1.02.2012

Happy Body, Happy Earth, Happy Birthday: How to Throw an Eco-Friendly and Healthy Birthday Party for Your Little Boy or Girl!

This post comes to me from the lovely Melissa of Blog Content Guild. She heard my kiddo's birthday was coming up this month and wanted to share with me some tips on earth-friendly kid's birthday parties. Thanks, Melissa!

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There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing our sweet boy or girl blow out the candle(s) at their birthday parties. But with all the cellophane, birthday cake, and Styrofoam it seems impossible to make our children’s special day fantastic, earth-friendly, and healthy all at the same time! 

Here are some helpful tips for making your toddler’s day natural, healthy, and happy (without spending a fortune!):

* Send email invitations: There are tons of websites out there (Evite and Punchbowl to name a few) that can help you craft beautiful email invitations at the click of a mouse. This option for invitations is not only fast and easy, it minimizes paper waste, too!

* Minimize paper plates: While we’re not exactly ready to eliminate all of the paper out of our lives, we can minimize our amount of waste by using our plates, rather than buying (and throwing away) paper plates. If you must use paper plates for fear of porcelain plate breakage and injuries, just make sure to recycle and/or buy recycled products.

* Make your food at home: Limit your utensil and packaging waste by making your snacks at home! This may seem like a difficult feat, but if you pick easy recipes, it can be a cinch. Try making healthy snacks for parents to chomp on, like a delicious fruit salad with coconut shavings. You can also put out some cold cuts, whole grain crackers, and some cheese (because, really, what’s a party without cheese?). For the kiddos, make a homemade cake. Homemade cakes are healthier and less expensive, too!

* Do it yourself: Pick a theme, and then do it yourself! You’d be shocked at all of the beautiful party ideas online, executed with homemade decorations. Ask your little boy or girl what kind of party they would like, then go from there. If you aren’t so hot with the arts and crafts, you can always buy Super Mario Brothers-themed party supplies (or whatever your son/daughter is into) and then recycle the cardboard cutouts and decorations.

It’s not impossible to have an eco-friendly, healthy birthday party for your little one. Just follow these tips and you can know you’re doing something great for yourself, your environment, and your child.


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