Low Waste Living | Trying to raise a Zero Waste Baby

Whenever I think about the glitzy glam that is today’s Zero waste movement I’m moved to tears at just how much this way of living is just ingrained into the lives of immigrant families. There is a picture of my mom in a garden stooping down between a group of children, one of them is my little sister, three others I’ve long since lost contact with, they’re all wearing too-big-for-them-dresses that I have fond memories of playing in myself. Sustainability is now a flashy buzz word but the notion of being zero waste with my baby now just takes a bit of digging low down into my own memory banks.

According to The Guardian, the environmental impact of a baby is equivalent to about 58.6 tons of carbon each year. But I know that can’t be true for every family because there isn’t a cousin of mine with whom I haven’t been lucky enough to receive their hand-me-downs growing up. The truth of the matter is that a lot of living a zero-waste lifestyle comes from simply going back to our roots.

What follows is a few simple steps to raise a low waste baby that might inspire you to begin living life with zero waste yourself.

Breastfeeding your baby is one of the easiest zero waste steps you can take

This statement is not meant by any means to offend anyone who can not or chooses not to breastfeed. It’s merely a statement of fact. Its the purest form of farm to table dining that ever existed and

Silicone Milk storage | Breastfeeding goes from zero waste to low waste really fast when it comes to storing breast milk for your baby. i really like that there are silicone options on the market. The handy freezer storage container, for upright storage, fits perfectly in my pull-out freezer.

Breast Pads | If you’re breastfeeding or waiting for your supply to dry up there are bound to leak. A few low waste options to prevent yourself from living life like a wet mop are reusable breast pads, compostable breast pads, and these discreet milk catchers that make sure that zero drops of your liquid gold go to waste before you reach the baby.

Bagless Brest pump | Most days it’s pretty incognito under clothing, the fact that the portable pump doesn’t use bags is what really sold me.I love the handsfree capability of this pump and the fact that it’s covered by FSA/HSA spending.

Ditch disposables, try cloth

Reusable Cloth Diapers | I’ve used cloth diapers with both of my babies I could talk your ears off about why this simple switch s better for the environment and more aesthetically pleasing. In fact, I’ve done just that here and here.

Reusable cloth baby wipes | Honestly all the wipes on the market arent really that good for mother earth. The amount of money you will spend on them just to throw them away is pretty laughable too. A really simple zero waste switch out for your baby is using reusable wipes. These and these are two companies I’ve really liked using.

Buy second-hand baby gear

When looking to apply your desire to go Zero Waste with safety-specific items (car seats, strollers) always research products and check for recalls and obsolete safety standards on particular models. These change regularly with baby goods but and manufacturers are required to make this information easily accessible.

Strollers | This Site is a market place that specialisezes in cerified preowned storllers in hreat condition at a deeply discounted price

Zero Waste Baby Clothes

Chuck the first six months you spend with your baby into the “the only thing that is constant is change” file. Until a baby is six months old, they will grow about an inch every month and will double their birth weight by the time they are five months old.

I buy myself clothes with the idea, way in the back of my mind, that one day my kids could wear this. Spending money on a dress that will get decades of use makes sense.

Ask for Hand-me-downs

buy baby clothes Second hand

Learn from the mistakes of strangers. The ultimate low waste baby hack is spending pennies on the dollar to purchase someone else’s barely used newborn-sized clothing, that they lovingly took care of, but their baby grew too fast to actually get to wear, just makes sense. Buy baby clothing second-hand sites like Poshmark, Mercari, and Kidizen (specifically for second-hand kids clothing)

• Look for high-quality fabric | I wanted
• Look for unraveling. Unless you’re handy with a needle and thread, you might want to swap for something else. 
  
• Ensure that all buttons, clasps, and zippers are present and undamaged. If buttons are about to fall off, those little hands will find it… meaning the button may likely find its way to your baby’s stomach!
  
• Avoid anything that’s stained or has an off-putting smell. 
  
  

Size up

I’ll probably say this till I have no more air in my lungs but the cutest thing in the world is babies in oversized clothing. Prolong the cute and capture photos to blackmail babies

Zero Waste Baby Toys

There comes a point in every parent’s life where they realize, after the months of online searching they did to buy the perfect toy that comes with a guarantee that their child gets into Harvard, that all the baby want o pay with is the remote and a crumpled up paper bag you forgot to throw in the trash.

Low waste baby toys

Buy fewer toys

Avoid consumerism as much as possible, it’s bad for the environment but it’s also bad for mama’s sanity. My six-year-old has a gaggle of Aunts who love them to pieces and as such, they received a pile of toys for their birthday a month ago, the likes of which I have been cleaning up for just as long. Purchasing fewer things means there is less trash for you to clean up, owning less means there are fewer THINGS to pick up.

When you do buy toys, buy wooden toys

Keep in mind your baby is going to put whatever you give them into their mouth. I wish I could say this stops at a certain age… but it doesn’t. Exactly how many microplastics do you want them to ingest by their 18th birthday? Skip the artificially colored toys with all the noises, that babies will lose interest in almost instantly and opt for their low waste alternative. Wooden toys force your baby to use parts of their brain they wouldn’t have to normally use and really work for that dose of serotonin.

Zero Waste Baby Hygiene Products

Moisturizers | honestly you can throw Organic coconut oil and organic olive oil on anything. Its an a low waste swap that will have your babys bottom soft as, well, you know.

Low Waste Living
Zero Waste Baby

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