Kids

Waste less Kids’ clothes and equipment:

This is an area where you can make massive savings financially and environmentally. Savings your kids will benefit from most.

Kids grow out of shoes and clothes fast so sell them or pass them around among friends and family.
Kids also grow out of baby equipment like cots, strollers, high chairs and Moses baskets and it also takes up a lot of space so again, sell them or pass them around among friends and family.
Donate and buy secondhand.
Organise clothes and equipment swaps with larger groups you belong to. Form a co-op with families of young children where everyone shares everything new and used, and items go to the children that fits or needs them at the time.
Kids are tough on clothes so keep a few old worn outfits for painting or outdoor, rough play.
School uniforms are generally hard wearing so can be bought or passed on second hand.
Clothes you buy new can be made to last by being well made out of natural materials clothing
When things start to look a little worse for wear, have a go at mending

Wasteless Kids’ Toys:

Toys provide real opportunities to save waste and money.

The first step is asking yourself how many toys do your kids really need? Kids with fewer well-loved simple toys are often just as happy as kids with a cascade of plastic toys.
Make some DIY toys maybe with your kids. Like Forts and Tipis out of old fabric or bed sheets. Big cartons are fun. Make paydough.
Treasure boxes, a collection of interesting found objects are great for babies to play with and explore as are pots and pans and a collection of safe kitchen utensils. Found objects Baby toys pots and wooden spoons clusters of keys household objects kitchen drawers are a good surce of safe Ring the changes.
Kids love to be creative and you can encourage them by saving a variety of materials for them to use in crafts and upcycling projects. Make them very accessible so it is as easy to pick up something interesting to make as it is to pick up a toy or remote. Make sure they always have access to drawing materials.
Early childhood centres may use donations of craft materials and used clothing. Check with yours to see if they need anything
Let your kids loose in nature to find their own fun. Kids enjoy collecting natural items like stones shells cones flowers and leaves
Importantly toys are not a substitute for time, though we sometimes make this mistake.
Choose durable toys made from materials that won’t end up thrown away.
Buy toys second-hand.
Your kids will have more books to learn from if you borrow from your local library. Likewise toys are novel when borrowed from a toy library. Old favourites can still be borrowed time after time, and if a toy or book is a clear favourite you can find and buy it elsewhere.

Waste less Carseats:

Hire a capsule from Baby on the Move because babies don’t need them for long. They offer long term or short term hire for other car seats.
Carseats are only safe for a finite period of time so hire, borrow and lend once outgrown to get the most wear possible from them.
Baby on the Move can assess and fit used seats safely.
They are also the collection point for car seat recycling.

Waste less with reuseable nappies and cloths.

Try cloth nappies and wipes. They are so much easier than you think and so much better for the environment.
A huge range of pre-fold, clip-up nappies are available in fun patterns and soft absorbable natural fibres.
There’s help (some here on this website) to make it work for you and your baby, and incentives available for trying it.
Cut up soft cloth like T shirt cotton for baby wipes. Wet several and put them in a jar or plastic container with a lid. One near the high chair and one on the change table. Use different colours so you can tell which are for nappy changes. Throw them in the wash with the nappies or with clothes.

Waste less feeding babies and kids:

Right at the start make the choice to breastfeed if you can. Good health and convenience are even more important reasons than saving money and wasting less. If you are breast feeding you can buy or make reuseable breast pads.
Make your own baby food from scratch. It is easy to cook and puree veges. They can be frozen in muffin tins for individual serves.
Or skip the purees and mash or cut other fresh baby favourites like banana, or avocado.
There are simply cooked food like eggs and custards, or foods with little preparation like yoghurt or Weetbix.
There are a range of reuseable pouches, Subo, jars and containers to take food away from home in.
Serve up small portions and happily refill plates rather than have your children waste lots of the food. Show how you don’t waste food.
Give your kids as much non-packaged non-processed as you can. Stainless steel bento boxes or small re-fillable containers with lids keep the different foods fresh.

Waste less paper:

There are a lot of A4 pages in otherwise perfect condition printed only on one side, and kids love to draw, write and paint. So keep a store of GOOS (good on one side) paper where your kids can use it.
Rather than cover schoolbooks with plastic or duraseal you can cover them (if they need covering) with fun pictures, wallpaper or fabric samples.

Waste less Kids birthday parties:

Make your birthday parties more about games and fun, than gifts.
Resist the pressure to give party bags and material prizes. Food makes a celebration so if you feel the need to send party bags home maybe use birthday cake and edible treats.
The Stoke Toy Library has themed party kits available for hire to members and non members. If you have at least two children it may even be worth assembling your own, and storing it in a box for re-use.and sharing.You can make fun re-useable things like bunting, tablecloths or placemats. Compile a list of party games and the equipment needed.

Waste less heating water:

If you turn your hot water temperature down (say to 60 degrees) it is safer for small children and you will waste less energy and money.