Hooray, a baby! You are naturally in gloria when a cloud of a baby is born in your immediate vicinity. Or maybe a little one is on the way to you and you are reading this article because you are working on a maternity gift list. Either way, a baby, means presents. Lots of presents. And those maternity gifts can also be more sustainable. And we at thegreenlist.nl. This is how to wrap a birth gift sustainably. We have a laundry list of great tips for you, courtesy of the fine community on Instagram!
Sustainable maternity gifts
If there's a little one on the way, you'll be there nice and early. Smart of you to make a wish list. Before you know it, you will get all kinds of unsolicited gifts that you do not want at all. That won't help anyone, least of all our planet. You may be reading this because you are expecting and want some inspiration. But of course it could also be that you are about to go on a maternity visit and don't want to come empty-handed. Chances are the expectant or brand-new parents are busy with other things, so you want to come up with something good yourself. We get that. That's exactly why we created this list. The nice thing is that for all these sustainable maternity gifts, I got help from my Instagram community. Surely that always produces much more fun and original ideas than surfing the internet overlessly by yourself.
On a maternity visit with a pan of food
We open the list with a tip I've received a lot: food! You can usually make brand-new parents very happy with fresh (vegetarian) meals, for example a pan of soup or an easy casserole. So my first tip is: it doesn't always have to be a present for the baby. Even something as simple as a meal can actually help the young family a lot. Rompers and cuddly toys are probably enough for them already. Need some recipe inspiration? We have lots of recipes for you on thegreenlist.nl.
Ideas for sustainable maternity gifts: toys from Grimm's, a birth drawing and a donation to MommaLuv.
Give a tree as a maternity gift
This is a very nice symbol: give a tree as a gift. Think of a small tree that can be planted in the garden, possibly with children's garden tools. You plant the tree in the garden and it grows with the child. How about an apple or pear tree or a hazelnut tree? Do the new parents not (yet) have a garden? Then it is also a cool idea to adopt an apple tree in an orchard in the region. Then you can come and pick apples from your own tree every year.
See more about the birth tree.
See more about the Olmenhorst, an orchard in Lisserbroek.
Donation for a mother in Africa
Visit a family that already has everything and also indicates they have absolutely no wishes. You often make this more so when the second or third child is on the way. In that case, your gift can also be to make a donation on behalf of the baby that has been born. Did you know that in Africa, women are 33 times more likely to die in childbirth? The hospital is too far away or there is no maternity kit available. With a donation of 20 euros, a maternity kit can be put together for a mother in Africa, giving her everything she needs for a good delivery as well. A follower on Instagram had even put this gift wish on the birth card when she herself was expecting. See more about the MommaLuv birth package.
Thought gift: groceries!
A great gift tip for parents: give a temporary subscription to healthy ready-made meals as a gift or give a delivery bundle or a shopping budget at an (online) supermarket. It may sound like a bit of a practical gift, but in that hectic maternity period, young parents are greatly helped by such a thoughtful gift. I know all about it myself!
Give a subscription to Klikkie as a gift
Clicky? I had to look it up myself when I got this tip, but it's brilliant. We take so many photos, but rarely do we print anything. With a subscription to Click new parents can cherish moments as they get their ten best photos printed at home every month.
Give something of yourself as a gift
A second-hand maternity present, why not? Isn't it great to get a present with a personal story behind it? Stuff is already plentiful and that is especially true for baby and children's stuff.
Give something to do as a gift
In the first year, you may not be able to do much with a baby, but that changes so quickly. Besides, even if the little one still sleeps in a pushchair, being outside is hearty and healthy. That is why it is also a super nice idea to give ‘something to do’ as a gift. For little ones, I find OERRR an appropriate tip. This is Natuurmonumenten's youth programme. With OERRR, children experience the most fun adventures in nature and discover how they can help nature and animals. For two euros a month, a child can already become a member and they offer programmes for all ages. Although the programming gets more fun and interesting as the children grow up, it is a very nice invitation to introduce the newborn to our country's beautiful nature and nature playgrounds early on. This is also a very nice idea for families where there are already more older children, a family membership costs €7.50 per month.
