Toxin-Free Choice For Babies

Avoiding plastics is not only good for the environment, but also good for your health! While I realize one person avoiding single use plastic products won’t save the world, I am a firm believer that every little bit helps. Making these small changes in our home has become especially important because of Lil B – we want to leave this plant a better place for him!

In addition to the environmental aspects of plastic, plastics are also associated with a host of health issues. I tried to avoid all plastics in Lil B’s first year of life and continue to limit them now.

Here are some Tips:

Breastmilk and Formula:

Breastfeeding helped to avoid bottles for the most part, but when I went back to work I needed to store and pack breastmilk.

• Use glass bottles, we loved ours from lifefactory and he hasn’t managed to break one yet!
• Consider using glass to store breast milk in the fridge and freezer, eventually I didn’t have enough room and choose to use BPA free store bags.
• When your baby is old enough for water and non-breast milks try a metal container, they are hard to break and their beverage won’t be sitting in plastic

Food:

• Make your own baby food and store it in reusable glass containers (bonus for budget, environment, and your baby’s health)
• If you don’t want to make your own food, try to find baby food stored in glass
• NEVER heat plastic in the microwave, use glass containers

Toys:

• I tried to avoid toys made of plastic, everything goes into their mouths. He loved his toys made of wood, silicone, and natural materials
• Babies grow quickly and outgrow toys – I made an effort to choose toys that wouldn’t leave an environmental impact.
• Consider buying second hand or getting hammy-downs as they get older and plastic toys are hard to avoid! We also had friends give us an exersaucer and swing, and our parents kept some of our own past favourite toys.
• Lil B is more than happy to play with my pots and pans, cardboard boxes, spoons, etc. and there are so many clever ideas on Pinterest for using things you already have around the house.
• Go outside – Lil B is enthralled with sticks, rocks, and leaves. We poke, pile, and sort them together. He learns new skills and about the wonderful world around him!