Presents That are a Little Kinder to Our Planet.
If you are looking for an eco-friendly birthday present that is made sustainably and is kinder to the environment, then you are in luck; there are more and more brands that are making steps to take care of our planet, so you have lots of choice. Often you can buy secondhand toys at car boot sales, or on sites such as eBay, Vinted or Facebook marketplace and also some charity shops such as Fara can be good too; giving toys a second or third life is a great way to reduce our footprint on the world, it’s also a good way to save a few pennies. You can often find new toys being sold at charity shops and even Selfridges has been known to have a pop-up shop selling pre-loved toys. If you are short on time, then Rumage is a great resource, as it searches all your favourite marketplaces for you and you can filter by location so you can find a seller near by and save on postage.
In a bid to save our planet, some parents are going as far as making a polite request to friends and family to not buy gifts at all; “your presence is far more important than presents”. Alternatively you could ask for contributions towards buying one larger gift of you/your child’s choice or put the money towards some kind of experience, day out or subscription. You could also ask for donations towards a charity of your child’s choice or another idea that is becoming popular is a “fiver party”, where everyone is asked to gift £5, which the birthday child can put towards a larger gift. I understand some schools have also adopted a policy where all the children in the class going to the party gift £1 in the birthday card and then the birthday child has ~£30 to spend on a present of their choice.
However, sometimes it’s just nice to buy a gift!
(NB. the ideas below are not all strictly plastic free and I can’t vouch for the eco credentials for all the products/manufacturers, but the ideas will hopefully steer us in the direction of more eco-friendly birthday presents);
Charity Subscription
How about a gift that is both charitable and fun, such as an annual subscription with Unicef, which sends monthly, Paddington Bear themed, personalised postcards and activities to the birthday child each month.
Gift Vouchers
You could buy gift vouchers for books or perhaps visits to the cinema.
Days Out and Experiences
Days out and experiences: there’s all sorts, such as zoos, farms, theme parks (Lego Land, Peppa Pig World, Chessington World of Adventures etc), a walk with Alpacas etc.
Eco Subscriptions
A monthly subscription of Lanka Kade figures from Yes Bebe. A book or magazine subscription, such as National Geographic Kids or Eco Kids Planet. An eco subscription box from It’s Our Planet Too aimed at teaching our children to care about the planet.
Annual Membership
Annual membership: Family National Trust, Royal Palaces, Woodland Trust and Wildlife Trust family memberships, RSPB Junior or Family membership or a Merlin annual pass.
A Pack of Classes
A pack of classes for an activity such as ballet, football, swimming or music
Books
Fun and educational and no one can have too many books. It’s great if you can gift books that you loved when you were a child. If you are concerned about what will happen to all these books later, you can recycle them; for example pulp to pencil or they can be given to the Children’s Book Project, a charity that gives out books to children in need of them. Or you can even buy plantable books! There are also some lovely businesses out there that are turning children’s books that are past their best into beautiful bunting and garlands, so you can always donate your old books so they can have a second chance at life.
Preloved
You could also consider buying pre-loved toys. You can often find toys that have hardly been used and it’s great for the environment to give them a second life. If the toys are a little tired, you can give them a makeover or even personalise them. For example, you will find many ideas on Pinterest for upcycling the IKEA Children’s kitchen. I’ve also upcycled a couple of scooters for my daughter and I. You can find out more about gifting preloved in my blog Why It’s Now Socially Acceptable to Give Preloved Presents. And why not wrap them in my Preloved Presents wrapping paper, which helps promote the idea of giving preloved and makes it a little less awkward.
Upcycled
How about a beautiful, unique party dress made from upcycled saris from Pri Pri. All Pri Pri designs use preloved vintage saris and are handmade by a charity in India that helps to upskill and empower underprivileged women with training in tailoring.
Cardboard and Playboard
Cardboard and Playboard: you can by some lovely gifts that the children can also build themselves, or with the family, from Toka Tree, Play Press and Timeless Toys.
Craft Kits
There are lots of eco friendly crafts and craft kits, which can make great gifts, such as paper making, rock painting, etc. You can also find woodwork kits from Mini Makers, who also run workshops.
Vegan
You can find quite a good range of vegan products online these days. For example; bubble bombs from Ecofrenli.
Bamboo Plate and Cup
You can get some really fun and creative bamboo tableware, such as these from Rex London or these from Kidly.
Chippingin
Chippingin is the only platform made for children to allow them to set a goal for a really special gift, by inviting friends and
family to contribute.
You will also find some eco friendly gifts in my blog Birthday Presents for Nature Lovers.
Here’s a great list of stores that are on the whole wooden and sustainable toys:
Hopefully this has given you some ideas for an eco birthday present. I will keep adding to the list as I come across more fun ideas.
