Teaching your kids different things is your responsibility. Children are fast learners, but if you want them to understand what you are trying to share genuinely, you need effective methods.
For instance, adopting green parenting methods is not easy. You need the right techniques from the early beginning so your child learns and understands what you want to teach them.
In short, green parenting aims to raise kids in an eco-friendly way, considering the planet's health in every choice they make – from meals to education. However, it is not as hard as it sounds, and you do not need to be a compost expert to lower your family’s carbon footprint.
This poses the question – how do you teach eco-friendliness to young minds?
Here are some ways you can be a sustainable parent and ensure your kid follows in your footsteps!
- Raise an Eco-Friendly Baby
If you want to adopt green parenting from the very beginning, you need to learn how to raise an eco-friendly baby. First, opt for reusable diapers instead of disposables.
Can you believe that babies go through around 6,000 diapers, which can harm the environment since disposables take forever to decompose and can leak toxins? Plus, they are more expensive! Cloth diapers are a greener and cheaper choice in the long run.
In addition, when your baby starts eating solids, consider making their food at home. It is usually less wasteful, often cheaper, and generally more nutritious. Plus, it is not that hard! Simple mashed fruits or pureed veggies work great. This way, you are not only going green but also raising a baby that adapts to eating healthy food from an early age.
- Use Eco-Friendly Products
Keep in mind that your children will imitate many of the things you do as they grow up. Their minds practically resemble sponges, so whatever you do at an early age, they will adopt it as their habit as they get older. For example, if they see you use eco-friendly items around the house, they will likely use them when they become teenagers or young adults.
Sustainable parents often search for eco-friendly alternatives to everyday products. These can range from kitchen alternatives, like using dish soap bars instead of plastic bottles, compostable sponges in place of synthetic ones, or reusable storage bags instead of single-use plastic. In the bathroom, they might choose bamboo toothbrushes over plastic ones or opt for soy candles instead of the usual paraffin wax.
- Use Words to Teach Them
It goes without saying that actions always speak louder than words, meaning your child needs to see your deeds to learn what it means to go green. However, you should never forget about explanations and the magic of words. As children grow up, they see how you do certain things, but they will also need some traditional teaching through words.
So, green parenting often includes explaining sustainability and environmental values to their kids through simple lessons. For instance, they might say something like, “We turn off the faucet when we are not using it to save water.” As kids grow older and grasp these concepts better, the explanations can get deeper: “Fresh water is a resource we could run out of someday, so it is important for us to save it and not waste it for future generations.”
Being an eco-conscious family is easy and effective as long as you know how to transfer your knowledge to your child. It goes without saying that your kids need to see what you do to look after the environment so that they can adopt the same habits.
So, opt for smart green parenting choices and teach your child about the zero-waste lifestyle while they are still very young! Most importantly, always think green!
Looking for more tips on sustainable living? Then you'll love our article, “Beginner's Guide to Sustainability: Small Steps for a Big Impact
Follow MaKayla @makay.la27 for more inspiration on how to enjoy a simpler, more organized life.
