Momma Monday Resolutions: Living Greener with a Preschooler

After my daughter’s birthday in November, she started declaring “I’m four” to just about everyone. She tells cashiers, servers, kids, adults – yes she’s officially a big girl. Since she’s now old enough to help out around the house, we talk about simple ways to live greener such as turning off the water when we brush our teeth. We haven’t actually used the word “green” yet, but emphasize how we can avoid wasting and care for the people around us. Our daughter notices everything, so I know the best way to show her actions matter to the world is by setting an example.

Below are a few easy ways we try to consider the earth and others with our preschooler:

School lunches: Packing a sustainable lunch for your preschooler is easier than ever (getting them to eat it is another story). We use a lunch box, reusable sandwich keeper and water bottle from Crocodile Creek – their lunch gear comes in fun colors and designs. Since preschoolers often have a strong opinion about their accessories, picking out reusable lunch items can be a fun family outing.

Going Organic: Buying organic products minimizes the chemicals we bring in to our households. It would be pretty difficult and expensive to buy all organic clothing for a child – but we love the super cute organic cotton pajamas by Hanna Andersson. We also buy organic (or local) fruit and veggies and use organic cleaning products like those from Seventh Generation.

Stroller Commute We are fortunate to live just a short distance from preschool, so often walk when the weather is nice. Our daughter definitely prefers to commute by stroller, and the walk is a great way to reduce our carbon footprint and get in some exercise in the morning.

Acts of Kindness My daughter’s preschool introduced the kids to kindness this year by asking us to recognize and praise her “acts of kindness”. When she went out of her way to help around the house or shared a toy with a friend, we wrote the “act” down and sent it in for her teachers to read in class. She started to point out our “acts of kindness” – a great reminder of the importance of caring for others at any age.

Join us next Monday for more eco-friendly ideas for your family. And if you have favorite ways to live greener with your preschooler - please leave a comment below or let us know on Facebook!

Best,

Ashley