Eco-friendly parenting tips: small steps, big impact!
When I started on my eco journey, the environmental anxiety and pressure I felt to change everything was unreal, I literally lost sleep stressing about all the things we needed to change, trying to find alternatives we could afford and working out how to get two kids under 4 on board. Let’s be real - parenting is exhausting enough without trying to be an eco-warrior 24/7. You’ve got snack demands every 15 minutes, a washing pile that seems to regenerate overnight, an ongoing battle against random stuff mysteriously piling up on most surfaces and random stains or splodges which seem to materialise out of nowhere. But if you’re here, chances are you want to make more sustainable choices for your family - you just don’t want to add another thing to your already overflowing to-do list.
Good news: eco-friendly parenting doesn’t have to be all or nothing. You don’t have to live in an off-grid cabin, making cereal from scratch every morning and weaving your own clothes from hemp to make a difference (unless that’s your thing of course!!). Small, simple swaps add up over time, and before you know it, you’ll be making planet-friendly choices like a pro.
So here it is, a completely doable, no-guilt, no-perfection-required guide to being a more sustainable parent. And because I know that time is precious (and sometimes parenting feels like an extreme sport), I’ve included some of my favourite Handmade Hippo products to help make things easier.
Ditch the disposable wipes (your future self will thank you!)
One of the easiest eco-friendly swaps you can make is switching from disposable baby wipes or facial wipes to reusable bamboo wipes. We’ve all been there - reaching for yet another disposable wipe to tackle sticky fingers and the ever-present toddler yoghurt explosion. But did you know that most baby wipes contain plastic and take hundreds of years to break down?
Why it's a great swap:
Super soft on little faces, hands and bums.
Saves money - just wash and reuse instead of constantly buying more.
Works for sticky hands, faces, nappy changes, and even household spills!
No chemicals or artificial nasties.
Tip: Keep a small container of pre-moistened bamboo wipes on hand for easy use at home or on the go! You can simply use water and some essential oils to keep them smelling fresh. For household spills, cut up old towels which have seen better days and use those for cleaning… making switches doesn’t always mean buying eco products.
The Magic of Memory Blankets (aka Decluttering with Sentimentality)
Hands up if you have a stash of your child’s baby clothes that you just can’t bear to part with. You’re not alone. Those tiny outfits hold so many precious memories, but let’s face it—they’re taking up valuable space and not even being seen.
Solution? Turn them into a Memory Blanket!
It’s like a cosy hug from the past, stitched together with love. Instead of a drawer full of outgrown onesies, you get a meaningful keepsake that you can actually use.
Bonus: It won’t spark a Marie Kondo-style crisis every time you attempt a wardrobe clear-out.
Choose handmade over mass-produced toys
Have you ever had to deal with a meltdown over a piece of plastic junk from a party bag that broke instantly or had to listen to a noisy, repetitive toy with no off switch and questioned all your life choices? Thought so. Instead of filling your home (and eventually landfill) with more mass-produced clutter, opt for handmade, long-lasting alternatives.
Sustainable gift ideas from Handmade Hippo:
Decorate Your Own Kits (Crowns & Banners): Fun, creative, and completely plastic-free!
Memory Blankets: Transform old clothes into a keepsake that grows with your child.
Handmade Scrunchies: Made from fabric remnants, reducing textile waste.
By choosing heirloom-quality gifts, you not only reduce waste but also teach children to appreciate well-made, long-lasting items.
Reduce single-use plastic at home
It’s easy to accidentally accumulate plastic, especially with kids! Between snack wrappers, packaging, the free gifts that come with the magazine they needed and plastic household items, it can feel impossible to cut back. However, small, mindful swaps can reduce waste without feeling overwhelming.
Easy steps to reduce plastic in your home:
Replace cling film with beeswax wraps or reusable silicone snack bags.
Pick one room to focus on at a time, for us the bathroom was where we started and nearly 5 years later the majority of swaps have stayed or new alternatives have been found for the ones that didn’t work for us.
Make batches of snacks like flapjacks or biscuits to reduce packaging from individually wrapped snacks.
Use reusable water bottles instead of single-use ones.
Swap liquid soap bottles for bar soap in the bathroom and kitchen or find your local refill shop.
If you don’t have a refill shop close by, why not buy in bulk? One bag from a 3kg bag of pasta is better than 6 smaller (and often harder less recyclable plastic) 500g bags.
Buy loose fruits and veggies, take your own bags or containers rather than using the bags at the supermarkets. Some delicatessens, butchers and fishmongers will happily pack your food into suitable containers you bring from home.
Magazines are a big lure for my children! We make an agreement that they can choose one a month or ask for subscriptions to their favourite (gift free) magazines when the inevitable texts about gift ideas come in.
Tip: Let your child help with these changes - let them choose something they want to be responsible for swapping, have them pick out their own reusable water bottle or decorate a cloth bag for snacks!
