Eco friendly parenting ideas

“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”

I love this quote.

It’s a real reminder that what we do now, will impact our children, and our children’s children.

I try my best, I really do. I’m not perfect, but I’d love to be!

I always try and keep the planet at the forefront of my mind, from the recycling bin to the snacks I choose for the girls.

It’s not always easy, particularly when they want a cheese string… but sometimes it’s about off setting, and doing the most you can.

Eco friendly parenting ideas

Leave the car at home

Try and have at least one day a week where you don’t use the car. Challenge yourself to stay local. If you live in a rural area it might be a nature walk, if you live in a village it could be a trip to the post office or library. When it comes to school or nursery drop offs, could you cycle or walk?

Reusable nappies

While it’s not for everyone, reusable nappies are a great way to cut your household waste, particularly in the early days! I used them a little with Martha in the summer when she was around 6 months. I only used them in the summer as I hated the smell of them in the house. Reusable nappies can save you money too. Over 2.5 years, you’ll save £200-500. You’ll also do your bit for the environment, even if you just use one a day.

“More than 300,000 disposable nappies are sent to landfill or incinerated every minute.”

Litter picking

There’s something really mindful about litter picking. I love it! The girls do too. It gets us all out the house, and helps them understand the importance of not dropping rubbish.

“Cleaning up litter from the streets of Britain costs taxpayers around £500 million. That does not include the amount it costs to clean up parks and other public spaces.”

Make snacks

Snacks, like these non UPF flapjacks, are delicious, homemade, and you know exactly what’s in them. And there’s no packaging for the item, just the packaging. Choose boxes of oats which are easily recyclable, and a glass jar of honey over a plastic pot.

Shop in refill shops

These shops are like a treasure trove. Look for your local refill shop, take the kids and your containers and get filled up.

Normalise second hand shopping

Ida loves to choose clothes from Vinted. While there are somethings they need new, others are easily found on Vinted or in charity shops. I find Vinted great as you can search for the very specific “Rainbow unicorn coat with a fluffy hood” and you can usually find it.

Currently I’ve been tasked with finding an Elsa swimsuit.

Before buying new:

• Check if it’s available second hand on sale sites
• Accept hand downs
• Keep clothes for future babies (If you have the space!)
• Looking in charity shops and even Facebook market place

Locally, we use Monkey Clothes in Haddenham.

Make repairs

I’m not suggesting you sew patches on their elbows, but can you repair a button? Or make small fixes? If something has completely had it and isn’t even good enough for Forest School, I cut them up and use them as rags. Or maybe a crafty afternoon of sock puppets?

Refuse party gifts

If you’re throwing a party, you’re going to be inundated with gifts. When we had a party for the girls we asked if people would be happy to make a donation to the local feedback. Some came with bags of food, others got a few tins from their cupboard, and others dropped some bits in their local shop. This way, people get to bring something to the party, and the kids get to deliver it to the food bank. Martha loved this activity.

Sometimes, gifts will be inevitable. Ask for experience based gifts, like the theatre or a trip to the zoo in the future.

Here’s an entire blog on eco friendly gift ideas.

Make your own baby food and freeze it

Those pouches of baby food have their place, but if you can, try to whip it up at home. When they’re just tasting a few bits, you can blend up some veggies and freeze them in ice cube trays.

Make your own beeswax wraps

Using cuts of old fabric and beeswax pellets, you can make your own airtight beeswax wraps. These are also great for wrapping up snacks and biscuits when you’re on the road.

Repurpose things

Here’s one my sister told me, she uses an old shower curtain as a mat for crafts. Genius! I use old bread bags as dog poo bags, which isn’t perfect, but it gives them another lease of life.

Keep toys back at Christmas and Birthday

If your child gets lots of toys at Christmas and Birthdays, try to push some aside. You can give them later in the year when they need something new to play with.

Toy rotation

Rotate your toys regularly. You’ll be surprised how quickly they forget about things! We keep things out for a little while, then swap for something in the loft. It keeps them interested and means we don’t go out and buy toys all the time.

Eco friendly parenting ideas

There you have some of my eco friendly parenting ideas. What do you do to encourage your kids to be eco, and to help you do your bit too?