5 tips for being a more eco-friendly mum

AD-this post contains a link to a post I recently wrote when working with Halo Coffee

Nothing makes you feel quite so aware of your environmental choices than being a mum. Whether it’s the nappies you use (I recently wrote this piece about why I gave up reusable nappies and feel terrible about it) to the fact that some days you get through a billion wipes and your toddler has zero concept of food waste (we’re going through the chucking food on the floor phase.)

Today I wanted to share a few things I have been trying recently to be more eco-friendly.

1.Switch up your period products

Whilst I couldn’t get on with switching permanently to reusable nappies, I’ve had much more success with period products. I now use period pants which although are a bigger investment, means you don’t need to dash to the shops with a sudden period arrival. I also find them so much more comfortable too! I’ve tried a few different brands so will round them up in a post soon! I’m also considering trying reusable sanitary towels too (this is a great post on them and this is a great post on having a more eco-friendly period.

2. Try to use every part of your food

I recently wrote a post for Halo Coffee about using every part of your coffee pod to avoid waste. For example, you can use the grounds to make your own face scrub (perfect if you suffer from hormonal dry skin like me) or leave coffee grounds in your fridge. Coffee grounds work as a deodoriser meaning they get rid of bad smells so popping a bowl in the fridge can get rid of any nasty smells. I’m not quite as creative but I also discovered that some people even make jewellery from their coffee pods! You can read my full guide to getting creative with leftover coffee pods here.

3. Use an ecoegg.

Another switch we recently made was switching from regular washing powder to an ecoegg. I was a bit skeptical but so many people recommended them on twitter so I thought I’d give it a try. How it works is you keep the egg and add mineral pellets to it (the first starter kit contains around 70 washes and then you just add more pellets). Not only is it much more eco-friendly but it’s thought to be better if you suffer from sensitive skin which Jude sometimes does. I really don’t think we’ll go back to regular laundry products now.

4. Use food waste apps

Too Good To Go is an app which helps you buy leftover food from restaurants and shops. We’ve done this in the past with Morrisons and managed to get quite a lot of fruit and veg at a great price. I also use Olio which allows you to get food and other products that your neighbours want to give away. Local restaurants also use it so it’s not always homemade (for example, we have a Pret by us who give away lots of free food at the end of the day via this app)

5. Consider reusable/plastic-free toys

I am terrible at buying Jude lots of toys so I’m mindful of not always buying plastic ones. I buy some from a specialist baby charity shop near me to cut down on waste and save money. I also think Whirli is great: it’s a subscription model where you essentially rent toys. You request toys and then when your little one is bored of them, just send them back in the post for the next person to try and get some new ones of your own. The toys I’ve tried have always been of really good quality and it’s great if you’re not sure which toys your child will like.

Let me know your tips for being a more eco-friendly mum below?