More inspiration for birth gifts: visit with some meals, give a subscription to OERRR as a gift (especially a good gift if the family already has more children, they can go out together) or sustainable or second-hand baby clothes (tip: don't buy the smallest size, no matter how cute it looks).
Give a photo shoot as a gift
Not everyone likes to have their picture taken, and especially the maternity period can be an awkward time for mothers, as you probably don't feel quite your best self. And yet it is really nice to have nice photos of that maternity period later on. It is so short and you forget so much. Yes, all the clichés about this are true. So with this in mind, giving away a shoot with a professional photographer is a great tip. This can be done in a studio or at the family home. If you are a bit lucky, this will give you dozens of beautiful photos as a gift. That will be Christmas card printing until sundown.
Pamper pack with beautiful care products
Perhaps the brand-new mum is already hooked on natural skincare, but if she is not so conscious about it yet, you might have an extra good reason to introduce the family to it. Natural skincare from Naïf and Drs Leenarts are great for this, for example, as they have a wide range of products for adults and children, but of course it is also fun to put together your own pampering package (with your own green favourites) in an eco-shop, such as Big Green Smile. Extra fun: go to the thrift shop to score a nice wicker basket and an old atlas. Use the pages of the atlas as wrapping paper and put all the wrapped spreads in the basket. And you're done!
A pass-on gift from our own collection is also a nice gesture and sustainable.
More sustainable birth gifts
Finally, lots of other sustainable gift ideas were shared that are also definitely worth a mention. These are all sustainable and fairly produced gifts. Cue them!
- Fabric garlands made from leftover fabrics (personal favourite). You give these garlands at birth and from then on they can be hung up every birthday for a lifetime. Such a lovely idea too! You can also buy them from leftover fabrics. Or, if you are handy, you could also make these flags yourself, as our DIY expert Melanie has done.
- Zero waste gift ideas: washable nappies, washable swim nappies and washable wipes were also frequently mentioned as gift ideas. Also Eco Era was mentioned as a lovely shop where you can buy handmade washable products for the whole family.
- Enter a birth drawing gift.
- With the iconic and very stylish rainbow by Grimm's you will always be right. Wondering what you can do with all this? Then check out this blog post by green mum Kari about Grimms.
- Baby clothes from a beautiful, sustainable fashion label such as Mini Rodini, Dilling, Gray Label, Kidscase, Donsje Amsterdam, Ammehoela. An extra tip: buy clothes in a larger size, e.g. size 80 or 86. Babies grow out of small sizes very quickly and, besides, you often get those small sizes as gifts. A long list of beautiful sustainable children's clothing brands can be found here. Plenty of choice!
- A beautiful handmade soft toy from Senger Naturwelt. You can read more about sustainable soft toys in this article.
- Whaaan-ish rubber teething rings and bath toys from Oil & Carol.
- A beautiful durable blanket from Yumeko.
- Daily rhythm cards.
- A music box Of old city trees.
- Of course, you can wrap a sustainable gift sustainably too! That way, you pull off the green theme all the way through. See also: zero waste packing tips.
- Mr Koekepeer: customised sustainable surprise packages.
Tip from a follower: no personalised maternity gifts
A silver spoon or rattle with a name, clothes with a name as an embroidery: in the spirit of sustainability, don't buy personalised gifts. You can't pass this on or sell it if you don't like it or if the child gets too old.
Also an idea for a sustainable birth gift?
Have a great idea for a sustainable maternity gift, but don't see it listed yet? Please let us know! We will gladly add to the list of sustainable maternity gifts. You can get in touch via the contact buttons at the bottom of this page!
More sustainable tips for young parents
- Also see: the list of the cutest sustainable Mother's Day gifts.
- Also see: sustainable baby kit: what you really need (and what can be second-hand)?
- Also see: the list of the cutest sustainable gifts for a first birthday!
- Also see: what types of washable nappies are there?
Photo credits main image: Ryutaro Tsukata (Pexels), African mother: Ayla Maagdenberg, Nursery with rainbow: Kari van der Heide, baby outfit with brown shoes: Tatiana Syrikova (Pexels), Pile of clothes: Sarah Chai (Pexels), rabbit: Kristina Paukshtite (Pexels), chair with garland: Karolina Grabowska (Pexels), autumn leaves: Michael Morse (Pexels).
