Five Easy Steps for a More Planet Friendly Life - Eco baby!

I don’t know about you but as I get older I am becoming increasingly conscious of our impact on the environment. Our society isn’t exactly conducive to a completely eco-friendly way of living. While it’s not, unfortunately, at the forefront of everyone’s minds, mine included, I think we owe it to the planet to at least try and make a few changes that may make life for future generations as beautiful as it can be. It’s true of course that washing out a yogurt pot for the recycling box when we can isn’t going to save the planet, especially when there exists multi-billion pound fossil fuel industries polluting the Earth. It’s all about our moral compass though, and passing down the right attitudes to our children in the hope it filters down and makes huge differences one day.

Reusable Nappies

Easier than it sounds I promise! You can buy whole starter kits to set you up which work out a lot cheaper than buying nappies all the time. They can be used for other children you may have later down the line also! I find ‘all in ones’ work best for us, sometimes with a booster insert, together with washable liners. Flush anything solid down the loo then whack the whole nappy and extras in a nappy bucket. When the bucket is full, wash at 40 degrees, and air dry. This saves about 2000 nappies a year, per kid, going straight into landfill.

Second Hand Clothing

We’ve recently discovered a company called The Little Loop online who offer a rental service and buy back good quality used clothing; they also offer a marketplace to buy items too. Favourite quality brands like Frugi and Jojo Maman Bebe, and so much more! We’ve had some really good stuff from there. Fast fashion waste is overwhelming the planet at an alarming rate and is produced unethically and found to contain much higher than normal toxic chemicals. Vinted and second-hand shops are your best friend! You can find them at www.thelittleloop.com/secondhand.

Refillables

Being a family of six, and a dog, we’d go through an enormous amount of things like handwash, body wash, shampoo and washing powder etc. All of this generates a lot of plastic waste and would clutter bathrooms and under sink cupboards like you wouldn’t believe. Now our bathrooms have about three fancy reusable bottles filled with our favourite refillable products! You can buy larger 5 litre, or 2.5 litre containers from Amazon or your local refillable shop. These shops offer a service where you can take your little fancy bottles in and get them filled up in the shop, saving even more plastic waste from your home. The Health Workshop in Ashby does just that, and stocks my go-to brand, Faith in Nature.

Less Food Waste

This is still something that I absolutely cannot get right, but I’m working on it. Having children of multiple ages means they chop and change their minds about food preferences all the time. So just when I think I can count on a regular Tuesday spaghetti night, one of them decides they are completely allergic to it. So we end up throwing lots away whereby a piece of my soul goes straight into the bin with it. Meal planning does however make a big difference and agreeing on dinner choices together can at least facilitate the eating of most food put before them. Partners included. It goes without saying; don’t overbuy or shop when hungry! I’m on a constant mission to bring the cost of our weekly food shop way down. Watch this space.

Natural Material Toys

The benefits of wooden toys are well documented for their durability, and imaginative often open-ended play. The physical touch also forms an early connection to nature and opens up simple dialogues about trees, their importance and their uses. They seem to create a lovely calming atmosphere in a nursery or playroom as well, very aesthetic! A calm and inviting space should not be underestimated for parents and children alike. So go ahead, get your influencer on. Choosing toys of natural materials ensures they will not be stuck in landfill for the next 500 years.

To have all wooden toys is pretty much impossible for us, and a lot of families I know. So I choose consciously and almost always get second hand bits from charity shops and Vinted. I then take things back to be resold or give away to friends!

Having four children I am always aware of the environmental impact this itself has and hope that as they get older, they will make choices to counter this. By taking a few simple steps right now, we are doing our little bit for the world we live in.

What things would you add to this list? I hope this has inspired you in some small way to give our future, and our children’s future on this planet a little bit of compassion and love.

Sophie x

The Local Mama Blog Editor

@sophieandteamt