How to shop for earth-friendly baby toys and gear
With the spotlight on Earth Day on 22 April, it’s more important than ever to do our bit to save the planet and keep our children healthy.
“The first step to living a ‘greener’ life, which is better for your family and the earth in the long run, is to reduce the amount of plastic in your home,” says organic skincare expert and product development manager, Samantha Bown. As a mom of two, Samantha believes that the less plastic you keep at home, in the form of toys, home accessories and kitchen items such as plastic food containers and water bottles, the better.
Plastic not only contributes to global warming, it also hangs around for ages on landfill sites (plastic bags can take years to degrade), pollutes our oceans and leaks harmful toxins such as Bisphenol A (BPA) into the environment – which can end up in our bodies too.
The dangers of BPA
BPA is a chemical found in plastics, particularly polycarbonate plastic that’s typically used to make food storage containers and hard plastic bottles, such as portable water bottles, certain types of baby bottles and sippy cups, as well as some children’s toys. Studies have shown that even in low doses, BPA has been linked to a host of chronic health conditions in adults such as:
• Heart disease
• Breast and prostate cancer
• Type 2 diabetes and obesity
• Hormonal disruptions
• Infertility
According to Medical News Today, babies and young children are especially sensitive to this chemical’s harmful effects, even in the womb. Because BPA is a known hormone disruptor, it can interfere with puberty and can affect the normal functioning of the brain, immune system, liver and kidneys.
BPA has also been linked to behavioural problems in babies and young children. As a result, the FDA banned the use of BPA in baby bottles and cups in 2012.
Other chemicals in your child’s toys
In a recent study on chemicals in plastic toys, Danish researchers discovered that children in Western countries have around 18kg of plastic toys around them daily. This can be potentially toxic because, “Out of 419 chemicals found in hard, soft and foam plastic materials used in children’s toys, we identified 126 substances that can potentially harm children's health, including 31 plasticizers, 18 flame retardants, and eight fragrances,” says the study’s lead investigator, professor Peter Fantke.
“Soft plastics cause the highest exposure to certain harmful chemicals, as children potentially inhale chemicals diffusing out of all toys in the room,” he adds. Not to mention how many children love to put toys in their mouths.
In addition to BPA, you also want to steer clear of the following potentially harmful chemicals in children’s toys:
• Lead in paint (avoid second-hand toys with flaking paint)
• PVC and phthalates (also known as plasticizers mentioned above)
• Formaldehyde
How to choose eco-friendly toys
Johannesburg-based Homeopath Dr Vicki Compere says that to be eco-friendly, companies try to produce toys without metal, glue, paint or screws. They also must replace plastic with recycled and less toxic materials.
Try these tips:
• Look for toys made with natural materials, like wood and cotton. Remember to look at the finishes on the toys as well. Sometimes toys are made with natural materials, but have been coated with artificial finishes and dyes.
• Choose quality over quantity. Buying better toys and fewer of them is another way to reduce your carbon footprint in the playroom. Limiting your toy purchases not only increases your sustainability, but it also clears clutter in your play area.
• Check your home for items that can be recycled into toys. This is a creative, fun activity.
• Stay away from cheap plastics. While it’s difficult to completely avoid a plastic invasion in your playroom, keep an eye out for green alternatives. For example, replace plastic blocks with more sustainable wooden ones.
• Wooden toys are durable, recyclable, and biodegradable making them a better choice for the environment.
• Other earth-friendly alternatives include wood, bamboo, cork, cotton, linen and wool. Linseed and beeswax are good natural alternatives to unhealthy finishes. Water and soy-based inks are biodegradable alternatives to paints.
Choose healthier clothing and accessories
It’s not just children’s toys that are potentially toxic, clothes and accessories can be too. A study conducted by Green Peace found more than 80 toxic chemicals in some popular children’s clothing brands.
Try to avoid clothing and accessories containing the following:
• Phthalates
• Nonylphenols (NPE’s) used to wash clothing after dying
• Poly-fluorinated chemicals, which make items water resistant
• Organotins, used to protect clothing during transportation
• Antimony, a component used to make polyester
When shopping, choose natural fabrics such as bamboo, cotton, wool and linen over synthetic fabrics such as nylon, shop locally and know where and how the clothes are being produced – track the source.
Why recycling is important too
Another simple way to live greener and reduce your carbon footprint is to recycle as much as you can in and around your home.
Although it may seem easier to just dump all your waste into one bin, the Western Cape Government reiterates that recycling is essential and has many benefits including:
• Saving energy
• Saving money
• Reducing air and water pollution
• Creating jobs
• Protecting wildlife, forests, and wetlands
• Preserving natural resources
• Freeing-up space at overfull landfills / waste disposal sites.
According to the South African Plastics Recycling Organisation, “Plastic doesn’t break down in landfills, but since it can be recycled to make many diverse products, effort should be made to recycle all plastic waste.”
What should you recycle?
• Certain types of plastic
• Paper (including cardboard)
• Glass
• Cans
For a full list of what you can and can’t recycle, visit Pikitup.
The key to a successful home recycling program is your storage bin setup. Keep these tips in mind:
• Use a variety of bins with labels to ensure items are separated easily.
• Keep all lids on bins to protect the items from pests, rain, wind, etc.
• Store the bins in a convenient place such as the kitchen or garage.
• Use smaller containers, as they’ll be easier to lift when full.
• Always rinse bottles and packaging before placing into recycling bin.
• Flatten bottles as they take up less space in bins and trucks; they’re also easier to crush and process.
• Keep the caps on so that they don’t become lost or become litter.
Where to donate toys
If your child’s playroom is feeling a little too cluttered, consider donating gently used toys to charity organisations, children’s homes and shelters or places of safety. Most of these places welcome children of all ages, so a range of toys will always be welcome.
Here are a few places that will gladly accept toy donations:
Salvation Army Charity Shop in Cape Town
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