of course you\'ll be using nondisposable china and cloth napkins. Wee Generation suggests monogramming the napkins with the honoree\'s initials for guests to keep as party favors.

Refreshments

Go organic, and seasonal where you can. In addition to a fun cocktail (the one shown here is made with organic blueberry juice and organic vodka and was served at Sheryl Crow\'s green baby shower), offer some nonalcoholic beverages too.

Try these recipes:
\r\n Cranberry and Ginger Tea Punch
\r\n Fresh Herbal Tea
\r\nThe nonalcoholic version of 100-Mile Sangria Blanca

Baby Center and Parents.com also feature fun, pregnancy-safe cocktails.

Commit to Raising Baby Green

Okay, okay, so many environmentalists will tell you that the only green choice with children is not to have them. But you can tell them that your adorable bundle of joy will be raised to be a responsible citizen who feels compelled to tread lightly on the earth — once he\'s out of diapers, anyway.

For tips and advice, seek out the Ask an Organic Mom bloggers, Lexy and Deirdre, The Daily Green\'s resident experts.