Everyone raises kids differently, and at Conscious Koala, our aim is to reduce textile waste and keep clothes for fast-growing babies out of landfill. That's why we provide ethically made, organic cotton baby clothing on a circularrental subscription.
More generally, raising kids sustainably isn't difficult as long as you have a plan and here are 5 easy eco-switches to think about:
Disposable nappies are a major contributor to landfill waste and take many years to break down. But gone are the days of terry towels held together with a giant safety pin! Lots of modern cloth nappies have beautiful designs.
Kids get bored quickly and you can easily accumulate a pile of plastic toys that they have lost interest in. Keep things fresh while reducing your own clutter by visiting your local toy library.
Instead of buying toys, give experiences as gifts. Your child is unlikely to remember that flashing, plastic toy they unwrapped at Christmas in years to come, but they may look back fondly at the camping trip you enjoyed together. Why not gift Aquarium tickets or a horse-riding lesson?
Platforms such as Facebook marketplace and Gumtree are brilliant for picking up second hand baby goods. Often you’ll find items in next to new condition that have barely been used – plus this offers huge savings over buying new. Keep hand-me-downs alive by giving clothes and toys to family and friends, or consider listing items for free online.
Babies grow quickly! You can easily find yourself with a mountain of outgrown clothes and a bassinet than has barely been used, so consider renting rather than buying. You can rent everything from capsules, to bouncers, to clothes.