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We have been exploring easy and sustainable Christmas practices over on our Instagram this week as part of our 'Reverse' Advent Calendar series. Each day Founder Emma shares her expertise on topics for a more sustainable, less cluttered Christmas. Here are our first three days packed with top tips rounded up!
Day 1: Clear Out Toys Before Christmas
This is your sign to use Christmas as the perfect excuse to have a good toy (and everything!) clear out instead of adding and adding onto what you already have.
A great approach is to get your children on board by explaining that they need to make space for all of the new toys that they will be getting for Christmas and explain that their old toys will be going to new homes and making other children happy!
Spreading the work over a few weeks is key if you find yourself overwhelmed by a task like this. You could go room by room, or by the type of item (e.g. all books or shoes), whatever works best in manageable amounts.
Once you have decided which items are ready to go it is important to move these items on in a sustainable manner. Smaller toys can be sold on Vinted, or go to a car boot sale or table top sale. You could sell or give away large items on Facebook Marketplace or in a local Facebook group, and you might have a local toy library that would be grateful for donations. There are always families grateful for toys too, especially over the holiday season.
Day 2: Buy Fabric to Replace Wrapping Paper
We have a collection of fabrics and ribbons which we use to wrap presents that we know we'll open with the recipient (so we know we will get the fabric back!). Maybe one day we'll all exchange gifts in fabric and get to swap designs?! This process is to reduce the amount of waste we produce over the Christmas period as some wrapping papers aren't recyclable and some councils don't accept any kind of wrapping paper for recycling.
This can be an investment, but you don't have to replace it all at once if it's too expensive, just buy a few pieces of fabric to get you through the journey started. You can always use second hand Christmas duvets or other fabrics, cutting them to size. We haven't even hemmed ours, we just fold under the raw edges when wrapping the presents and so far they haven't frayed much at all!
Day 3: Buy toys secondhand
Buying toys second hand is not only better environmentally as you are not contributing to excess new toys being produced but also can be amazing for your purse! In our video over on Instagram we show Emma's Vinted finds this year and the difference in the RRP compared to buying second hand. Take a look at the video yourself here and see how much can be saved!
Stay tuned to our Instagram for more top tips in the lead up to Christmas and don't forget to save this post for next Christmas or forward onto a friend who will love these sustainable Christmas tips!
Are you new here? Read on to find out a little bit more about us...
Belles and Babes is a UK-based rental business specialising in sustainable maternity, baby, and nursing clothes. Founded by Emma Gillespie in 2017, the company is driven by her corporate sustainability background and has a mission to provide a more sustainable alternative for parents seeking to move away from fast fashion and reduce clothing waste.
B&B offers maternity and nursing clothes to rent as part of its capsule wardrobe service from £5 per item each month, with the option to swap items and add on extras such as a maternity coat, and also has styles available to buy new or pre-loved. Baby capsule wardrobes start from £25 a month for a personalised bundle of 18 items of sustainable organic clothing which are replaced as your baby grows.
If you are a parent seeking a sustainable alternative to fast fashion, you can find out more about our rental options by clicking the links in the menu above.
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