Reusable Products you should try

As this year’s Zero Waste Week theme is REUSE I wanted to make a round-up of all the products that could appeal to parents of little ones. There are so many replacements now for the disposable items that we have all traditionally used and I hope you will consider switching to some of these in a bid to help reduce landfill waste.

Reusable sandwich wraps

There are now so many options for reusable sandwich wraps as well as tutorials for how to make your own! You can get wraps that can also be used as a place mat or little bags with easy clean liners. Some are wipe clean and others can be popped in the washing machine. All can be re-used time and time again saving on cling film and tin foil.

Snack Boxes

Snack boxes are great to help avoid all that pre-packaged individually portioned snack wrapper waste. In addition they can also help provide some healthier snack options for you and your little ones. Some really cute and innovative boxes have recently been introduced which can really rival those branded products that kids seem to love. These puppy boxes from Tum Tum Tots are so cute and the Sistema Snack Attack box can eliminate the need to ever purchase another Dairylea Dunker again!

Amazing Lunchboxes

Some of the new lunchbox designs are fantastic and they really do help keep your sandwiches and snacks fresh. We love the Yumbox lunch boxes with their colourful designs and leak-proof silicone lid liners. You will never need to use clingfilm, foil or pre-packaged individual portions again. At around £24.95 they are expensive but there are plenty of other options to suit every budget. Take a look at the Sistema range of lunch boxes or Tum Tum Tots

Reusable Nappies

We all know about reusable nappies but did you know how amazing some of the brands are now? If you are at all curious contact your nearest nappy library for a demo. You can now also get reusable swim nappies and training pants which may appeal to you if you didn't get round to using them when your little ones were little babies.

Reusable Wipes

Baby wipes are used so frequently (even when you don’t have a baby) but they are so wasteful. The wipes themselves are generally non compostable and the wrapper is no longer recycled at Terracycle. There are some great re-usable options that can be used to help save money and be less wasteful. These soft bamboo wipes from Pop-in are a great alternative.

Reusable Coffee Cups

I don't drink coffee but I love hot chocolate and I used to love drinking them out of the takeaway cups. Now that I have kids I realise that takeaway cups work really well...if they get knocked over they spill relatively little so I prefer to have one even if I'm sitting inside a cafe!  I love all the new reusable takeaway cups and love mine for drinks at home and out and about. I love that I have managed to reduce waste each time I use it.

Reusable Drinking Straws

My pledge for Zero Waste Week is to stop using disposable straws and start using reusable straws as my little girl gets through so many. Straws are responsible for so much of the plastic waste littering the streets, landfill and the oceans. If anyone has any good recommendations do let me know (preferably pink!)

Drinks Bottles

Probably the most obvious reusable product we use is a drinks bottle and I think we all have several for our kids but do you have one too? bottled water is extortionately priced anyway so take a bottle out with you and fill it with tap water. Bobble bottles are great as they have an integrated filter.

Reusable Food Pouches

If you love the store bought food pouches like Ella's Kitchen or Hipp I would urge you to give reusable food pouches a go and fill them with your own home made creations. You will save money, help save waste and also feed your kids something fresh and nutrient rich.  I know i'm biased but I love my reusable pouches. They have helped me save so much waste even now that I no longer have babies! I use them for yogurt, sauces, condiments and milk if we just need to take out enough for a couple of cups of tea.

I hope you give some of the above options a try if you don't already.  Every little thing you re-use does help so please try to do what you can.

Suzanne