5 Things I Already Did with the Kids

Children have the potential to generate a lot of rubbish for landfill unless some thought and time is taken to counter it.  Nothing with children is effortless and most of these interventions are no exception but they will have a significant dent on the waste going into our landfill bin.

1. Reusable Nappies

I was fortunate enough to be given a stash of size 1 (0-6 monthsish) nappies when I was first expecting.  They had been through seven children I was told, but they still had lots of life left in them! They sat in a large bag for a good few months, and after tripping over them a few times, I gave it a go.  I didn't look back.  I got my free nappies from Cheshire East Council and got a few more from Gumtree.  They have served us well.  Lots of other councils give incentives too.  The Nappy Lady is a great source of information and there are nappy libraries around too where you can borrow lots of types to try before you buy.

Cheshire East Reusable Nappy Trial Kit
The Nappy Lady

2. Reusable Baby Wipes

To avoid the need for packets of baby wipes I got small baby face flannels from Poundland (5x for £1) and soaked them in water with essential oils (if and when I have the time).  These have been fantastic and are great for avoiding the "fatberg" contributing disposable wipes.  We also have a selection of colourful reusable cloths under the kitchen sink which are specifically for grubby hands and faces after mealtimes.

3. Wooden Toys

I love wooden toys so this one was easy.  There are so many fantastic brands out there.  For every good toy available these days, there is a wooden alternative available, be it doctor's kits, prams, train sets, jigsaws, etc.  The internet has made it a lot easier to search for and source these.  I am particularly fond of Grimm's toys (top row in the image) as they're "open-ended" (so can become anything and everything) and are beautiful objects in themselves.  We do have plastic toys, but generally they are picked up off gumtree or facebook marketplace and they given to the charity shop or handed onto other children once the kids have grown bored of them.

4. Packed Lunches
I have some great little coloured plastic(!) pots, all different sizes that I fill with lunch goodies.  The pots come back every evening (so far) which is a bonus so they can be reused.

5. Water bottles

There are hundreds of great designs of children's reusable water bottles.  My difficulty is in limiting the number we have.  I generally take them out and about wherever we go to avoid panic buying a one-use bottle of water.