These days you don’t have to be a bride to register for gifts. I’ve seen kids registering for their birthday–and their guests shopping at–toy stores and other national retailers. I’ve seen new homeowners register for housewarming gifts. And I’ve seen plenty of parents-to-be registering for baby products.

With that in mind I guess it should come as no surprise that baby retailer Babies R Us has found that the biggest trend in baby registries these days is green baby gifts.

“Setting up a baby registry is the first step new and expectant parents take when establishing their baby’s environment. In the past, color and pattern were key determining factors, but now, parents are increasingly interested in ensuring that their baby’s world is healthy and clean,” said Tori Binau, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Babies”R”Us in a press release. “This has translated into a trend of creating ‘green’ registries featuring natural and organic items that are good for both baby and the planet.”

Some of the green products that moms and dads can choose from these days include:

* Organic-certified baby/toddler food
Brands to choose from include Gerber, Earth’s Best, Horizon Organic and Healthy Handfuls. (Or you could make your own baby food like I did.)

* Organic cotton apparel
You can find everything you’ll need to dress baby, including one-piece underwear (aka onesies, which my kids lived in), bodysuits, shirt and pant sets, caps, socks and sleep sacks made with cottons that are naturally grown and certified organic.

* Green bedding
This includes eco-friendly mattresses from Serta Perfect Balance, which includes organic cotton fill; you can also select bedding made from organic cotton.

* Environmentally friendly cleaners for the nursery and home
You can find green cleaners for your dishes, laundry, surfaces and bathrooms from Seventh Generation, Method Home, Clorox GreenWorks, BabyGanics and Mrs. Meyers Clean Day.

With July still the most popular month for babies to be born (hey, both of my girls have summer birthdays), if you’ve got a friend who’s pregnant and due this summer, chances are you’ve just attended her baby shower–or will be receiving an invitation shortly. Or, if you’re expecting and planning a baby shower, I thought it might be helpful to offer some quick registry etiquette dos and don’ts, which is applicable whether or not you’re registering for green baby products.

1. Do include registry information in an invitation
It is OK to include in a baby shower invitation a small card about where the mother-to-be has registered. You don’t have to write a long narrative or anything–just the store’s name, web address (if it has one) and phone number (toll free preferred).

2. Don’t get specific about registry requests
One of the most common questions I get over at my Gifts and Etiquette website is how people can go about requesting that folks give them cash since they don’t need any stuff. Well, the bottom line is that you can’t.

3. Don’t expect that people will buy from your registry exclusively
If you’ve decided to create a green registry, you can’t command that every one of your guests buy from it. There are plenty of people who like to shop based on their own guidelines and tastes. That means that you should prepare yourself now for the likely packs of disposable diapers you can expect to get, even if you didn’t register for them or if you’re going with cloth only. (You can donate the disposable diapers to a local women’s shelter or other good cause that helps women and children.)

4. Do send thank-you notes
Yet another popular question I get is why people don’t send thank you notes anymore. I don’t know–their parents didn’t raise them with any manners? As the person of honor, it is your job to send each person who attended your shower and/or gave you a gift a note of thanks. It is your job to write the note, proofread it, put it in an envelope, address and stamp it, and mail it out. I’ve heard of many moms-to-be (and brides to be as well) who ask their guests to pre-address the thank-you note envelopes or even fill in the blanks to save the mom (or the bride) time later on. That is as tacky as tacky can be. Bottom line: you must hand write your thank-you notes and mail them soon after your celebration. Emails, calls or text messages of thanks don’t get your off the hook.

OK, so mailing thank you notes might not be as green as emailing a note of thanks, but trust me–a handwritten note in this day and age or electronic communication is the way to go. Maybe you can ease your guilty green conscience by buying cards made from recycled paper or that are printed on FSC-certified paper.

Have I missed anything about registries, baby showers or thank-you notes? If so, let me know.