I just found out I’m pregnant and I’m eco friendly what the hell am I supposed to do

[thatnewmum]

I’m a eco friendly person and i always find a way to be eco friendly but I can’t find anything about being eco while pregnant please any ideas

Assuming you're pleased about being pregnant and intending to keep the baby, there's plenty you can do. Off the top of my head:

• Walk, cycle or take public transport to antenatal appointments.
• Buy second-hand baby clothes and equipment. There are lots of bargains to be had in charity shops or online on Vinted, Facebook marketplace, eBay and Gumtree. The only exception is a mattress, which your baby will need to be brand new to reduce the risk of SIDS.
• Research cloth nappy schemes. My local council provides a money-back voucher worth £50 for each family using reusable. Again, loads of second hand bargains available online, although I'd recommend getting new outer layers as the PU can start leaking if they haven't been washed and dried carefully.
• Look for a local sling library where you can try different types of baby carriers to see what style you prefer and how to use them safely. There are so many beautiful slings, beware shopping addiction!

Are you wanting to have the baby? Or asking as it’s huge
extra carbon footprint, it’s not 100% clear. There isn’t much eco about being pregnant?

I'm assuming buying clothes 2nd hand, recycling and then when the baby arrives using eco brands and reusable eco etc.

Congrats! I assume you aren't SO eco friendly that bringing more people into the world is against your beliefs?

This book is old now, but some of the tips made sense and lots of money saving tips. Not specifically eco, but ways to make your regular clothes fit you until later pregnancy, things that can be bought new or 2nd hand etc. There might be an updated version now too. You could likely find it on ebay for a few £'s.

Nothing much changes from an eco perspective once you are pregnant, except you'll have to get your head around reusable nappies.
If you breastfeed, that's a much more eco-friendly option than using formula, it doesn't require sterilising, heating, using plastic bottles etc.
You can get most things you need second hand, I always found that once people know you are happy to accept second hand goods, you get loads of offers. School/church jumble sales tend to be much cheaper than things like FB marketplace, and it's worth checking out Olio and Freecycle.
Think really carefully about what you do need - you don't need a lot of the kit that gets marketed at prospective parents. You can probably borrow maternity clothes, and check out your local library not only for books, but groups for meet-ups, and toys.
The baby doesn't really want anything except to be with you, you can go for walks , meet friends and family, get out and about.
Congratulations!

There are many ideas and groups online which align with your green credentials @thatnewmum

There’s loads you can do to be eco friendly. Reusable nappies and wipes (not biodegradable as they don’t actually degrade for a long time). Second hand maternity clothes and baby clothes, walk instead of driving baby everywhere, glass bottles or breastfeed, eco washing powder, make your own food for baby instead of the pouches/jar. I assume you don’t fly anyway as you’re eco friendly, go for Uk family friendly holidays you can get to by public transport.

Cloth nappies/biodegradable and reusable wipes/biodegradable wipes.

everything second hand, then hand it down.

Get a cot bed that will then become a toddler bed.

Wooden High chair such as the Tripp trapp.

use a sling library

look at hiring things when on hols or borrow from friends

what is it you are worried about?

Congratulations!

I would get in touch with your local breastfeeding support group before baby arrives. You can get an idea of what to expect, how to solve common problems, and you'll already have the contacts there for if you do encounter difficulties.

Also try and make contact with sling and cloth nappy libraries.

Obviously bf and cloth nappies are much more eco friendly than formula and disposables, but they're also great places to meet other like-minded parents. 12 years on I'm still friends with several of my eco-conscious baby group crowd.

Babies really don't need much, and they certainly don't need much at all that's brand new.

Feeding:

If breastfeeding, all you need is reusable breast pads and lansinoh cream (for sore nipples).
I didn't bother with nursing bras or tops. Just wear a loose top over a stretchy vest. Lift top up, vest and bra down. It's easy to not show too much boob this way too.

Travel:

Sling - I'd definitely recommend visiting a sling library as different ones suit different people, it's important to get it fitted correctly and be aware of safety rules.

Car seat if you drive. This should be brand new.

Consider whether you need a pram as well, not everyone does. I did. Should be easy to get second hand. Do you have a Freecycle or Facebook eco group? Otherwise marketplace, eBay, NCT sale, etc.

Sleep:

Consider whether you want a traditional cot, a co sleeper cot, or co sleep in your bed )obviously being mindful of the rules. Cota can easily be picked up second hand, as can bedding, although your mattress should be new.

