Zero Waste Parenting in 2026

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by Sarah Currie-Halpern & Nicole De Santis

Being a parent with a commitment to a low waste household can be challenging. Normalizing a low waste lifestyle is an important step for the climate and for our families.

I remember before I had kids going to a friend's daughter's 3rd birthday party; an enormous pile of gifts grew in the corner as more guests arrived. I later watched the unwrapping, amazed as the young child grabbed the gifts and ripped the wrapping off, barely glancing at the gift before rapidly moving on to the next, making her way through what seemed like an unending pile of stuff.

This experience really impacted me, and years later when I became a mom I decided to do 'No gift's please" parties. My kids had enough stuff, and I wanted the focus to be on the party, friends and fun, instead of the focus being on gifts, suggesting guests instead considering donating to a local charity.

Low Waste Parenting

Although it may seem like having a baby or young child requires you to acquire piles of new stuff, it doesn't need to be this way.

Babies have grown into healthy children for millions of years with zero gadgets and gizmos, I know for a fact that modern day babies can be raised without all the unnecessary stuff you are told you need to buy.

Baby Gear & Toys

One big waste stream we encounter with new babies is baby gear.

One piece of baby equipment is used on average for just 1- 2 months before the baby outgrows it! Given this fact, it's extremely wasteful and costly to buy new baby gear. Fortunately, this does not mean you and your baby have to go without baby gear. Enter BabyQuip, this and other local baby gear rental companies, which were originally designed for travelers. These companies are now catering to a new generation of parents who appreciate the sharing economy and prefer to rent rather than buy.

In my experience young kids often prefer playing with a spoon, pot, or pan, then a plastic toy.

Look to buy nothing groups, hand me downs from friends and family to reduce creating new and unnecessary waste.

When considering items for babies and kids, choose wood and other safer, more sustainable materials over plastic. The blog Plastic Free has a great post about this topic.

"A 2021 study by the Denmark Technical University (DTU) (1) commissioned by the UN Environment Program showed that more than 100 chemicals found in plastic toy materials can pose health risks to children. These are chemical additives like plasticizers, used in toys to make them softer and provide elasticity. Further to plasticizers, also flame retardants and fragrances were found among the hazardous substances. The researchers recommended stricter international regulations, so that safer alternatives are found to these harmful chemicals."

Diapers

One of the most wasteful and environmentally damaging aspects of having a baby is disposable diapers. A few quick facts about disposable diapers according to RealDiapers.org:

Disposable diapers are the third-largest single consumer item in landfills.

Disposable diapers take at least 500 years to decompose.
Disposable diapers for a single baby will cost around $70 a month and $840 a year.
Babies will use about 6000 diapers during their first two years of life.
95% of mothers in the U.S. solely use disposable diapers for their children.
Cotton diapers can be reused around 50 to 200 times.
Instead, choose reusable, cloth diapers. Many cities and towns have cloth diaper rental and cleaning services, such as Bundle Baby in Colorado’s Front Range or diaperkind in NYC.

Bottles

Baby bottles are another big consideration for new parents. Using Glass or stainless steel to avoid chemicals from plastic leaching into the milk is an ever increasing and important consideration. There are a variety of different brands, Life Factory glass bottles with a protective silicon sleeve are a great option.

The sharing economy has a lot to offer new parents- cost savings and generating less waste.

Renting gear, choosing secondhand purchasing, hand me downs, utilizing Facebook marketplace, buy nothing groups, parent groups, reusables and focusing on plastic free items can go a long way.

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