Green Baby Showers: Putting Together The Event and Purchasing Baby Gifts
Filed under: Baby Clothes, Baby Gear, Baby Showers, Baby Toys, Premier Baby Stores
Recently, Mother Nature Network (MNN.com) published a letter from a woman about putting together a green baby shower. Many of Morieka Johnson’s suggestions mirror those we have suggested for being economical with baby products and extend to all aspects of a shower:
• Send out digital invitations instead of paper
• Avoid games
• Be practical with decorations
• Hold a potluck and have all guests bring a meal to chip in
• Have all invited parents bring used, lightly-worn baby products, such as clothing and sheets, but be careful with larger items, such as strollers, car seats, and cribs.
While these suggestions make a baby shower green and economical, Johnson didn’t touch on one growing field of baby products: green, or eco-friendly, items. Going green is no longer a luxury, and this is reflected in the availability and styles of baby products, from diaper cakes to toys and clothing. Although Johnson makes some good points for putting together a baby shower, consider our suggestions:
• Going green does not mean that decorations or presents need to be understated. If you are planning the party and want to provide a great baby gift, consider eco-friendly diaper cakes, such as these from Rattlecake. Eco-friendly diaper cakes come in gender-neutral styles and animal themes, are made out of Seventh Generation diapers, include Burt’s Bees baby products, and come with Dandelion baby toys, all of which are made out of organic cotton and corn fiber filling.
• Bring an eco-friendly and practical baby gift. Green baby clothing, toys, and sheets no longer have the same uniform off-white color they did when going green reached public consciousness 20 years ago. Now, green baby products come in several colors – many of which are bright and bold – and are affordably priced. Many baby boutiques carry green baby clothing, toys, sheets, and diaper bags, and Dada Baby Boutique has a particularly large selection of green baby products.
Victoria Beckham Had a Pink, Posh Baby Shower
Filed under: Baby Bath Time, Baby Clothes, Baby Gear, Baby Showers, Baby Toys
The tabloids were a bit late on this one, but, as mentioned in recent news on Monday, Victoria Beckham had her baby shower on May 7 at the Hotel Le Petit Ermitage in Hollywood. According to celebrity blog Hollywood Life, the former Spice Girl and current fashion designer had a pink-themed baby shower and invited A-listers Eva Longoria, Nichole Richie, and Selma Blair. According to the Daily Mail, however, Beckham had insisted on a pink baby shower but local baby boutique Beginnings mentioned they saw invited celebrities choosing red baby gifts.
Even though the news is late (seriously, where was the paparazzi for this?), at least both the Daily Mail and Hollywood Life aren’t relying on anonymous sources.
If you’re reading this, you likely want to know the details of the shower, particularly the gifts. According to both pieces, the list of baby gifts at Beckham’s shower included:
• A Quinny Buzz Special Edition Stroller in pink
• A mamaRoo baby swing
• A Hoppop bath tub
• A Little Giraffe Luxe Blanket
• A Timi + Leslie diaper bag
• A custom-made stuffed giraffe by Melissa & Doug
• A Bonpoint clothing set
• An Orbit Baby Infant Stroller in Red
• A Bloom Alma Crib; and
• A Bloom Fresco high chair
The interest in celebrity babies has increased in recent years. Whether you attribute it to Suri Cruise’s fashion choices or Angelia Jolie’s gaggle of adopted children, you can easily see news about stars’ children taking up pages in tabloids and magazines. But celebrity baby products aren’t as far removed from your budget as, say, a pair of Louboutins or an Alexander McQueen purse. In fact, many baby boutiques carry some of the brands found at Victoria Beckham’s baby shower.
Find Quinny Buzz strollers and Timi and Leslie diaper bags at Baby and Me Boutique. Melizza & Doug baby toys and Little Giraffe baby furniture, bedding, and clothing are available through Hunky Dory.
Drop Side Dilemma: Hold onto the Crib or Buy a New One?
On a purely logical level of safety concerns, drop side cribs would be tossed, and parents would purchase stationary-side models for their babies. Although drop side cribs are banned from retailers, secondhand stores, daycares, hotels, and any establishment using or selling cribs, parents are an exception. While owning a drop side crib is not illegal if you are a parent, what about the safety of your child?
The North County Times describes the dilemma parents are facing. When you receive a drop side crib as a hand-me-down or already own one and cannot afford another model, what do you do? If a new stationary crib is out of your budget for the moment, the North County Times piece suggests the following:
• Research any recalls from the manufacturer. If cribs by the manufacturer were never recalled, your design is likely safer than those that were.
• Check for any hazards. As we saw in various instances, poorly- or cheaply-made hardware caused many drop sides to fall down on a child inside the crib.
At the same time, if you can purchase a new crib, what design should you buy? Presently, baby furniture retailers carry stationary-side cribs only, but not all are the same.
At the moment, however, convertible cribs are the latest trend for parents. The product lives up to its name and is designed to last for several years. Once a child is too large for the crib, it converts to a toddler bed, which a child may use up through preschool. Rather than the two years you ordinarily get from a crib, a convertible design gives you at least four. Some convertible cribs even take this concept a step further. This AFG Furniture crib converts to a toddler bed and then to a full-size day bed or sofa bed.
Would You Buy a $1,500 Stroller?
We’re late on this news, but even up to this point, parent blogs are still discussing the outrageous-seeming baby product, the Bugaboo Donkey Stroller, priced at $1,500. Is a stroller really worth that much, and what does this Bugaboo design have that plenty of other strollers do not have?
An article in Slate breaks it down. The author claims the Bugaboo stroller has a suspension and breaking like a bicycle – how many brands can claim that? But at the same time, should a stroller be priced as high as a bicycle?
Then, there are the claims behind many high-end strollers: The child will sleep better, the stroller will fit through any aisle. Even if a high-end stroller can do this, is it really worth $1,500?
At the same time, baby products range from affordable items to designer baby furniture and Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bags, and the Bugaboo Donkey stroller is the top of the latter category. If you are striving for status, even baby products, why not purchase a $1,500 baby stroller?
What are the advantages of purchasing a high-end stroller? No matter the name, more expensive strollers tend to be designed better, and for your child, what is more important than safety? On the other hand, “design” might not be the suspension and brakes and is, rather, the stroller’s look. Classic pram-style strollers made a comeback a year or two ago, as parents were influenced by a celebrity trend. The look of an old-fashioned carriage seems to be the driving force behind the pram trend – not additional safety features.
On the other hand, safety does not always need to come with a high price tag. High-quality suspension systems are not always followed by a $1,000-plus price tag. While you may need to do some searching, do not assume always that a higher-priced stroller is safer for your child.