With so many baby product options, it can be hard to find ones that are really worth the investments. This is especially the case if you are factoring the environment into your considerations of what to purchase. I’ve tried quite a few single use swaps for baby care, and not all were worth the money. And if you don’t find products that you will like and use, then they become more clutter or trash. Here are the eco products that have stood the test of time for our littlest family members.
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My Favorite Baby Product Swaps to Reduce Single Use Items
- Silicone steam sanitizing bag
- Moses changing basket
- Cloth diapers and wipes
- Baby cube freezer tray
- Reusable food pouches
What Makes Them So Great?
Silicone sanitizing bag
With my first baby I spent a half hour each week boiling water to sterilize bottles and pump parts. We lived in a small apartment without much storage or counter space, so I didn’t want to buy a bottle sterilizer. Plus, it seemed like it was something that I wouldn’t get additional use from once the baby stopped using bottles. I knew people who used sterilizing steam bags and really liked them, but I didn’t like that they were made of plastic and intended for disposal (to be fair, after 10-20 uses rather than just one).
For my second child, I was really excited to see that there was an option to buy a sanitizing steam bag made from silicone that could be used over and over again. Like the disposable ones, all you need to do is add water and put it in the microwave for a few minutes. Then you very carefully remove it so that you don’t get burned, pour out the water, and the bottles and pump parts are sterilized for the next use.
The best part about this silicone bag is that you can keep using it long after your kids grow out of bottles. You can use it to sanitize small toys or menstrual cups. Or you could use it as a snack pouch for road trips.
As a disclaimer, the silicone bag is much smaller than the disposable sterilizing steam bags. I do need to run two rounds of it to clean all my pump parts.
Moses changing basket
A moses changing basket was another favorite sustainable find that I only discovered with my second child. As I mentioned above, when we had my oldest daughter we lived in a small space so we didn’t have room for a full changing table. I knew I wanted a changing pad that we could put on top of an existing cubicle set (that we got for free from someone moving out of our apartment building) so that I could also store our cloth diapers, extra clothes, blankets, and books in easy reach.
We bought a changing pad that was plastic-y that we covered with a reusable changing pad. Unfortunately, even with it being covered we found that it fell apart by the end of the first year. I wanted something that could be used more long-term for our second child. Enter the moses basket. I found a super cute basket on Etsy that came with a changing pad and cute cover. We even took our baby’s newborn photos in it! I love that we can easily move it from one room to the other. I also like that when we stop using diapers we can take out the changing pad and store toys in the rope basket.
Cloth diapers and wipes
Cloth diapers have been a huge money saver for us. Someone gifted us a set of gently used cloth inserts and covers, which was great because they can be a large up-front expense (although more of an investment since they hold value well and can be sold secondhand). We also bought a variety of brands of reusable covers to supplement. Since it takes up to 500 years for a disposable diaper to degrade and it is estimated that babies will go through around 2,500 diapers in the first year alone, this was a way for us to easily make a big environmental impact. My advice on cloth diapers would be to research the kind you want (all in one, insert, etc.With our second baby we also switched to cloth diaper wipes. I can’t believe we didn’t do sooner because you might as well if you are already doing the laundry for the cloth diapers.
Reusable food pouches
Do your kids love squeeze pouches too? It’s funny how I can give my daughter yogurt in a bowl and she will refuse to eat it, but I put the same yogurt in a pouch and she asks for more. It helps that we got some really fun reusable squeeze pouches with animal prints. This is another great way to save money while being environmentally friendly. The store-bought single use packages often cost more than $1 for each. Instead, I buy or make bulk yogurt, applesauce, or smoothies and get many snacks out of them.
P.S. If you send your child to daycare you may need to let the teachers know that the pouches are reusable. Our daughter’s teacher threw some of ours away before we realized that was happening.
Baby cube freezer tray
Speaking of spending $1 or more per serving, those little containers of baby food also add up! It’s so easy to make baby food at home by pureeing ingredients in a blender and freezing them. I use these baby cube freezer trays because they have pop-out bottoms that make it easy to get the right amount. I also like that they have lids to keep everything contained and covered. Once the baby food phase is over they can easily transition to use as ice cube trays.
There you have it. My five favorite baby swaps to single use items. Give them a try and let me know what you think!
