Top nine sustainable tips for parents for the new year

We all know babies come with a lot of stuff – toys, feeding accessories, wipes, nappies, body care products, soothers, etc. The global baby products industry is absolutely enormous, and sadly a lot of it is made of plastic and is disposable. We are marketed to buy stuff, lots of it, regardless of its impact on the environment. We live in a plastic-fantastic, throw-away culture that values convenience and low costs over all else. 

When I was first pregnant, I knew I wanted to minimise the waste we’d generate with our kids and avoid plastic as much as possible. I therefore researched eco-friendly alternatives for everything. Here are my top nine sustainable tips for parents wanting to be more sustainable this year:

1. Cloth nappies

One of the best eco decisions a parent can make is to use reusable cloth nappies, even if only part-time to reduce the number of disposable nappies sent to landfill where they’ll last for 400-500 years! With an average of 4,000 nappy changes by the time a baby is potty-trained, disposable nappies create the equivalent of half a tonne of carbon dioxide. Disposables also contain toxic chemicals that aren’t good for your baby’s skin, their health, or the planet.

Modern cloth nappies are nothing like the ones from decades ago. They’re easy to use and come in gorgeous prints and colours. I also found them to be much better at containing poonamis.

And then there’s cost. Around 2,500 disposable nappies in a baby’s first year costs about €600. In comparison, you’ll spend around €500 for a stash of 25 cloth nappies which is enough for using reusables full-time from birth to potty. You can spend less than this too, depending on the type of nappy you’re buying and if you’re buying preloved. Second-hand cloth nappies can be found at great prices or even free on buy and sell sites or local community Facebook or Freecycle groups. You can use them for multiple children and then resell them.

In Ireland you can get a loan for 6 weeks from Cloth Nappy Library Ireland to try out different kinds of cloth nappies to see which ones you like best before buying any.

2. Reusable cloth baby wipes

Cloth bum wipes are one of the easiest and most effective eco swaps you can make as a parent. They’ll make you feel great about not throwing all those disposable wipes in the bin, and you’ll also save loads of money!

I use Cheeky Wipes. They are soft, absorbent, strong and durable (the organic cotton ones are thicker and softer than the regular ones). They are so incredibly easy to use and they work so much better for cleaning bums than disposables since they have more ‘traction’. They are 15cm x 15cm, which is large enough to usually only need one, or maybe two for a really messy bum change. They also don’t contain any of the chemicals that are in a lot of disposable wipes.

You can keep them in boxes with water and essential oils like lavender, chamomile, tea tree and lemon – one for each the clean ones and the dirty ones. I just keep a dry stack in my nappy drawer, wet them as I need them, and throw the dirty ones in the wet bag with my soiled nappies.

3. Breastfeeding

Not only does it have a heap of health benefits, but did you realise how great breastfeeding is for the environment? The production of formula requires water, electricity, usually cow’s milk, and transportation further increases its environmental impact. And then there’s the plastic tubs they come in that create waste. Powdered formula also needs water that has been heated to at least 70°C for it to be safe, using even more electricity. In contrast, breastfeeding uses few resources and produces minimal or zero waste. A research study at Imperial College of London shows that breastfeeding for 6 months saves 95-153 KG of CO2 per baby!

Read about my breastfeeding journey and tips here.

4. Glass baby bottles

Glass milk storage bottles and glass baby bottles are a great alternative to the more commonly used plastic bottles that will take 500 years or more to decompose. I love them because:

• They don’t contain any harmful chemicals so you don’t have to worry about any toxins leaching into the milk. A recent study from Trinity College Dublin also found high levels of microplastics being released into baby formula when boiling water is poured into plastic bottles during preparation.
• Glass can withstand very high temperatures so the bottles can be fully sanitised
• They’re easier to keep clean and free of smells because they are likely to get less scratches than plastic, which create minute spaces for bacteria to grow.
• They are the more eco-friendly option, not only because glass is fully recyclable, but also because they are more durable. Plastic bottles get cloudy, scuffed and start to smell over time while glass bottles will stay shiny and clean forever so they can be used for multiple children.
• They are made of tempered glass, therefore toughened and hard-wearing. They are thermal-shock resistant, so they can go from freezing cold to piping hot without breaking.

