10 Ways to be Eco-Conscious Parents
Having a child changes you. It changes the way you do things, it makes you buy things you never bought in your life and it challenges you like you’ve never been challenged before! Am I right??
We had Quinn 16 months ago and let me know tell you, I don’t remember my life before… Seriously!!! The Purposeful You actually started all because we began to really think about all the things we were buying and bringing into our home. It’s easy to get caught up in all the items you think you need. Whether you have children, thinking about children or know someone that has children, I am here to inspire, not judge! It’s about empowering each other and teaching each other tricks and tips to live more consciously for our children’s future.
I wanted to share 10 ways we have been a little more eco conscious as parents. There’s trial and error, we’ve researched companies and we have truly lived more purposefully since we’ve had Quinn. It’s empowering!
Please remember, all of this does not happen overnight. Do your best, the biggest hurdle is STARTING. Start to think about every purchase, start to recognize your habits and do one change at a time! Our favourite quote is “We Do Not Inherit the Earth from Our Ancestors; We Borrow It from Our Children”.
Cloth diapers: OK, I can hear your eyes roll. The first thing I always tell people when they say “oh I can’t/couldn’t do cloth diapers” is I ask if they’ve ever thought about a hybrid? Don’t think it’s all or nothing with cloth diapers. Even 2-5 a day makes a difference. Borrow a few from a friend to see if it works for you, purchase them secondhand from someone you know or ask for cloth diapers as gifts. It's something you have to try multiple times to make it work for you. You find a routine and most importantly, a good support team helps! When Quinn was 3 months old we started using 2-4 a day. Now he wears cloth diapers during the day (with the odd exception of disposables if we haven’t done laundry or he’s about to have a BIG poo). He wears one disposable at night, we use Seventh Generation as it’s budget friendly and better for the environment compared to 95% of the other brands.
Wipes: We have not mastered making our own wipes but it is really easy to do if you’re a DIY pro. Put reusable cloths in a mason jar and fill it with distilled water, 1-2 teaspoons of castile soap and add 1 teaspoon of witch hazel or an essential oil. If you’re not quite the DIY pro, we have focused on plant based wipes that are made from bamboo. Bamboo grows fast and is way more sustainable to grow. Save the trees!
Clothing: Our Motto is 85% secondhand (or free from friends/family) and 15% sustainable companies like Sloane West Supply. Yes sustainable/slow fashion is more expensive but so it should be! They are source ethically, have sustainable practices & materials, often handmade and of course, built to last! Purchase 7 great items from the secondhand store including shoes for $60 (see photo below) and you deserve that sustainably made shirt for $36! Less is always more when it comes to clothes. Use discount code PURPOSEFUL10 at checkout for 10% off Sloane West Supply.
4. Teach them to love nature & animals: Quinn will hug trees, pet snails and his best friend is his sister Zoe, a rescue dog! It’s important for children to learn to be kind to nature, animals and even insects! Don’t kill the spider in its web, show them how beautiful it is! When they appreciate a living thing, they will treat it better and make more mindful choices in their life. It starts with us, as parents, to teach and explain to them to be sensitive to the eco system around us.
5. Toys: AGAIN, secondhand. You can find the coolest toys for $2-3 at the secondhand stores or free from a friend. There’s so many toys out there, unless it’s made ethically and sustainably (like some wooden toys) purchase secondhand. Every time we spend money on crap, that company produces more crap!
6. Snack time: Convenience is not kind to the planet and it’s actually more expensive! Like we always say, vote with your money! Buying packaged snacks you can throw into the lunch bag creates so much waste. We aren’t perfect ourselves but 90% of Quinn’s snacks are something we have made him and put into a container or beeswax wrap. Did you know you can make snack packs with beeswax wraps? Check out Nature Bees Beeswax wraps, your kids will love the patterns! It takes a little bit more work up front to cut cucumber or add cheerios into the bag, the biggest thing is making this a priority. If you feel empowered like we do when we create less waste then you will thrive off of this too. I say challenge accepted! We haven’t bought zip lock bags or saran wrap in over 3 years! Use discount code PURPOSEFUL10 at checkout for 10% off beeswax wraps in the link above.
7. Soap: Use a bar of soap instead of liquid soap in a plastic container at bath time! Did you know that 9% of your recycling actually gets recycled? We have been using shampoo bars that are natural, made locally and you can purchase either unscented or scented from Green Room Body Co. They come in plantable boxes, made out of post consumer recycled paper embedded with seeds! Use discount code PURPOSEFUL15 at checkout for 15% off!
8. Train your family and friends on gift giving! HUH? Family and friends ask us now what we need before they just show up to Christmas or a birthday with a gift they mindless bought thinking we may need. We appreciate gifts obviously, who doesn’t, but it’s nice to get something you need! The other great thing you can do is ask for donations in their name. We did it every year with the WWF (World Wild Life Foundation) for our niece and nephews.
9. Dishes Cutlery & cups: We tried the bamboo dishes but honestly, if your child drops them from 1 foot off the ground they crack and break so we use Re-Play products. Family owned company in the US that have sustainable practices, FDA approved, made out of recycled milk jugs!
10. Grow a garden: Growing your own food and teaching your child to just wonder and pick a strawberry is such a beautiful thing! You don’t have to have a huge garden to do this, grow strawberries in a container on your balcony or even basil inside on your window sill. Showing them it’s hard work, takes patience and love are all lessons our children will learn. It' makes us appreciate our food a lot more.
11. BONUS!!!! Lead by Example: Our children watch what we do, they watch our habits and when they leave the home that’s all they know! Talk about SCARY! So we are always trying to lead by example. How we grow up sets the stage for our adult life and habits. If you’ve composted all your life then it’s second nature when you’re out of the home. That’s our goal!
We hope some of these tips guide you to make your home more purposeful, conscious and sustainable!
Thank you for reading. :)
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