Have you been considering taking a green parenting path with your pending arrival or maybe you just want to make some more Eco-Friendly parenting choices?
Why not consider implementing some of these simple eco-friendly family tips and see how easy it can be:
Eco-Friendly Family Tips and Tricks
Reusable Cloth Nappies and Wipes
As a full-time cloth bum mum, I can honestly say it's not as bad as you might think. Cloth nappies have had an overhaul since the early '80s and now boast beautiful bold colours, snap and velcro fastenings and elasticated waists and legs. Disposable nappies can take anything up to 500 years to decompose in a landfill and they take up a massive 4% of the waste currently being added to at the dump here in Ireland so it makes sense to swap or at least try it. Cloth is a much more Eco-Friendly Family choice.
Buy Second Hand
Browse car boot sales, local charity shops and freecycle groups across social media for unwanted toys and clothes. Babies grow fast so why not channel your inner tree hugger by accepting hand me downs, you could be surprised with what treasures you might find at the end of a bag of unwanted clothes. Then when you're finished with the bag of threaded treats pass them on again and give them another circle of life.
Make Your Own Baby Food
Avoid costly convenient store-bought food pouches in favour of delicious and nutritious home-cooked goods. If your baby is turning six months soon lash some fruit and vegetables over the stove till soft and puree them with a hand blender then simply store them in small pots, jars or even an ice cube tray. Mix it up every other day and soon you will have a freezer full of homemade meals full of goodness. Not only will it do wonders for the world it will be easy on your pocket too. An easy Eco-Friendly Family swap.
Breastfeeding is an Eco-Friendly Family Win!
There's no denying that breastfeeding your baby has zero environmental impact but if you're pumping be mindful about how you store your milk. Single-use plastic storage bags contributes to landfill so try to reduce waste by storing your milk in glass jars or reusable BPA-free plastic bottles.
Choose Natural Ingredients
They say you are what you eat and your skin is the largest organ in your body so it makes sense to feed it with good food. Avoid unnecessary exposure to icky chemicals by doing your research and choosing natural products with a list of ingredients that you understand. Picking a gentle product that will minimize the risk of irritation on your babies skin.
Buy Sustainable Clothing
By buying sustainable clothing you are avoiding materials that may contain toxins, carcinogens and other harmful chemicals while reducing water consumption and waste production. Sustainable clothing fabrics are derived from eco-friendly sources such as recycled materials and sustainably grown fiber crops such as organic cotton. So next time your thinking of treating the little one to some new threads consider buying from a small Irish business such as Lil & Izzy Boutique, Chaos + Harmony, The Little Wooden Peg or Goose & Gander.