5. Wooden toys

Plastic toys are everywhere! So many houses with children are filled with them. Wooden toys are a great alternative and I am delighted to see they are making a comeback! Not only are they better for the planet but they are gorgeous and hard-wearing. If any of ours break we glue them back together. Wooden toys are painted with non-toxic water-based paints, or, on the higher end of the scale, finished with vibrantly coloured water-based dyes, stains, oils and waxes like the gorgeous handmade Grimms, Grapat, and Ostheimer toys and figures. Like with the glass baby bottles, with these toys parents don’t have to worry about their babies ingesting any toxins when they put them in their mouths like they would with plastic.

6. Products made from natural and/or recycled materials

Products that are sustainably-made with natural materials, like wood, cotton, hemp, and natural rubber leave a much lighter footprint on our environment. Man-made synthetic materials like synthetic rubber, PVC, polyesters and acrylics on the other hand, take significantly longer to decompose (up to several hundred years) since they are predominantly made from plastics, and they leach toxins into our soil and groundwater as they do.

Here are a few examples of natural products on the market:

• Natural rubber wellies – Natural rubber is made from the latex that comes from a tree. They are extremely waterproof, flexible, and comfortable, as well as much more durable than plastic wellies, which means they’ll last longer and can be passed on to other other children.
• Natural organic mattresses and bedding – They don’t contain any harmful chemicals – no pigments, dyes, bleaches, metals, pesticides or chemical toxins such as fire retardant sprays. With babies spending 14 hours or more a day sleeping, an organic mattress gives parents peace of mind that their children are spending all that time in a natural and safe environment.
• Cotton rugs – a great vegan option for parents wanting natural eco-friendly surfaces for their kids to play on. I have found some gorgeous cream and black berber-style ones online from Lorena Canals and Broste Copenhagen that are machine washable – so handy with kids and pets!
• Recycled waterproof clothing – Many companies are now making waterproof clothing made from recycled PET bottles!
• Recycled wool throws and clothing – I was excited to discover recently that you can get items made from recycled wool which is reclaimed from textile waste and unwanted or discarded garments. So far I have bought two throws from Blarney Woolen Mills and a pair of leggings for my three year old made with recycled wool from the French company Smallable.

7. Second hand clothes/toys/products

The longer products are used, the better it is for the planet. Limiting how much we buy new and buying things pre-loved instead is a great way to lower our carbon footprint (as well as costs, as we all know kids use a lot of things!). You can find things and give/sell your old things through a Freecycle group in your area (or start one if you can’t find one!), second-hand shops, and online on buy and sell sites or on Facebook marketplace.

8. Cloth reusables

A great way to reduce your waste, as well as costs, is to replace single use items with reusables. These are some of the washable cloth items I’ve found great as a parent:

• Bamboo breast pads – If you breastfeed and have a decent supply you’ll need breast pads to catch the leaks. Washable bamboo breast pads are a great eco-friendly alternative to the disposable ones. I found 14 pairs (a week’s supply) to be a good amount. I highly recommend them! They are soft, comfortable and ultra absorbent.
• Cloth kitchen roll (aka unpaper towels) – A really practical and easy zero waste switch. I got mine made-to-order by The Cloth Hospital. You can also find them on Etsy or in zero waste shops like Marley’s Monsters Unpaper Towels on fluffybums.ie. You can also cut up some old clothing for a cheaper alternative.
• Face and hands wipes – These are a must for kids. Just throw them in the wash with your towels and rags.
• Muslins – Another must have for parents! You can use them to protect your clothing from spit ups, wipe mouths & noses, line your buggy, cover your buggy when it’s sunny or your baby is sleeping, as a lightweight blanket, a makeshift bib and even as a comforter.

9. Stainless steel lunchboxes & water bottles

To pack lunches and snacks for kids, bento-style lunchboxes are great. Having several small compartments make packing a variety of foods easy, which is great for kids. A good eco-friendly, plastic-free option is stainless steel which is durable, light, hygienic and toxin-free. I went with PlanetBox from the US because I preferred it to the ones I found in Ireland/Europe, but the custom fees I had to pay made it expensive. It comes with stainless steel leak-proof containers with 100% food-grade silicone tops for wet food and dips and I got non-toxic silicone pods for separating foods as well. Klean Kanteen (commonly found in lots of Irish shops) do great stainless steel water bottles.