Babies and children have a pretty hefty carbon footprint without even trying and it's up to us, as parents, to make of that what we wish. In my case, I like to try to minimise it as much as I can like I do with my own. This is by no means perfect and I don't think it's viable to act as though it ever can be; it's better to stick with the things you can do rather than worrying too much and ending up not doing anything at all.
One thing I feel like I can confidently say I do very well with is my child's wardrobe. Almost his entire wardrobe is second hand, minus a few things bought as gifts from other people. There are certain 'staples' that I feel like you need in a child's wardrobe so there are a fair few different ways I source second hand to make sure I have enough vests, sleepsuits then general outfits in each size.
HAND-ME-DOWNS // I am in the very fortunate position of having both family members and friends who have had babies before me so have been in receipt of a fair few hand-me-downs, which really go a long way. The majority of these tend to be nice outfits, jackets etc so make up a lot of my son's everyday wardrobe. Once I'm done with these I either return them to whoever gave me them so they can pass them onto someone else or I pass them on myself.
CLOTHES SWAPS // I love a good clothes swap and the one I attend most frequently, run by @hu5withfriends, has some great kids clothing. I've found some absolute gems there, (most notably a Ralph Lauren baby jacket!) and again these tend to be nice outfits or jackets.
CHARITY/COMMUNITY SHOPS // There's a great community shop in Wakefield called My Eco Baby, which is absolutely full to the brim with clothes, toys and accessories for babies and children. They have 20p tubs full of vests and sleepsuits, which I rifle through and basically pick up everything I can find in my son's size. Their offering of outfits is great too, but I often find I already have enough from hand-me-downs and clothes swaps so rely more on here for basics.
VINTED // And this is where I go for everything else! If there are any gaps in his wardrobe, he needs any more basics and for things like shoes now I know his size (we did buy his first pair new) I head to Vinted and try to find a bargain. I also use it for anything he might need for a special occasion and will most likely only wear once. I also use Vinted for selling the clothes he's outgrown that I'm not giving back, passing on or donating.
So that's how I maintain a fully sustainable wardrobe for my child. It's definitely no harder than shopping new and it's certainly much cheaper!
Amy x
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