Reducing the Environmental Impact of Raising Kids
The desire to have a family of our own is a strong one for many people, though these days it is hard to ignore the fact that raising children is one of the worst things that you can do for the environment. Studies have shown that having a single child adds 9,441 tonnes of carbon dioxide to each parent’s carbon footprint which many people are unaware of. The problem is, having kids is high on many people’s priorities and it should be something that is achievable for anyone who wants to raise a family.
These days there are quite a lot of things that new parents can do to help reduce the environmental costs associated with raising their children and most of it comes down to being a conscious consumer. It can be challenging for parents to become more environmentally conscious because the marketing for baby products is very powerful, is designed to play on our emotions, and the truth of a product’s eco-friendly claims can be very hard to verify without spending a lot of time researching companies and their suppliers.
As you can see, navigating the baby-raising space in an eco-friendly way can be challenging, but it’s certainly not impossible and many parents consider it to be entirely worthwhile. Eco-friendly baby products often have additional benefits too, such as being organic and made from gentle, natural materials and ingredients that are free from toxins and harsh synthetic chemicals.
There are some that would argue that the best way to reduce the environmental impact of having a family is to have fewer children or to avoid having children at all. Having fewer children might hold the answer to reducing their environmental impact, but realistically speaking there are few arguments that make avoiding parenthood altogether a valid choice unless you are purposefully living a child-free life.
The problem is that fewer children makes for an ageing population that doesn’t have adequate numbers of young people to support society. In this regard, nations that have increasingly low birthrates are expected to have a labour shortage in the coming decades.
Choose sustainable alternative products
The number one factor when it comes to choosing products for your child is that they need to be safe. Products for kids are subject to strict controls in the USA as they are all over the world, and must be proven to be safe. It can be difficult to find sustainable products that work as well as the usual ones and aren’t much more expensive.
Luckily, there are many brands that are working towards making sustainable products more accessible and affordable than ever before. Everything from organic baby clothes to organic, vegan baby food and hygiene products can be bought online and in stores to suit your needs and help reduce the environmental costs of parenting.
Get some fresh air
Walking is good for you, and miles better for the environment than driving. It can be tempting to go everywhere by car, especially if you have a little kid with you, but walking journeys of 2 miles or less is a fantastic way to get some fresh air for yourself and your kid as well as reducing your carbon footprint. Most kids will find it soothing to be outside and it can be a great distraction for kids that are grumpy, or can help send them off to sleep in their stroller in a matter of minutes.
Choose second hand
Most products we buy for our kids will only be used for a matter of weeks or months, and that goes for most of their toys and clothes. If you can resist the temptation to buy everything brand new then you’ll be saving yourself money while doing your part for the environment. You can get most of the things your baby needs second hand and it is very low risk to do so as long as the things you are buying can be washed very thoroughly.
This means that clothes will need to be washed at high temperatures and hard surfaces such as cots and beds will need to be properly disinfected. Some products are not recommended to be used second hand, like mattresses, bottles and teats, unless you have them left over from an older child of your own.