Easy plastic-free swaps for kids that don’t require you to become a Pinterest mum

There seems to be a version of sustainable family life on the internet where everyone's pantry contains matching glass jars, the children happily eat homemade bliss balls and nobody has ever accepted a plastic toy at a birthday party.

Lovely.

We do not live there.

Most families are juggling school, work, sport, washing, dinner and the mystery of why there are seventeen drink bottles in the cupboard but nobody can find one on Monday morning.

So if you'd like to use a little less plastic at home, here's our approach:

Don't overhaul your life. Don't throw perfectly good things away. Just make the next choice a slightly better one when it makes sense.

That's it.

Start with the things you replace anyway

The easiest plastic-free swaps for kids aren't usually big lifestyle changes.

They're things you're already buying again and again.

When something runs out, wears out or needs replacing, look for an alternative with less plastic.

No giant decluttering session required.

1. When the toothbrush is done, swap the handle

A toothbrush is a particularly easy place to start because your child already needs one.

Instead of another plastic-handled toothbrush, choose a bamboo handle next time.

Our kids bamboo toothbrushes have small heads and soft bristles, so the practical bit comes first. The bamboo handle is compostable and the packaging is plastic-free.

And a quick bit of transparency while we're here: the bristles are nylon, because nothing plant-based cleans as well yet, and we'd rather be straight with you than greenwash it.

Check out incredibly amazing toothbrushes here, just saying!

Small swap. Same job.

 

2. Don't replace the lunchbox. Replace the cling wrap.

If you've already got a perfectly functional plastic lunchbox, keep using it.

Seriously.

Throwing away useful things purely so you can buy prettier "eco" versions rather defeats the point.

Instead, look at the disposable things inside it.

Reusable snack containers, washable sandwich wraps or little containers you already own can replace individually wrapped snacks and cling wrap.

This is also usually cheaper in the long run (which is considerably more exciting than having an aesthetically pleasing lunchbox drawer).

3. Give the kids an actual face washer

Remember face washers?

Turns out they still work.

Keeping a small stack handy can cut down on disposable wipes for sticky hands, faces and after-dinner clean-ups at home.

You don't need special reusable eco cloths. The faded face washers already lurking in your linen cupboard are perfect.

The uglier the better. Nobody will be tempted to use them for guests.

4. Choose dinnerware that can survive more than one stage

Baby and toddler products can have surprisingly short useful lives.

That's why, when you're buying eco friendly kids products in Australia, it's worth looking beyond what the product does right now.

For example, a suction bowl is brilliant while little hands are learning to feed themselves. But eventually they don't need the suction.

Our bamboo suction dinnerware has removable silicone suction bases, so once that stage is over, you can simply remove the suction piece and keep using the bamboo bowl or plate.

Check out our bamboo suction dinnerware here

That's the sort of swap we like. Buy something useful, then keep using it.

Wondering whether suction dinnerware is actually useful? Read Suction plates vs normal plates: Are they worth it?

5. Stop buying tiny bottles when a bigger one will do

Kids seem to require liquids for everything.

Shampoo. Conditioner. Body wash. Sunscreen. Hand wash.

Where practical, buy larger refill sizes or concentrates and refill the containers you already have.

You don't need matching amber pump bottles with handwritten labels.

The half-squashed Bluey soap dispenser works perfectly well.

6. Make the drink bottle the default

Before leaving home, fill the kids' drink bottles.

That's less about being wonderfully organised and more about avoiding the inevitable:

"Muuum, I'm thirsty."

...approximately seven minutes after you've driven away.

Having bottles ready can reduce grabbing bottled drinks while you're out, and you'll save money too.

If remembering them is the problem, keep an empty spare bottle in the car or kids' sports bag.

7. Birthday parties are allowed to exist

This deserves its own section.

You can make plastic-free swaps for kids and still let your child come home from a birthday party with a plastic whistle, three stickers and something that lights up for no discernible reason.

You don't have to police every piece of plastic entering your house.

Use it. Pass it on. Donate it when it's outgrown.

Family sustainability works much better when nobody feels like they're constantly failing at it.

The easiest rule: use it first

Before buying any new sustainable family products, look at what you already own.

That plastic plate you've had for six years?

Keep it.

Plastic toy box?

Keep it.

Thirty-seven reusable shopping bags?

For the love of cupboards, please keep using them.

Buying less and using things for longer is often the simplest option of all.

Then, when something genuinely needs replacing, you can make a different choice.

Pick three swaps, not thirty

If you want to start this week, forget the enormous eco checklist.

Choose three easy things.

For example:

• Switch to bamboo toothbrushes when your current brushes need replacing.
• Put a couple of old face washers somewhere convenient for sticky hands.
• Fill everyone's drink bottle before leaving the house.

Done.

Once those things happen automatically, choose another.

This is supposed to make family life easier, not become another project you're somehow responsible for managing.

What we do at Boo

The Boo Collective started with exactly this philosophy. Our products aren't about creating a perfectly plastic-free family. (I did give away some good Tupperware that I later regretted in my plastic demonizing stage!)

They're about taking everyday things families already use, toothbrushes, bowls, plates and feeding products, and finding practical ways to use a little less plastic.

With our toothbrushes, that means a compostable bamboo handle and plastic-free packaging, while keeping nylon bristles because they work.

With our bamboo dinnerware, it means pairing natural bamboo with removable silicone components where they're genuinely useful.

Not zero plastic.

Not perfect.

Just a little less plastic. A little more Boo.