This Sustainable Baby

This Sustainable Baby

I’m now getting prepared for one of the biggest challenges I’ve ever faced: becoming father to a newborn baby boy…And trying to be as sustainable as possible.

Raising a baby is hard enough, but trying to do it in a way that is sustainable in a world where everything you need for babies is made to be “convenient” (i.e. “disposable”), and even the stuff you re-use (clothes, high chairs, strollers, car seats, etc.) are only used for a few months before becoming sized out.

I’m trying to anticipate as many of the challenges as I can, but as this is my first time being a dad to a baby, I’m positive there will be plenty of unexpected challenges.

Preparing for the unpreparable

Here are some things I’m doing to prepare:

• Buy used, and start early. There’s TONS of used baby stuff out there. Because everything gets used for such a short time period, you can buy practically brand new stuff for a fraction of the price that’s only been lightly used. You just have to start doing your shopping early, because there’s no guarantee you’re going to find what you want right away.
• Find what “sustainable” choices exist on the market: I add the quotes to “sustainable” because some of the “sustainable” choices probably aren’t very sustainable, just somewhat better than the usual products. For example, Dyper makes diapers from bamboo-based cloth, meaning they’re biodegradable, as opposed to regular diapers which are made from plastics. Not bad, but not great either. You can also buy washable diapers with disposable, compostable liners, so the liner absorbs most of the worst of it, and then you have less washing to do.
• Prepare yourself mentally for the extra work that it will take to be sustainable. The scariest part that I can think of is I’m sure the same one you’re thinking of: washable diapers. Babies use an INSANE amount of diapers, and if you truly want to be sustainable about it, you’re going to have to get your hands dirty. Quite literally. Washing diapers is not going to be pleasant, but I’m going to try it. Look for the future post on how that goes…
• Don’t be too hard on myself. In the end, raising a baby is hard. I want to challenge myself and I want to raise a baby as sustainably as I can. I know it’s possible; people did it for hundreds of thousands of years before disposable diapers, self-rocking baby chairs, and Bluetooth-enabled strollers were a thing. It CAN be done. But if I have to cut corners from time to time because I haven’t slept well for days and I need to use a disposable diaper a few times, I think I shouldn’t punish myself too hard. Do the best I can. Me being me, I know I’m probably going to be far more sustainable than many, and hopefully I’ll come out of it being experienced enough to help lead others to do the same.

There’s no way that in one blog post I’m ever going to be able to cover all the possible challenges that will come up. I guarantee this is going to be a learn-as-I-go kind of experience, which I guess is how parenting always is. As with parenting, I don’t expect perfection, but I do expect that I’ll do everything I can to apply my own values and judgment to each purchasing and rearing decision I make. Wish me luck.

Also, for anyone out there who has any experience or advice they would like to share, please feel free to get in touch, either in the comments below or on Twitter! Thanks for reading!