Go green at all times of the year and with nearly any item – including baby gifts for Christmas or Chanukah. Yet, finding green baby gifts can be a challenge, as most retailers don’t carry them. Standard baby products, from mattresses and sheets to toys, tend to contain chemicals, be it PVC, phthalates, or BPA, and these leach out and enter a child’s environment. For doing something good for the environment and reducing your own or someone else’s carbon footprint, here are some suggestions for green baby gifts:

• Eco-friendly diaper cakes from Rattlecake put a mundane yet necessary item in an attractive package. A typical Rattlecake diaper cake has 80 to 150 diapers and various baby toys attached to the outside. Eco-friendly diaper cakes have Seventh Generation diapers and assorted organic cotton and corn fiber-filled toys on the outside.

• Baby Planet Zoey Strollers are environmentally friendly and safe – two qualities any parent enjoys. Each Zoey stroller can be used with timi & leslie diaper bags and is equipped with all-terrain wheels and a five-point harness.

• Naturepedic mattresses come in sizes for babies and children. Regardless of the size, however, all Naturepedic mattresses are made out of organic cotton, without harmful chemicals and allergens, and are waterproof.

• On the same subject as bedding, consider a Moses basket stand for a parent who has one of these temporary baby beds. Each is made out of organic wood with no paint, stains, or toxic finishes.

• Yellow Label Pink Cuddle Dolls are all handmade – no machines or child labor is involved. Each soft toy, which can be given to a baby or toddler, is made by hand in accordance with Fair Trade practices.

• Surprise a new mother with a Lassig Vintage Metro diaper bag. With a colorful print, each diaper bag is made without PVC, nickel, AZO dyes, or phthalates.

Going green has gone beyond turning the light off when you leave a room or recycling. In the present, being green is all about reducing your carbon footprint and limiting exposure and use of harmful chemicals. If you have been asked to plan a baby shower, you might have been instructed to make it as green as possible. This appears to be the case for one woman who wrote to Mother Nature Network about how to plan a green baby shower.

Morieka Johnson wrote in response some suggestions for putting together a green baby shower, and many of her suggestions overlap with ours for being economical with a new baby:

• Send all guests digital invitations
• Stick with a simple theme instead of games
• Go with practical decorations (See our diaper cake suggestion below)
• Make the event a potluck and ask guests to bring some food
• Suggest bringing lightly-worn baby products, such as bedding, clothing, and toys. Used furniture, strollers, and car seats are questionable.

While all of Johnson’s suggestions are helpful for planning a baby shower – any, not just a green party – we have some of our own. Eco baby products are now as attractive as ordinary baby items and are affordable. To add some color to the event, consider:

• Eco-friendly diaper cakes by Rattlecake. A diaper cake is both an attractive centerpiece at a baby shower and a practical gift, providing parents with a large starting supply of diapers. Eco-friendly diaper cakes take this a step further by being made out of organic and environmentally-friendly products. Each diaper cake is made out of Seventh Generation diapers and includes Burt’s Bees products and Dandelion baby toys, which are made out of organic cotton and corn filling.
• Choose an eco-friendly baby gift. Stores like Dada Baby Boutique have a large selection of green items, such as furniture, clothing, bedding, and toys.