Something that a lot of new and existing parents are starting to think about is how they can become more environmentally friendly. Babies are cute, noisy and a handful at times but they most certainly aren’t environmentally. You will even find that most eco-friendly people find it difficult when it comes to meeting this challenge. With diapers, baby wipes, piles of laundry and much more to consider it’s not hard to see why people choose convenience over the environment. Plus, let’s face it, finding the energy to hold a conversation can be difficult at times let alone thinking about ways to save the planet from one small baby.
Photo by Rene Asmussen from Pexels
If you’re a green-minded parent then you may be looking for help with making the best eco-friendly choices with your baby. Have a look at these tips for easy eco-friendly parenting, whether you’re looking to make a big change or take a few on, it’s definitely worth a consideration:
Diapers
You can expect to wade your way through hundreds if not thousands of diapers for at eighteen months of your little one’s life, often it’s long as the average child will potty train after the age of two. Not much thought or organization needs to go into making this greener, and you can pretty much make the whole experience a green one with some commitment. Some things fro you try would be:
- Cloth Diapers- Yes they will inevitably have a small impact of the environment when you’ve finished with them however, they will take up a lot less space on the landfill than all the diapers you will go through if you were to use the standard ones. You can look into using specially designed sets now too that provide you with nice looking and easy to care for re-useable diapers that can be washed and reused. Not only are these good for the environment, you only need to buy one or two sets for your little one’s time in diapers so it works out much cheaper too!
- Use Eco-Friendly Alternatives- If you don’t fancy washing cloth nappies don’t stress, there is also a more eco-friendly alternative to diapers available that sure minimize the impact on the environment. Try research which disposable diapers are the best/worst for the environment before making a decision as to which brand you are happy to use.
Wet Wipes And Cream
Just like diapers you can expect to get through an awful lot of wipes and cream during your child’s life and they really aren’t;t very friendly for the environment and often cannot even be flushed down the loo. Some actions you can consider taking to help include:
- Being Mindful With your Usage- Disposable wipes are the easiest and quickest option to use however you can easily cut down your impact on the environment merely by monitoring your usage. Think about whether you need to use them extra wipes or try cleaning your baby with water instead. Don’t get tempted in to using wipes for household chores or wiping down the highchair either, this can make your usage skyrocket when it’s not needed.
- Use Old Muslin Squares- You’ll find that you have an abundance of old muslin squares that you can cut up and use for things like wiping down toys, highchairs or mopping up any spills (because thy will happen0 and then band them in the next wash.
- Old Fabric- If you don’t have any muslin squares or have spare materials lying around the house you can apply the same principle to these.
- Eco-friendly Wipes – There is a lot of options when it comes to choosing wipes, some are more eco-friendly than others so makes sure you complete your research before committing to a brand.
- Make your Own Cream- Some people may not like the idea of making your own cream but it can be really easy to accomplish and with the amount you will most likely get through in your little ones early days you will be thankful you know how to make it. Not only are homemade creams usually nice smelling, cheap, environmentally-friendly, they are also safe to eat so you don’t need to worry about any little hands getting on it.
Washing
It’s definitely not a secret that babies create a lot of laundries, sometimes even a whole load in just one day! You will end up with piles and piles of it and there is just no way around it. You will have to tackle it. Depending on your detergent choice you may find that you are using a lot of chemicals as well as water. To try and be mindful and cut down try some of these tips:
- Use Cold Water- There is a lot more energy consumed when using hot water fo a wash, so choosing to use cold water instead will have a positive effect on the environment and your energy bill. Often baby clothes need to be washed in lower temperatures anyway and detergents are now manufactured to work on a cooler wash.
- Run Full Loads Only- Unless it’s a real emergency (like you’ve run out of sleepsuits) make sure you only ever run a full load, the majority of washing machines will use the same amount of water regardless of if they’re full or not so making sure you are making the most of the water used you are eco-washing.
- Protect Their Mattress- By using items such as the Little Green Sheep mattress protector you are helping to cut down on any potential stains and dry cleaning that you may need to do from unexpected accidents. With babies and young children, it’s always wise to protect their mattress as they can easily become stained.
- Mindful Drying- When it’s warmer weather try to make use of a clothesline to dry your clothes and in the cooler months use radiators and a clothes horse to dry rather than constantly using the tumble dryer. Of course, as a family it can often be a rush to dry everything and the dryer is needed but reducing your use will help with energy costs and the environment.
- Is It Really Dirty- Sometimes it goes without saying that something is need of a wash but try to be mindful over whether something really needs to be washed or not. Sometimes it can be the case that your top or jeans could be worn for one more day before chucking them in a load.
These are only a few ways that you can become an eco-parent there are others, is there any other methods that you have tried that you share in the comments section below?
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