Parents Go Green for Children

Parents go green for Children

When we become parents, our thoughts often turn to the sort of world we are passing on to the next generation, writes Sheila Wayman

WHEN YOUR first child is born, the future suddenly stretches a lot further than your next foreign holiday or your next step on the career ladder. Priorities change as you become totally responsible for a fragile life, and you start thinking about the sort of world that's being passed on to the next generation.

Every lifestyle choice you make shapes your home environment, which in turn moulds the mind and body of your child. The idea of a gentler, greener world seems not only an enticing but a practical prospect.

Melissa Corkhill, the editor of Green Parent , a bi-monthly magazine published in England, lives out her beliefs both personally and professionally.

"I see green parenting as a way of bringing up children with an awareness of environment and green issues."

She also emphasises the importance of "natural parenting," that is "staying close and tuned in to our children," through breastfeeding, attachment parenting and co-sleeping.

To those just thinking about making changes, Corkhill says: "Green parenting saves you money. Every change you can make is a step on the way to a greener life."

"It is a life-affirming way of parenting," she adds. "Our family relationships are so close because of the choices we have made.

"People think green living is self-sacrificing. I think it is the opposite. Once you start living this way of life, you realise the inherent pleasures."

Seven steps to greener parenting

1 Look at the bottom line: use reusable cloth nappies - a Dutch study recently concluded they were seven times better for the environment than single-use ones. Forget terry squares and giant safety pins, modern cloth nappies are just as easy to use as disposable ones, say advocates, and can save you about €1,000 per child.

If you can't face the extra washing, biodegradable nappies are preferable to standard disposables, although critics say it is very difficult to create the right conditions for composting them. See or

2 Feed them right: breastfeeding is by far the greenest, cheapest and healthiest way to feed a baby for the first six months. When introducing solids, avoid jars of baby food - cook and puree vegetables and fruit and, in later months, a bit of whatever you're having yourself. Opt for organic when possible, or at least try to buy local produce.

3 Cut the consumption: resist the impulse to buy up the baby shop when expecting your first child. See what you can borrow or buy second-hand. Seek long-lasting, wooden toys with non-toxic paint and don't underestimate the play potential of ordinary household objects, such as a cardboard box or a few spoons. Use your local library for free books, DVDs and CDs. See

4 Leave the car behind: a car seems indispensable when babies and their baggage arrive, but try making more journeys without it. Walking is good for your head as well as your body so choose a pram or buggy that is comfortable to push on long walks. Babies can go on a parent's bike from about the age of one and then progress to bikes of their own when they are older. Using trains and buses is fun for young children and sets them up for travelling unaccompanied in a few years' time.

5 Go out more: head outdoors with your children whenever you can. Whether in the garden, a park, the countryside or on the sea shore, introduce children to the beauty of the natural world and take the time to let them explore at their own pace. If possible make an area in the garden where you can grow vegetables or fruit together. See

6 Holiday at home: if you're lucky with the weather, there is no better country in the world for a family holiday than Ireland; if it's cold, wet and windy, perhaps not. But you know what? The sun always shines in children's memories of holidays and it's the time together that really matters.

Go prepared for all seasons and make the most of it. So much less hassle than trailing through an airport. For information about Ireland's first ecotourism destination, see greenbox.ie

7 Clean out: standard household cleaning fluids and aerosols contain many toxins that are bad for a baby as well as the environment. Consider chucking them all out, in the knowledge that the increase in childhood allergies and asthma has been partly attributed to over-clean homes.

If digging out vinegar, lemon juice and the bicarbonate of soda for a clean-up seems a little too green for you, buy eco-cleaning products instead. See