Rethink your child’s clothing
Fast fashion has a huge environmental impact, and kids outgrow clothes at an astonishing rate. Instead of buying new clothes constantly, consider these eco-friendly alternatives:
Sustainable clothing habits:
Buy second-hand or accept hand-me-downs whenever possible.
Choose organic, ethically made clothing when buying new.
Upcycle outgrown clothes into something meaningful—like a Handmade Hippo Memory Blanket, made from your child’s baby clothes!
By shifting away from disposable fashion, you’re helping reduce textile waste while creating meaningful keepsakes.
Make sustainability fun for kids - yep, it’s possible!!
One of the best ways to raise eco-conscious children is to involve them in the process! Kids are naturally curious, and they love learning how things work.
Fun ways to teach sustainability:
Take them to a refill store to buy dried goods and let them help weigh out food.
Start a recycling station and start a challenge at home where they sort different materials into different bins.
Let them plant their own vegetable garden, my kids love growing peas and tomatoes although not many of them make it into the house as they are usually eaten right away - it doesn’t need to be a huge space even just a few herbs on the windowsill is a great start!
Go on a nature walk and collect leaves for DIY crafts or scavenger hunts.
When kids feel empowered to make eco-friendly choices, they’re more likely to carry those values into adulthood.
Simplify your mornings
Mornings with kids are chaos. Someone can’t find a sock, another needs a last-minute snack, and the entire house grinds to a halt because a favourite t-shirt is missing. While I can’t promise stress-free school runs (if only!) I can suggest a few sustainable swaps to make life easier. By reducing some of the stress of getting out of the house, it means you can cut back on the number of times you feel the need to opt for that prepackaged breakfast bar or hot drink in a single use cup from the shop or cafe post school run or on the way to work.
Eco-friendly morning swaps:
Use reusable bamboo wipes to clean up breakfast messes quickly.
Make yourself a hot drink in a travel cup whilst you sort the kids breakfast, nothing makes me feel more frazzled when I feel I “haven’t even had time” for a hot drink before leaving the house.
Store school snacks in reusable pouches instead of plastic bags.
Lay out school uniforms the night before in a Handmade Hippo Bedtime Routine Cushion—no more last-minute outfit scrambles!
The goal isn’t to add more stress - it’s to find small, sustainable habits that actually make life easier. Your future self will thank you.
Feeding your family without feeding the landfill
Mealtime is another area where a lot of waste happens—from food packaging to leftovers going uneaten. Here are a few ways to make meals more planet-friendly:
Easy sustainable mealtime habits:
Plan meals ahead of time to avoid food waste, let your kids suggest a meal to be included in the week ahead.
Use reusable napkins or bamboo wipes instead of paper serviettes or kitchen roll.
Let kids help with food prep - they’re more likely to eat what they helped make!
Repurpose leftovers - turn yesterday’s roasted veggies into today’s soup or filling for a pie!
If like us, you're a family of omnivores…why not try including a couple of veggie or vegan meals in your choices for the week. Switch the meat in your chilli for veggie mince or reduce the amount of meat in your favourite bolognese in favour of extra veggies or lentils to make your family favourites more planet-friendly.
Small changes like these save money, reduce waste, and make mealtimes feel more intentional. They don’t mean the kids will eat the meal they loved last week but don’t remember liking or even eating though, sorry!
Choose handmade traditions.
Special occasions like birthdays and Christmas often come with a lot of waste - from wrapping paper to disposable decorations. Instead, consider low-waste, handmade traditions that make celebrations more meaningful.
Sustainable celebration ideas:
Swap disposable gift wrap for fabric gift bags.
Use Keepsake Fabric Envelopes for letters to Santa or special holiday messages.
Choose heirloom-quality Christmas stockings that can be used year after year.
When you focus on meaningful, lasting traditions, you create magical moments without all the waste!
Small changes, big impact
Let’s be honest, parent to parent… parenting is hard enough without adding eco-guilt into the mix. Some days, you might have a zero-waste, plant-based, mess-free home. Other days, you’ll be knee-deep in chicken nuggets, plastic wrappers and just trying to survive until bedtime.
That’s okay and it’s just the reality for most of us!
The goal isn’t to do everything perfectly (not my goal at least) - it’s to make small, conscious changes where you can and when you can afford to. The sustainable(ish) books by Jen Gale, Green book series by Nancy Birtwhistle and Insta account My Plastic Free Home are great places to search for more eco-ideas and achievable steps. Whether it’s switching to reusable wipes, choosing heirloom-quality handmade gifts, or simply talking to your kids about sustainability, every step counts.
At Handmade Hippo, I create thoughtful, sustainable products that help families reduce waste and create meaningful memories—all without the pressure of perfection.
If you live in the North East, come to No Time For Waste on 16th March 2025, this eco market held at the Linskill Centre is organised by the environmental dream team at Buy the Kilo in Tynemouth and hosts multiple sustainable businesses like mine but also has stalls from organisations trying to make the world a greener place.
If you’re not local but you are ready to take one small step towards a more eco-friendly life? Browse my collection of sustainable, handmade products today!