Going Green: There are plenty of ways to make parenting greener

I’m a fan of giving new parents Cook vouchers so they don’t always have to cook. They’re a B Corp listed company which means they’re a business that’s a force for good and they take sustainability and food waste seriously and they have a fantastic range of vegetarian and vegan food.

You don’t have to spend lots of money though, I know lots of new parents who’d much rather have a home cooked meal they can put in the freezer than another cuddly toy for their newborn – I know I certainly would have.

In terms of gifts, think about natural fabrics like bamboo – great for baby clothes – and have a search for sustainable wooden toys that are very durable rather than plastic ones that often end up in the bin. Rather than buy from big corporations, see if you have a local baby shop so you can support local enterprises too.

A thermos mug is another great idea, not only will every parent spend most of those early years drinking cold cups of tea and coffee, when they start taking their little one out and about, having a thermos mug in a coffee shop can save them money off their bill too.

If you’re a new parent yourself, have a think about what you can do to save money and the environment too. I’m always staggered at the number of parents I know who get a pram or travel system only to realise they need a bigger car – who knew something that weighs around 7lbs can warrant the purchase of a huge guzzling SUV to fit everything in.

If you’ve got friends with kids a bit older than yours, have a chat to them about getting their hand me downs. I’d never advocate buying a second-hand car seat from a stranger as you don’t know if it’s been in an accident but if you have friends who bought it new who are upsizing, it’ll save you money and be better for the environment to reuse rather than buy new.

The same goes for clothes, you can reuse their clothing for years to come and you can gift their child some pocket money in return.

You’ll need to buy a new mattress if you’re having a baby but you can reuse a wooden cot. Due to their size, I didn’t bother with changing tables or big feeding chairs, my friends who did were moving them around constantly as they were often in the way.

When it comes to wet wipes, look for 100 percent plant-based ones and bin, don’t flush them – even if they say they’re flushable, they’re not.

There are plenty of ways to make parenting greener I know disposable nappies are convenient but I’d advocate a hybrid approach. Tumble dryers are expensive to run – especially with energy costs so high so try using washable nappies in the summer when you can line dry and disposable ones when you’re out for the day or in the winter.

Babies can use up to 2000 disposable nappies a year so it’s worth having a look here to see what else you can do to help the environment while you parent.