Jun 01, 2021

Eco-Friendly Parenting Tips

“There’s no brand that’s doing it perfectly and there’s no consumer who’s doing it perfectly. You do what you can, and once you start incorporating the small things into your day-to-day life, they’ll become habitual.” – Kelly Drennan

A healthy planet creates healthy (little) humans. Small changes in your daily habits (products, food etc.) can lessen your family’s exposure to toxic chemicals. And though it can seem overwhelming, and at times impractical, baby steps are big steps.
Here are 3 easy, eco-friendly parenting tips you can start implementing in your daily life:

FOOD

Once your baby is eating solids, try to cook your own food as often as possible. While avoiding processed food, choose to support and consume local, fair trade and seasonal products.
Choosing organic is better for you, the environment, and your taste buds. Organic food also guarantees the absence of nitrates and pesticide residues.
Where possible, try to buy food that comes in no packaging or packaging that is easily recycled or reused, such as glass.
Bonus: avoid individually wrapped snacks. Save resources (and money) by buying in bulk and packaging items yourself in reusable glass and BPA-free plastic containers.
Double bonus: grow your own garden! Okay… we’ll revisit this one when baby is older :)

LAUNDRY
You’re avoiding piles of laundry right now as you read this. Babies are messy! And it’s instinctual to want to remove the mess ASAP, all the time. However, each load utilizes a lot of water and depending on your detergent - chemicals as well.
Eco-friendly alternatives:

Maximize your laundry load, wait until it’s full.
Use cold water. Cold uses less energy than hot, and saves you money
Choose eco-friendly detergents. Conventional detergents might seem like an easier and cheaper option. But did you know that every time you use your conventional, chemical-filled detergent, you could be affecting you and your families’ health — as well as the health of downstream waterways and aquatic life.

DEVELOP
Teach your children to love and respect the environment from a young age by:

Spending time outdoors
Reading to them about environmental issues.

There are endless benefits to reading to your little one! It’s proven that early reading helps kids with increased vocabulary and advanced speech, they interact and concentrate better as well. Add environmental books to their list for an additional benefit - they’ll care for the planet.
Additionally, get outdoorsy as a family! The more a child is exposed to nature, the more likely they are to find ways to enjoy and protect it when they’re adults.