Baby should be in your room for at least 6 months so there's absolutely no point decorating and furnishing a nursery. Many of us keep them in with us for far longer than 6 months so a nursery designed for a newborn would be impractical by then anyway.

Clothes:

For the first few months all you need is sleep suits, vests, socks, cardigans, hats, pram suit if using a pram in cold weather (in a sling, do not use a pram suit as they can overheat - use layers). All this is easy to find second hand.

Hygiene:

Cloth nappies
Cloth wipes
No need for toiletries - water only at first

Other:

Muslins
Nail scissors
Thermometer
Changing mat

From memory, I think that's all we had when ours were newborns.

Surely you don't think you're the first 'eco friendly' person in the world ever to be pregnant, as if it is an unusual stance?

Do you mean, you can't reconcile bringing a child into the world and the impact that has?

When I was pregnant/DS baby toddler I did the following:
Reusable nappies/liners - sold on/donated to other babies after use
Reusable cloth wipes - still used as cloths 18 years later
Lots of second hand baby clothes
Borrowed some baby clothes
Knitted items
No dummies
Made lots of own food so bought less packaged items
Breastfeeding
Bought minimal pregnancy clothes new/got some secondhand/sold mine on after use
Walked a lot as exercise
Second hand toys
Line dried where possible

No, sure op is the first!

On a serious note op, what did you mean, you're too eco to bring a baby into the world or want to know how to be eco with a baby?

NCT sales are great for getting 2nd hand clothes, toys and equipment and they have strict rules around the quality of things sold. Volunteering at a sale generally gets you in to the presale, so is a great way to get the best of what's there, but even entering from the main queue, after the members enter, there is usually lots of great stuff to choose from.

Vinted and Ebay are good for 2nd hand maternity wear, but there is the impact created by the shipping, so look for sellers who have multiple items you are interested in.

Breastfeeding is more eco-friendly for many reasons, dairy cows have a significant carbon footprint, the packaging has another carbon footprint and is generally not recyclable, the formula factory and other components will have a carbon footprint, it's all transported by diesel lorries and tankers, and then it has to be prepared. (Ready mix formula is bigger and heavier to transport so this will increase its carbon footprint). Apologies if this is obvious to you, but it is so rarely discussed anywhere for fear of upsetting mums who struggled with breastfeeding or didn't want to breastfeed. (I struggled with breastfeeding my first and wish I had known to contact a lactation consultant).

Cloth nappies come in a variety of styles, I would try a few different types and brands, ideally 2nd hand, and see what works for you and your baby. (Also what works as a newborn might not be best when baby is eating solid food!). Cloth wipes are great, you just need to ensure that you have a bowl of water if you are not in a room with a sink.

Buy second hand etc. But as a longer term thing make sure you're prioritising your child over your views.
It's the same as a strong religious belief, you can bring your child up with it, but if it starts negatively impacting the child it becomes shit parenting.

There’s so much for babies and kids. You’ll find most of their clothes are organic. Buy most stuff second hand. Look at Little Green Sheep for baby mattress. Also an amazing small company to follow is Pure Earth Collection.

Are you vegan? My children were vegan for the first years of life too. That massively reduces carbon footprint. Breastfeed, uses terry nappies, secondhand clothes, toys, bedding, etc.

School is a short walk away, I don't drive, never have.

I'm more eco friendly than most people without really thinking about it just from the way I live my life naturally.

I had two eco friendly babies. Didn't own a car, public transport to all baby groups, breastfed til two, used cloth nappies, recycled and sourced second hand items via Freecycle/local groups/NTC sales. They are now teenagers with every device, fashion brand and cosmetic they can lay their hands on and their idea of a low carbon staycation is the south of France.

Remember that you don't need about 90% of the 'must haves'. If you do discover there's something that would genuinely be beneficial, shops will still be open and the internet will still deliver after you give birth.

🙄🙄

In case this is genuine...

Be 'eco' however you're normally 'eco'.

HTH

I’m sorry but this thread is just bizarre 😂 I can’t believe it’s genuine tbh…

AI fishing is my guess.

I mean how dumb would you need to be for this to actually be genuine.

I guess creating a whole new human will make OP responsible for another carbon footprint?

Given negative birth rates in the West its really less of an issue than environmentalists like to make out.

Just carry on reducing, reusing and recycling OP and you will be fine.