They say nothing can prepare you for becoming a parent. But nothing can prepare you for the amount of stuff parenthood brings with it, too. The average number of diapers alone that a parent will go through in their baby's first year is 2,200. Add in toys, baby bottles—and oh so many cute onesies that they will inevitably grow out of a month later—the baby registry list is just the start to the amount of things you need in your journey to becoming mom.
But if you're like us, watching the amount of newfound essentials come in to your household makes you do a double take on the amount of waste we're contributing to the planet at large. And while you may have been a conscious consumer pre-baby, one study shows that most parents feel like sustainability "goes out the window" when having a baby. Between a lack of time and new financial considerations, it's understandable for it to feel virtually impossible to go green when you have a babbling baby on your arm.
To help make it a bit easier to make intentional choices as you navigate motherhood, we consulted with our friends at GoodBuy Gear, a brand on a mission to make shopping and selling baby and kid gear sustainable for the planet and accessible to all those who inhabit it. GoodBuy Gear CEO and co-Founder, Kristin Langenfeld, shared her top three tips to make sustainable swaps in your home today—read on below.
1. Ditch single-use plastics for products that are reusable instead.
"Purchase reusable bags, rags and water bottles instead of disposable. Try making homemade baby food instead of single-use pouches. No matter which items your family chooses to swap, it's important to remember sustainable parenting is all about being mindful of the decisions you make in your day-to-day life and teaching your kids how to take care of the world around them as they grow older through practices like recycling and reusing."
2. Invest in pieces that will last your kiddos through multiple stages of life.
"All-in-one car seats, as opposed to infant car seats and booster seats, baby clothes with a drawstring to sizing, and durable toy blocks are all great examples of items that last through multiple milestones."
3. Swap shopping new for shopping secondhand.
"This is one of the easiest ways to bring sustainability into your life. Not to mention once you're done with your baby gear, you should always swap throwing it away for selling it. This keeps thousands of items out of landfills and helps curb consumerism, plus you make money."
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Ready to make sustainable swaps in your home today? Sell your used baby and kids gear to another family to reduce waste going into our landfills + shop more sustainable brands at GoodBuy Gear today.
Plus, at Perelel we're committed to leaving our planet a little bit better than we found it. Learn about our sustainability pledge now + shop daily, recyclable vitamin packs that reduce your plastic consumption from our bottled competitors now.
This article is for informational purposes only. It is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and we recommend that you always consult with your healthcare provider. To the extent that this article features the advice of physicians or medical practitioners, the views expressed are the views of the cited expert and do not necessarily represent the views of Perelel.