Simple Swaps to Cut Down on Plastic Waste
July is quickly becoming our favourite month, second only to February because well… pancake day! July is the sign that Summer is officially here, it is the month that we celebrate the NBS birthday, but more importantly it is the month of the annual event of plastic free July!
Plastic Free July is a global movement aimed at encouraging families to reduce their use of plastic and waste at home, work, school and on the go. Reducing your use of plastic for the whole of July might inspire you to make a change forever. We want as many people to get involved and be part of Plastic Free July, so we have pulled together some of our favourite earth-friendly alternatives that will get you waving good bye to the single-use plastic items you use every day.
Plastic Free Shop
Our plastic free shop is bursting full of plastic free alternatives to make swapping your favourite plastic products for eco alternatives simple. A greener life is easy with our handpicked selection of genius, functional and eco alternatives on all your family favourites. Look for products made from silicone, bamboo, wood, natural rubber and stainless steel to help you on your way to a plastic free lifestyle. 
Dinner
Breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner, on the go food, the list goes on! With the never ending feeding of your little ones comes a long list of feeding essentials for each stage that they will need. However, this can easily be a plastic free zone, say goodbye to single-use straws, plastic Tupperware posts and clingfilm. Say hello to clever reusable alternatives that include zero plastic.
Eating
There are some beautiful plate and bowl sets that have no plastic anywhere in sight. Brands such as Liewood and Lassig have a full range of bamboo and melamine tableware that are just as durable as plastic alternatives, but with an eco twist.
Drinking
Plastic bottles and straws have been at the forefront of the fight against plastic for some time now. Swapping out any single-use plastic water bottles or straws will go a long way in doing your bit for the planet. Picking plastic free alternatives for your little one’s sippy cups, straws and bottles will not only save you money, but also the planet from waste. We offer reusable bottles and cups for every stage, check out the Hevea glass bottles for newborns, the Lassig Sippy cups and the Liewood stainless steel Anker bottles for growing little ones. Plus, as they start to become more independent try out the Liewood Silicone cups and GoSili Silicone straws.
Storage
Storing left over food or food on the go can easily be plastic free too. Cling film is one of the worst offenders for unnecessary plastic, so is plastic Tupperware pots. Well no more! Try opting for GoSili silicone snack bags instead of using single use sandwich bags. Swap the clingfilm or Tupperware pots for eco alternative storage solutions such as Babymoov Foodii Pouches for weaning, or their glass babybols. Keep food on the go fresh with the b.box Insulated food jar or Liewood silicone Snack boxes.
Play
Plastic toys have been a popular part of every child’s toy collection, but we can’t get enough of wooden toys and think everyone should make the swap. Not only do wooden toys look gorgeous compared to those brightly coloured flashing plastic toys they are also much better for the environment. Our range of wooden toys is huge and growing every day as we scout out the best wooden toys for our customers. Some of our favourite ranges include Little Dutch, Plan Toys and Olli Ella.
Teething
Teething is a tough time for you and your little one and the market is flooded with teething soothers made from plastic for your little teether to chomp on. But the problem with plastic teethers is that you can’t be sure they are BPA free, so we always recommend opting for eco alternatives made from silicone, natural rubber or wood that are free from chemicals. They’re safe, durable and planet friendly. Sophie la Giraffe is a favourite, regularly topping our top seller lists and a personal favourite of ours too! Made from 100% natural rubber Sophie is fully biodegradable and a perfect safer alternative to plastic teethers. Silicone is another great durable and eco material for teethers, Liewood do a huge range for you to pick from.
If you are looking for a more pacifier style soother, then look no further than Hevea natural rubber pacifiers. They come in different shapes and sizes for each stage and a beautiful selection of colours. The best news of all, is once it comes to the time to throw your Hevea pacifier away, you can simply dispose them as organic waste which will then naturally biodegrade over time.
Nappies and wipes
Ok, we admit, this one can be a little daunting and seem anything but a “simple swap”. But we can assure you it really isn’t that tricky to switch to reusable nappies, and we are speaking from experience with the things. Reusable nappies have come a long way since the days of a towelling square held together with a safety pin, they are now very clever and designed with ease in mind. By choosing reusable over disposable, you’ll save approximately 6000 nappies from landfill per child, plus each nappy takes an estimated 500 years do decompose, eek! Making the switch will make a huge difference to the planet. Read our “How to switch from disposable to reusable nappies” guide to help you on your way and discover just how easy it really is to switch.
Our go to for reusable nappies are TotsBots, they’re beautiful, easy to use and all made from sustainable and eco materials.
Natural Baby Shower is built on it’s passion to help the environment with it’s beautiful eco-friendly products and processes. From the very beginning we have handpicked all of our brands to ensure that from the methods of productions, to the materials used and even down to our packaging, we are supporting sustainability. We hope you will get involved and do a month of plastic free living to discover just how easy it is to make simple switches that make a big difference!
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