Practical Tactics To Help New Parents Get A Greener Home

It’s only natural for parents to want the environment they bring their children up in to be as environmentally friendly as possible. After all, a great deal of their life is spent giving the kids the best start, and so wanting the planet to be in the best condition when their little ones mature make sense. Of course, there is a lot about bringing up baby that isn’t as green as we would like it to be. A topic you can read more about and discover how to address, in my post below.

Image credit

Cleaning Up Baby’s Mess

If you are a new parent and have survived so far without your baby throwing up on something, I congratulate you! It’s coming though, and don’t think otherwise! Which means at some point you will want an effective way of cleaning up baby’s mess.

Additionally, many new parents are concerned about bacteria and germs being around their new baby. The reason being that newborns immune level is often a lot lower than other children and adults. Of course, this means that you will want to keep your home as clean and hygienic as possible as well.

Image credit

Now, the problem here is that this is all pretty easy to do if you choose to use off-the-shelf cleaning products. Unfortunately, these often contain nasty chemicals that can pollute the environment, and they also come in disposable plastic bottles, that not only end up in landfill for years before they begin to degrade, but also require the use of fossil fuels to make!

Happily, there is a solution to the hygienic home versus the environment conundrum, and it’s making your own cleaning products. Something that you can create a stockpile of before baby arrives so you won’t need to worry about another job to do once they are born.

Of course, the added advantage of making your own cleaning products is that you can use all natural and milder ingredients like baking powder and lemon, and you will know exactly what is going into them too. Something that means they can be much better for baby and the rest of the family to be around.

Nappies And Changing Time

When it comes to changing time, there is so much waste that is bad for the environment that can be created. However, I do think it is important here to remember that you don’t necessarily have to go for terry towelling washable nappies if you are getting on better with disposable ones.

Yes, I know that the ones you wash yourself are much better for the environment as they don’t end up in landfill or washing up on beaches. However, your sanity as a new parent is also important, so it’s worth weighing up the options before you make a commitment.

Of course, it also possible to choose a compromise here such as eco-friendly biodegradable pad that sits inside a flannel or disposable nappy. Something that means you can get a few uses out of the same one until not needs changing, which will make it easier on you and cut the environmental waste that you generate as well.

Another way that you can make a positive difference to the environment when it came to changing time is to pick reusable bamboo cloths instead of baby wipes for cleaning up. In fact, these are now readily available at a reasonable price from many online and IRL retailers, and as they are bamboo, they dry quickly so are as hygienic as possible.

Although, it is also worth mentioning that with washable nappies and cloths, you will have to use energy to get them clean. After all, you won’t want to do this job by hand!

Image credit

Don’t panic though because by switching how you source your energy from traditional provider to a company like UK Alternate Energy that can install a renewable source in your home you have this covered. The reason being if you are using a renewable source, you won’t be using polluting fossil fuels. You may even be able to cut the cost of your energy bill as well because you can sell back any energy you don’t use to the grid!

Creating The Nursery

One of the most enjoyable things to do when you are waiting for the arrival of your little one is to create a nursery. Of course, just like when you are decorating any room in your home, there are ways of making the nursery more environmentally friendly.

One that is partially effective is to use greener paint option on the walls. Something you can read more about here. Additionally, don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you have to buy all new furniture for your baby’s room.

In fact, it is much more eco-friendly and cheaper to buy preloved items in good condition and give them a good clean when they arrive. You might not even need some things like a baby-sized wardrobe as a rail that can be kept as they grow up will work instead, and it means you won’t be creating as much waste.

When It Comes To Weaning

Finally, there are even some actions you can take to help weaning be more environmentally friendly. Of course, it’s essential to ensure the solution you pick are practical for you and your family here.

What that means is that if you are happy making and pureeing your own baby food, something that can be done very quickly and then frozen in ice cube trays for easy use, then that great. Also, if you can use organic and fruits and vegetables too, then that’s even better as these are often much safer for the environment as they don’t use pesticides or herbicides that get into the water table and affect the ecosystem around them.

Image credit

However, if you need to use pre-packaged items now and again, that’s OK too. Just try to look for ones that have easily recyclable packaging. After all, even small changes to the way you run your home when you have a new baby can make a big difference to the environment and help to make the world better for when they grow up.   

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.

Share:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badge