Throw The Best Zero Waste Baby Shower | food, games and fun!

How to plan a zero waste baby shower…

OK, zero waste baby shower might not be four words that you’d expect to hear together.

When someone says baby shower it’s easy to picture a tower of gifts, helium balloons, pink or blue confetti and excessive food.

However it is possible to throw a baby shower that’s more about the people than the plastic!

So, I’ve pulled together some of the best zero waste baby shower ideas to help you to plan an amazing party!

Zero Waste Baby Shower Budget

Whether your budget is $50 or $5000 it is still possible to organize a great baby shower.

The size of your budget doesn’t need to dictate the amount of fun you have!

Zero Waste Baby Shower Gift List

If you want a zero waste baby shower then that should probably apply to gift giving to.

• Make a list of items you need.
• Think about zero waste baby items that might help to reduce your household waste.
• Encourage people to purchase pre-loved or handmade.
• Ask for recycled,  reusable or no gift wrap.

Zero Waste Baby Shower Invitations

A really easy way to reduce waste and safe money is as simple as inviting people online rather than by post.

Paperless Post  and Evite allow you to send email invitations for free.

They are great because you can add a registry link and keep all the RSVPs on your phone.

You can either use free designs or pay for premium features.

If you’re not inviting many then you could set up a private Facebook event or Whattsapp group.

Zero Waste Baby Shower Venue

• Host at home or in the garden of you have space.
• Beach party!
• Use a local park.
• Book a local community hall.
• If money is no object then find a venue that supports your zero waste principles and understands what you’re trying to achieve.

Zero Waste Baby Shower Seating For Guests

• Offer finger food and party games so that guests won’t actually want to sit at a table.
• Hire some straw bales for guests to sit on.
• Buy pre-loved oak barrels cut in half to make small tables (we did this and they’ve been planted up in our garden for the last six years!)
• Ask to hire from your local Community Centre or church.
• Use picnic blankets.
• If your friends are the outdoorsy type then you could ask them to bring their own camping chair with them 🤣
• Book a venue that has seating.
• Hire what you need from a local company.

Zero Waste Baby Shower Tableware

• Buy second hand and resell afterwards. (We collected vintage China from charity shops and garage sales and gave them to guests as favors).
• Hire what you need.
• Offer finger food so that only plates and glasses are needed.
• There is nothing wrong with asking friends to bring their own glass or stainless steel cup.
• Serve food on log slices (provided you can source them locally or make your own.)
• If you make jams or similar then use the jars as glasses.

Zero Waste Baby Shower Food

Offering finger foods will help to keep costs down and reduce waste.

• Take your own tubs to a private or supermarket deli and fill with olives, sun dried tomatoes etc.
• Bake cheese scones or mini quiches.
• Buy cheese in your own wax wrap.
• Fruit and vegetables from the farmers market using reusable cloth produce bags.
• Make hummus and cut veggies to dip.
• If you’d prefer a warm dish then make a soup or casserole in a slow cooker and serve with fresh bread.

Zero Waste Baby Shower Drinks

• Buy juice in glass jars (many local milk deliveries offer this too).
• Serve homemade iced tea or cordials.
• Use a soda stream if you have one .
• Make fruit punch.

Zero Waste Baby Shower Cake

A zero waste cake should be pretty easy to achieve provided you bake it yourself.

• Buy organic flour and sugar in paper bags.
• We get our eggs from a local hobby farmer.
• Milk in glass bottles.
• Butter in wrapped in paper.
• Decorate with ‘edible’ flowers like rose petals and violets (depending on the season).
• Cupcakes are a good option if you’re trying to avoid needing serving plates and forks.
• Use silicone muffin liners or paper that you can add to garden compost afterwards.

Zero Waste Baby Shower Games

Wish Jar

• Get everyone to write a wish for baby on a small piece of paper and pop them into a glass jar.

Who’s who? 

• Ask everyone to bring a baby photo of themselves.
• Display during party.
• Everyone to try and guess who is who.

Decorate a baby-grow

• Everyone to decorate a baby grow for baby to wear.

Decorate bunting 

• Similar idea to above but everyone to decorate a triangle of bunting.
• These can be sewn together to make bunting for nursery.

What’s in the bag? 

• Place some baby items in bag (find in charity shop and use what you have).
• Everyone to take turns guessing what’s inside.
• Write answers down.
• Most correct answers wins.

Zero Waste Baby Shower Gifts

• A tree of plant for the garden.
• Something from this list…

Zero Waste Baby Shower Decorations

• DIY wreath
• Flowers from garden
• Flowers in pots to replant in garden afterwards.
• Handmade bunting.

Zero Waste Baby Shower Favors

• Popcorn
• Individual Muffin
• Seed paper heart
• Handmade sweets

I’d love to hear if you have any other zero waste baby shower ideas.