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If there is one thing babies need, it’s stuff – a lot of stuff! For parents trying to be more eco-friendly on the daily, that can be a bit of a problem.
Whether you're a soon-to-be-parents or if you’re just looking to be more eco-conscious with your little one, small changes can have a big impact on your carbon footprint – and we’re here with some tips!
1. Clothing
Children go through a lot of clothes, there’s no getting around that. Thankfully, more and more brands are starting to realise how much of an impact this can have on the environment and are starting to use sustainable fabrics, dyes and production methods.
Brands like Nature Baby, Pure Baby and Hux Baby make clothes for children up to 5 and meet high standards for environmental and social responsibility.
Another way to be more sustainable when it comes to clothing is to buy (and sell) second-hand. Apps like Depop, Vinted and even Facebook marketplace are full of used clothing items that are ideal for a growing toddler.
2. Toys
Being more eco-conscious doesn’t have to stop with children’s clothes. There are so many sustainable toy brands out there, including Envirotoy, Eco Tots and Babipur. These companies sell toys that are either made from wood or out of recycled plastics and cardboard.
Second-hand is also a great option here as well as selling the toys your little one no longer likes so that other children can enjoy them too!
3. Food
Most of our food (including baby food) comes in plastic packaging, all of which ends up in landfill sites and takes thousands of years to decompose.
One way to curve this is to make your own baby purees, it’s easier than you think and can save you money in the longterm! Click here for a guide. Buying fruit and veg from a local farmer or a zero-waste grocery store is a bonus.
Another huge pollutant is the production of meat. Greenpeace suggest a 50% + vegan diet not just for the environment but your health as well. So, if your child is a little older and you’re making bolognese for dinner, swap that beef for Quorn mince or another vegan alternative. It’s so yummy we promise you won’t miss the real thing!
4. Go reusable
It’s estimated that new-borns use up to three thousand diapers, just in their first year. Not only is this expensive but a huge part of what ends up sitting in landfill for hundreds of years.
This is also the case for baby wipes and nursing pads.
But good news – so many brands are now offering reusable or biodegradable options! Biodegradable is unfortunately a little pricier as they’re more expensive to produce but that’s not the case for reusable.
It’s in the name! Buy it once but use it over and over again, saving money and the environment.
Some of the brands we recommend (via amazon affiliate links):
5. Teaching
Children are tiny sponges, absorbing information from everything and everyone around them. The best way to curve your environmental impact is making sure your little one knows why sustainability is important.
You can teach them about being eco-friendly through books, activities and more!
Here are some articles we love with some great ideas/recommendations:
A quick one to end this post with – although ideally all parents would be able to use these methods (and more!), don’t feel guilty if you don’t have the time, access, or energy to do so. Being a new parent is hard enough without the added pressure to lower your carbon footprint.
Sustainability is a group effort; it’s just about doing what you can.
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