How to be Zero Waste parents? In this new chapter of our open guide to how to be Zero Waste, here are some suggestions and practices to be coparents and raise our children sustainably.
A quick count of an average 5 diapers per day (estimating 8 in the first few months and decreasing thereafter), reveals that a baby uses around 4650 diapers in the first two and a half years of their lives. When washable, you buy just 24 diapers (8 diapers x 3 days). Materials? They can be 100% natural, like cotton and canvas, or microfiber. If we’re nervous about the choice we’re making, then let’s start with microfiber: it dries faster and it’s better for new parents.
If we can’t go all washable, then let’s do it bit by bit, choosing single-use diapers that are biodegradable, if not compostable.
Percarbonate can easily be bought in bulk, but this is also true for many other kinds of detergents.
If used above 50 degrees, it works as both a whitener and a disinfectant. A tablespoon is enough for a fully-loaded washing machine and even diapers will become new again. If any stain does remain, hang them under the sun…seeing is believing!
Baking soda has a degreasing action, which can be used in case of stubborn stains.
We suggest baking soda as well because it’s a natural product, unlike many other commercial disinfectants. Unfortunately, while it has become much easier to find shops that sell on-tap detergents, disinfectant products for children are still very hard to find this way.
When we change our babies, we’ll only do them a favor if, rather than using a wipe for every type of situation, we’d wash them directly with running water instead. Let’s leave single-use wipes for only those times when we truly have no other alternative. And of course, let’s choose biodegradable or, even better, compostable ones.
Saline solution, which is actually a mixture of purified water and salt, is very useful for disinfecting small wounds or as a nasal spray. At the pharmacy, you can find 1-liter bottles or larger with which you can pull the solution up with a syringe to maintain sterility. This is not only the best Zero Waste solution, but it also allows us to save a lot of money compared with respective monodose options.
This is one of the best Zero Waste solutions out there. Indeed, babies grow at exponential rates, and bodies, onesies and clothes in general change size in the blink of an eye. Secondhand clothes are not only a Zero Waste choice, but they also help save a lot of money.
The same goes for toys and dolls. It doesn’t make sense to buy new things when we can use an object that already exists in our lives – or use one that our friends don’t want to use anymore!
The same goes for sheets, covers, and linen in general. But also for travel (carrycot, car seat, and stroller) and similar accessories such as changing tables and cradles.
Long story short, the best solution from all points of view is to team up with fellow parents, friends, and family, and exchange all sorts of objects that one may need without having to buy anything new.
The title says it all: instead of plastic, it’s better to choose natural materials and glass, both for the feeding bottle and the pacifier. To sterilize these items, it’s enough to boil them. There’s no need for extra machines or substances.
Bathing and personal hygiene products that are natural, homemade and not tested on animals.
This is true for both parents and babies. Moreover, the more natural the product, the healthier. If we need ideas, we can look at the “Bathroom and personal hygiene” section of this guide.
In this case, we suggest products that are made of natural materials such as bamboo. We suggest always avoiding plastic since it releases microplastics into the food and drinks it comes in contact with.
We’ll often find this item on this Zero Waste guide. Our question when dealing with straws will always be the same: do we really need them? Whatever we drink with a straw, we can drink it without one.
If we’re talking about monodose juice cartons, we invite everyone to reconsider the actual purchase of this product, keeping in mind the giant amount of waste that is produced with just a single one of these cartons. There are glass alternatives, or we can choose to fill up a flask with package-free juice, or juice kept in much bigger, hence less polluting, packaging. However, not buying them still remains the best choice.
If we really can’t do without a straw, then surely stainless steel straws, washable and reusable, are a great solution.
If the need arises to buy a new toy, then favor natural materials like wood and cotton instead of plastic and synthetic fibers: it’s definitely the most sustainable choice, besides being the healthiest for our kids.
What’s more, since kids learn through touch and taste, natural materials offer tactile sensations (for both their hands and mouths) that are very different from plastic, and this can help their brain development.
Pasties can be bought in silver and given away after the first period of breastfeeding. Lactation pads and panty liners can be replaced with their washable alternatives.
Change starts from education. Ad parents, let’s urge our children’s schools to activate school projects about sustainable living, like ReFRESH, which aims at bringing Zero Waste practices, self-production and horticulture in schools for free.
Let’s involve our children in our sustainable practices.
Children learn through the actions of their parents and the experiences they do. That’s why it’s so important to involve them in our sustainable habits and practices, to give them a tangible demonstration of what they can do to protect the planet.
In this we have a great ally: creativity! Let’s involve our children in upcycling practices and the production of diy objects and products. A great example are decorations for parties and festivities, especially Christmas, Carnival, Halloween and Easter ones. Let’s have them in the kitchen with us, explaining to them the preciousness of food and getting them used to Zero Waste objects instead of their single-use alternative. For those who meditate and practice yoga, let’s involve them in our contemplative practices and let’s teach them the value of conscious living.
Let’s take our children in nature and let them dive into it, experiencing it fully with all their senses. Let’s let them “get dirty”, play with the various natural elements and inspire them with teachings that could make them learn how important it is to protect the environment.
The contact with nature is a fundamental aspect of sustainable living, because it allows us to remember every time how much our wellbeing is tied to that of the Planet. Developing this awareness and sensibility ever since a young age is a precious gift: let’s make sure to pass it on to future generations.
School is one of the places where our children spend the majority of their time: nowadays, there are many types of schools that allow our children to grow with education methods that are aligned with our sustainability principles. Choosing to send our children to one of these schools will allow us to strengthen these principles even more, helping them to grow sustainably.
Parties and festivities can become great examples of great pollution and carelessness for the planet, unless we make sure to organize them sustainably and Zero Waste. How? We suggest you take a look at our Zero Waste presents, parties and festivities chapter of this guide, where you can find all the suggestions and solutions to do that, including masks and costumes.
Do you have some more Zero Waste suggestions and solutions? Write us! We’ll be happy to add it to our list and inspire always more people.
Keep on exploring our guide to how to live Zero Waste, visit all the sections:
This zero waste handmade deodorant is very easy to make and we’re to show you how to do it. To make 200ml of deodorant you need 3 ingredients: 300 ml of tap water 1 spoon of baking soda 20 drops of Tea Tree Oil If we want, other essential oils we like for scenting Of...
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