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Opt for Green Furniture
Babies don’t need much in life. They could care less if they have the latest fashions in nursery décor. Like clothes, furniture is often loaded with chemicals, and at some point, your child will lick or suck on that furniture, potentially getting those harmful substances into their system. To be sustainable, go for eco-friendly baby furniture that is made out of solid wood and has low-VOC paint.
Like baby clothes, getting second-hand furniture is also a sustainable way to decorate the nursery. The only things you should never get second-hand are mattresses (but there are green mattresses available for the crib!) and car seats. Due to safety regulations, these need to be purchased new.
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Make Your Own Baby Food
This might seem like a daunting task considering you are running on little sleep and have so many other things to do throughout the day to take care of your little one, but the benefits to your child and the environment are worth it. When you make your own food, you know exactly what is in it, and you won’t have to worry about added sugars or preservatives.
Storing your homemade baby food in sustainable containers such as Mason jars, glass or stainless-steel containers or reusable snack bags will reduce the amount of waste that goes into the landfill. You can even freeze the extra in these containers so nothing goes to waste.
Having a baby doesn’t mean you have to give up your sustainable, eco-friendly lifestyle. Technology will advance and humans will look for ways to be more environmentally aware, so new ways will be developed to make life convenient and sustainable. Until then, every little bit you do now will impact you and your family’s future and make the world a better place.
Emily is the editor of Conservation Folks and a sustainability and conservation blogger. Follow her on Twitter to see the latest updates.
