Eco friendly baby products you can easily switch to

We’re all well aware of how much of an impact we as the human race have had on the environment. Thankfully, there are many different things we can do to help reduce the amount of damage we’re dealing to our beautiful green earth, and that even includes everything you’ll need for your baby too!  

Having a baby is no easy feat, from the endless nappy changes to buying baby wipes and all of the lotions and creams they need, it can be difficult to remain eco friendly! However, there are options if you’re looking for eco friendly baby products and these are easy switches to make that won’t break the bank or your back!  Sometimes being kind to the environment can feel like hard work as we are all used to taking the quick easy option, but these eco friendly baby products can 

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Reusable nappies

Did you know that the average baby uses up to 4500 nappies before they are potty trained? These nappies can take over 500 years to decompose! Now think about the amount of babies in the world at any given point – that’s a lot of nappies!

Reusable nappies, better known as cloth nappies are not the nightmare you might think they are…  They can be washed immediately and reused or you can get nappy bins that you can pop them into and then once that is full do a wash.   We used these some ten years ago now and I can see from research that they have come along way since then.  The thing I liked about them, apart from the environmental aspect is that they felt so soft and I way preferred putting cotton bamboo next to my babies skin than a nappy. 

You will of course be creating more washing, but they do dry really quickly so it doesn’t add much in the way of time as of course if you have disposable nappies you still need to empty the bin etc…

Also don’t forget that whilst you will have an initial financial outlay to buy your reusable nappies that is it!  It is virtually a one time expense unless you need extra pads as the nappies tend to be adjustable for size and you can of course reuse them for your next child as well so ultimately you will be saving money and the environment.

Don’t forget about baby wipes either…  Although there are now some biodegradable brands such as the ones from Mum and You the majority of baby wipes are straight into landfill and are a terrible blot on the environment. 

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I know we used thousands over the years and I didn’t even know how bad they were as they often contain plastic so they can’t degrade or at least not in our lifetime.  You could instead use cotton baby wipes which can then be popped in the wash with the reusable nappies.  I love these as makeup remover wipes too.  

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Eco kitchenware

Your baby will soon experience what it’s like to eat food, and many parents don’t think twice about using plastic kitchenware for their babies. While it’s not doing your baby any harm, once these are disposed of they clutter landfill and do not decompose. Instead, why not consider using bamboo kitchenware for your bundle of joy? Not only are they better for the environment, but they are still safe for food and the inevitable biting from your baby. Click here for more information about why bamboo kitchenware is great for your baby.

You might also think about getting reusable food pouches for your baby so when you are out and about you can take their purees with you without adding extra packaging into that landfill situation. These are the ones that I used:

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As with the reusable nappies there is an initial out lay buying the pouches and the tool to actually get the food into the pouch, but once that it done then you basically start saving money over buying pre-packaged baby food.

I loved using these when my kids were little as they also meant I could put in ingredients that I could control.  I won’t lie it is of course more time consuming doing it this way, but if you are preparing baby food anyway then making a few pouches as you make the rest of the food isn’t really extra work.

Baby toys

Much like kitchenware, baby toys are usually plastic and once you’ve binned them, are clogging up landfill once again. Rather than buying plastic toys, consider these alternative options:

• Asking friends and family for old toys they no longer need or want
• Using sustainable materials such as wooden baby toys
• Go to charity shops to buy toys second hand, or check Facebook marketplace for local sellers to reuse plastic toys rather than throwing them.
• Find eco friendly baby toy stores

General Eco Friendly Baby Products 

There are many accessories you might be thinking about buying for your baby but now thinking twice because of the environmental impact they have. However there are many alternatives such as:

• Dummies that are made out of rubber that can be recycled and used over and over
• Glass baby bottles if you’re choosing formula over breastfeeding. Tommy Tippee do a great range of glass bottles.
• Creams and lotions are often packaged and sourced unsustainably, but there are plenty of natural ingredients you can use as well as natural product ranges with recyclable packaging 
• Think about whether you actually need it all.  I bought literally every gadget and baby accessory going with my eldest, but I really didn’t need it all so check out my advice on WHAT STUFF YOU ACTUALLY NEED WHEN HAVING A BABY

Baby Clothes

When I had my eldest it didn’t even dawn on me to buy second hand clothes or ask friends if they had hand me downs.  I bought everything new.  I didn’t even know it was a thing.  Now I went on to have four children so his clothes were very well used by the time they were done with, but as soon as I realised that there are charity shops devoted to children’s clothing I was all over it.  They grow so fast that everything, even in second hand shops, is basically brand new and it is an advantage to the charities and to the environment to have the clothes reused.

Also once you are done with your baby’s clothes you can get them recycled.  So anything you have that is stained or perhaps just too tired looking for a charity donation or to pass onto a friend you can take them into your local H&M store and give them to them to recycle.  As I understand it they use the recycled cloth for their conscious range.  They give you a £5 voucher for every bag you donate too so its totally worth it to then get something else that you need for baby or even for you!!

Finally, anything you can reuse, recycle and prevent anything unnecessary going to landfill will help you – and your baby – do your bit for the environment. Let us know if you have any other great ideas to add to this list in the comments.