Expecting a baby

Zero Waste Expecting a Baby
Photo Source
In ten short weeks, I will be expecting a baby. Thrilled, nervous and impatient to meet him (yes, it's a boy) are the everyday emotions that whirl through my mind and body. I'm not nervous for the birth, rather excited for that part. Instead I'm nervous for the future.

Expecting a baby has made my commitment to live a life conscious of rubbish and plastic even more important. Knowing that I am helping raise the next generation has magnified the responsibility I already feel.

We have discussed what type of parents we will be, the issues we may face, namely the struggles that will come with raising a child exposed to a lifestyle, that is counter to how most of society lives.

One thing I'm firm on, is that I don't want to push our child to live plastic free or zero waste. My hope is to be the best example of these lifestyles, encourage him through education, inquiry and kindness, but let him make his own choice. Never make him feel guilty about decisions that might be different to his parents. I believe guilt and shame are two of the worst emotions to inflict on anyone.

I live this lifestyle based around responsibility, not guilt or shame for the environment, animals, people that I share this planet with. My personal reason for going zero waste: I don’t believe the next generation should have to deal with my rubbish. It’s my responsibility. I came to this through education and inquiry myself.

Expecting a child is expecting plastic, expecting rubbish. It will happen; we know this and have accepted it. As parents, we can only do our best.

14 comments:

  1. Cool that your approach is already flexible. That is so important with babies!

    All the best for delivery and parenthood.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the kind wishes and encouragement :)

      Delete
  2. Very reasonable. Hope you're doing well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am doing well thanks Rebekah. I hope you are also.

      Delete
  3. Congrats! Parenting has been the biggest joy of my life. My kid turned one recently, and our resolution this year is to begin composting. I think living by example (and teaching your kids why you do what you do) is the very best you can do as a parent. Kids imitate their parents, and we shape their worldviews.

    Good luck with parenting!! I blog about baby stuff from time to time, but feel free to reach out if you need any tips or have questions about cloth diapering, etc.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Liz for the reassurance. You are right, kids mimic what they see around them and living true to our ideals is the best way forward. I am reading and bookmarking your 10 reasons to travel to Japan with a baby!!

      Delete
  4. Anonymous1/20/2017

    Hi Erin, As Liz commented kids adopt so much of your values, especially those they actually see lived rather than lectured. If anything I have found that my own kids take my values on board and run with them and have challenged me to live up to their higher standards with things like environmental awareness. Fortunately these days there is a lot more acceptance and focus of these values in schools (like encouraging waste free lunches and composting) so hopefully your kids will not feel too 'weird'. Good luck for your new bub.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for sharing your experience with your own kids. It's comforting to know that your own kids challenge you :)

      Delete
  5. Anonymous1/25/2017

    Great attitude to have Erin. All the best to you and your partner.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Jo :) It's all about the mindset.

      Delete
  6. Congratulations Erin, have you seen www.ecoaction.com.au?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No I have not Deb. I wish Melbourne had this type of centre! I'm going to bookmark it for the future. Thanks for sharing it.

      Delete
  7. Congrats!
    I am looking forward to reading more about how you go with avoiding waste. We are expecting number 2 later this year and I don't even know what cloth nappies to buy. Too much choice. A tip for further down the line is look into baby led weaning. We didn't do any spoon feeding or purees. Much less work and much less waste and it worked out really well. It trains coordination and fine motor skills just as much as tastebuds and the fun squishing of all the food.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Nicole, thanks for the tip on baby led weaning. It looks like something i'd be up for trying. Reading about it, the process makes a lot of sense. The nappy confusion is real! Are you part of Cloth Nappies Down Under Facebook group? There is a wealth of information in there. I will be sharing what we ended up doing with our nappies on the blog too.

      Delete

Hi, leave a comment