Congratulation to Peleg & Raz + Top Ten Eco-Friendly Baby Shower Gifts

It's that time of the year, or something. The Eco-Libris family grew yet again earlier today, when a new baby girl was born to Peleg and Raz Godelnik. Yes, our illustrious CEO and blogger is now a proud green parent. Now you understand why he's been reviewing all these green children's books of late :)

To celebrate the occasion, today's post brings some ideas for baby gifts. It was originally published in Eco Child's Play. We'll post some pictures later, promise.



I've never been a big fan of baby showers (my children had Blessing Ways), and the silly baby shower games annoy me. The typical baby shower involves massive amounts of baby paraphernalia gifts that the soon-to-be mom often doesn't really need. A friend of mine recently asked me to make a list of eco-friendly baby shower gift ideas. This list includes babywearing items, bpa-free bottles, teething toys, clothes, and beauty products for babe. You don't have to be invited to an "eco" baby shower to give a green gift.

Top Ten Eco-Friendly Baby Shower Gifts

1. Moby Wrap Baby Carrier: This wrap is perfect for carrying newborns. It is the most comfortable baby wearing apparatus, and it keeps the baby snugly held against your body and protected from curious strangers and their germs. It is made from a large piece of stretch cotton and can be used as a blanket as well as a wrap. It is available in an organic cotton material too.


2. California Baby Shampoo and Bodywash: This all natural, SLS-free baby soap is perfect for a newborn's first bath. It is so gentle and safe, and it will not irritate eczema and cradle crap.


3. Under the Nile Organic Cotton Veggies and Fruit: These fair trade teething toys are safe for little ones to gnaw away at during the painful months of teething. The organic carrot was my daughter's favorite toy during her first year of life.


4. Adiri Natural Nurser Baby Bottles: Even breastfeeding parents find the need to use a bottle at times, whether filled with formula or pumped breastmilk. Nipple confusion and BPA is a concern, as parents don't want their child to forget how to breastfeed or be exposed to harmful chemicals. The Adiri Natural Nurser Bottle Set solves these problems by providing parents with BPA-free peace of mind, in addition to unique nipple design that mimics a mother's breast.


5. Baby Bjorn Carrier: This was my favorite carrier for my babies before they reached 25 pounds. After about an hour of hiking, my back would ache from my Baby Bjorn, and this is often the complaint of parents. This is a great carrier though for shopping. I survived grocery shopping with two young children by placing my toddler in the shopping cart and my baby in the Baby Bjorn.


6. Bummis Super Whisper Wrap Diaper Cover: These were my favorite cloth diaper covers, because they are adjustable, wash well, and are affordable. Both of my children used the same set of covers, and I have passed them on to other mothers as well.


7. Organic Cotton Ergo Baby Carrier: At this point in the list, you may be wondering how many baby carriers does a mother need, but as a child grows, a new carrier is often needed. The Ergo Carrier is the most comfortable for carrying larger children, even toddlers. It is a favorite amongst moms for shopping and hiking.


8. Under the Nile Organic Cotton Skull Caps: You can never have too many hats for a newborn. Even in warm weather, it is important to cover a newborn's head, as infants have trouble regulating their body temperatures. Going from indoor controlled air temperatures to outside requires infants' heads to be covered.


9. Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Sippy Cup: Most people do not think beyond the infant stage when giving baby shower gifts. New parents are inundated with gifts that children quickly outgrow. The Klean Kanteen Sippy Cup is a great transitional cup once a child moves away from the breast and/or bottle.


10. Born Free Baby Bottle and Sippy Cup: Born Free is the first plastic cups and bottles I found that were BPA-free. My sister loves these, as does her daughter!

This list is far from exhaustive, and I tried to offer green gift suggestions that were both practical and represented a variety of price ranges. The same friend that suggested I make this list once gave a new mom a gift of eco-friendly laundry detergent, which I thought was a great, practical gift. I hope our readers will leave comments about their favorite eco-friendly baby shower gifts.

Image: Amazon