Why I Refused to Raise My Kids in a Plastic Filled World

It’s two in the morning. The house is quiet except for the creak of my rocking chair. I’m in the nursery, breastfeeding my newborn. His tiny fingers are wrapped around mine. The smell of baby lotion is in the air. On the floor are plastic wrappers from nursing pads, wipes, and packaged baby products. Sitting there, with his warm little body against my chest, it hit me. I am raising the future while polluting his future.

I’ve spent years as a sustainability strategist, helping people create healthier spaces. But here I was, surrounded by single use plastics, trying to raise a healthy child in a space that didn’t match my values. I felt guilty, powerless, and determined all at once.

Something had to change.

I didn’t overhaul everything overnight. I started by noticing. What was my baby eating? What was it wrapped in? How much of our day was tied to disposables?

So I began small. We used what we already had. I borrowed and swapped with friends instead of automatically buying new ones. Hand-me-down clothes and toys became normal for our family.

Food was next. I traded single use snack pouches for stainless steel containers, glass jars, and cloth napkins. We started buying pantry staples in bulk and refilling our own jars at home. Slowly our trash shrank. Each jar we filled felt like a small promise kept.

Parenting is busy and it’s easy to believe convenience is non-negotiable. But once we had a few simple systems like a shelf for clean jars, a bin for items to lend or borrow, and a bulk-shopping routine built into our errands, it actually gave us back time and mental space. Instead of drowning in stuff, I started to feel in control.

There was another challenge I didn’t expect. It wasn’t just about me making changes. It was about bringing my partner, grandparents, and loved ones along for the ride. People who care about you want to help, and their help often comes in the form of gifts and convenience items. Saying no to that can feel ungrateful. At first it was stressful and awkward to explain why we were trying to do things differently. But once I started having clear, gentle conversations about our choices and setting boundaries, it got easier. The people closest to us began to see that our decisions weren’t a rejection of their love, they were an expression of ours. That shift made everything lighter.

My kids are still toddlers. They don’t know the term climate change yet, but they do understand care. They see me rinse containers for recycling, choose a wooden toy, or pack lunches without plastic wrap. I tell them, “We do this to keep you healthy and to protect our home.”

At daycare I started sending lunch in safer, reusable containers. Before long, other parents and staff began asking about them. Little choices like these opened conversations and showed what was possible.

Friends noticed too. When another mom saw our cloth napkins at a picnic, she asked where to get them. Soon her family had switched, and another followed. Small actions ripple out when others see them in practice.

Refusing to raise my kids in a plastic filled world isn’t about being perfect. It’s about aligning our home with our values and moving in the right direction. We still have plastic in our lives and that’s okay. What matters is the direction we’re moving and the example we’re setting.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the amount of plastic in your life, start small. Borrow instead of buy. Pick one reusable container. Buy in bulk and refill at home to cut down on packaging. Your children will grow up seeing stewardship as normal, not exceptional. That’s a gift that outlasts any toy.

- Gabriela Fiorentino, Founder of Nest Earth