Most parents-to-be are preferring to opt for eco-friendly parenting. As they chose to go green, they are intentionally making efforts to have environmentally friendly preferences for their baby and family. It is not difficult as there are several recyclable solutions available. Let us learn more about green parenting in this article.
What is Green Parenting?
A green parent will help his kid and family to make healthy choices. As you decide to go green, you will most probably give preference to organic products. For instance, as a parent, you will select non-toxic toys that are free from chemicals and safe for your kids and the environment.
You will probably have a low-waste lifestyle like disposable diapers or baby wipes or try to make your baby food at home.
You will encourage your kids to start with simple tasks such as segregating wet and dry garbage or making some DIY things for the home.
As you begin to involve your children in eco-friendly practices, you will help them get acquainted with green living more quickly. When you bring a change in daily lifestyle, it will help to educate a new generation that will care for the environment.
There are several innovative ways to make your parenting greener. Here are a few ways to help you raise a child that cares for the environment.
Green Parenting Tips
As parents, you can set examples by helping your child establish environment-friendly habits at a very young age. As your child learns, you need to explain to him the reasons for doing so. Here are a few green parenting tips that could help you to raise an eco-conscious child.
Use reusable diapers
Parents easily use 5-6 disposable diapers per day for their new-born. These diapers are thrown in bins that ultimately decay in landfills for a hundred years.
As a green parent, you can use reusable nappies. It will help a lot to save nature as well as your money.
Have your home garden
You can help your child to get closer to nature by taking care of plants. Make your kid involved in routine activities like watering, cleaning, or removing dead leaves. It will help your child to bond with nature.
You can also grow your vegetables in pots that are free from pesticides and chemicals. It will help your child to value growing his food and appreciate nature.
You can also grow veggies like brinjals, tomatoes, chillis, basil, mint, and coriander that can be easily grown in pots. It will help to lessen pollution caused by food packaging as well as save money,
Switch off the lights
Right from childhood, you can teach your child how to save energy. Explain to your kid where the electricity comes from.
As a green parent, try to urge your child to switch off the lights whenever he leaves the room. That way, it helps to condition your kid to adapt to a green way of living.
Reuse old clothes and toys
It is known that parents need to purchase a lot of things for their children. For instance, clothes and toys are needed frequently and for a short time only.
As an eco-conscious parent, you can try to pass around clothing and toys from friends and relatives. For toddlers, you can also fashion soft toys out of old clothes. It is a positive step that will help towards conserving the environment.
Minimize food waste
Left-over foods are often thrown away. It burdens the landfills for innumerable years.
Being a green parent, teach your child how to store leftover foods in the refrigerator. Show your kid how to serve food without spilling.
You can also encourage your child to finish all the food that is served on the plate. It will enable your child to learn to value food and avoid leftovers.
Conserve water as much as you can
Small measures can help to conserve gallons of water. For instance, you can teach your child not to leave the tap open while brushing his teeth or inspire him to have a bucket bath to limit the use of water.
You can also practice the conservation methods like using the water that has been used to wash rice and pulses to water the plants.
Home-made DIY cleaners
As a green parent, you can involve your child in how to make cleaners at home. With easily available ingredients, you can invest in a chemical-free cleaner.
For instance, you can mix water, white vinegar, lavender, or lemon essential oil for your spray. It will help to clean anything. Such cleaners are eco-friendly and are a small step towards a healthier atmosphere.
Segregating waste together
You can involve your child in sorting out household waste together. It will inspire your child a lot to know about recyclable waste and composting.
Explain to your child gently how it helps to reduce landfill. Allow him to spend time organizing recycled waste into respective bins.
Show your child how composting helps to turn wet garbage into fertilizer and how it could finally be used in home gardens. Your kid will value the importance of waste sorting.
Explore outdoors together
Green views and surroundings offer children numerous physical and mental health benefits. Try to take your child as often as you can for nature walks or hiking. They will learn how to understand nature and take pleasure outdoors.
You can also encourage your kid to go camping or picnics with friends and family. It will help your kid to admire the scenic beauty and know the value of a clean environment.
With such small eco-friendly steps, we can help to make a considerable difference towards creating a healthier climate. All we need to do is to help our kid to adopt an eco-friendly lifestyle.
Taking care of nature will help your children to love the planet. You only need to set an example and show your kid how to GO GREEN!