Birthday presents and zero waste lifestyle?
How do you do that?
Well to be honest its one of the hardest aspect of trying to live in a more sustainable way. You see, you can control what you buy in the daily routines of managing a household but can you really control what others give you?
My friends and family know that we are trying to live by making less trash but even so they won’t give up the oportunity to get that one gift the kids might like. It’s hard picking out toys that are sustainable and aren’t made of plastic and it doesn’t help they are also a lot more expensive. So how do you balance it out? Well the way we manage is to look out for gifts that are the most durable. Wooden toys are a great option in my opinion, fabric plush toys too. Everything that keeps your kids away from that nasty cheap plastic is always the best option. But these are what we as parents get and our kids know why.
This year this birthday present has the possibility of lasting a lifetime or more. We bought a contructable ride that has several contruction models. Not only is it a great durable and sustainable toy but it also develops technical skills so valuable in the future.
In terms of packaging there was a lot less plastic than the usual suspects, mainly consisting of cardboard. Everything comes neatly packaged and aren’t necessarily a disposable, as you will need to keep everything in place for the next module you want to build.
If only we could get everyone around us on board picking out the more sustainable options in everything we do… but this isn’t realistic and I have come to be ok with this fact.
My kids know what’s the right option and in the future it will be them to decide what to choose. I can only hope that what we teach them now plants a seed in them, making them search always for better options and never stop questioning life.
Did he have less sustainalble toys for his birthday? Oh yes, so much plastic, it made me cringe. But I tried not to show it because I didn’t want to spoil his day – I just wanted him to be a normal 6 year old, not an adult full of worries about the environment.
*This post was not in any way sponsored – these are my own opinions*