Sustainable gifts for children - 4 ideas & more!

Tadaa - Christmas is just around the corner. (How did that happen so quickly again?) We have already given you several great gift ideas for children (for Christmas, to the second birthday) such as for new parents and of course we also recommended our own products to you. Above all our classic, that Photo book for children. But in the year in which the brave 16-year-old Greta Thunberg touched so many people with her message, it is difficult to just make the next post with great new gifts. Even if we love our products and also those of other companies that we have introduced to you, we cannot avoid taking a more reflective look at the topic of consumption this year. That's why we in the Kleine Prints team asked ourselves: What are really sustainable gifts for children? How can we make our children happy every year for their birthday, Christmas and Co. without turning a blind eye to the ecological situation of our planet? Because it is clear that all of our consumption must change - and that ultimately also applies to what we buy for our children.

Sustainable gifts for children

In the course of our deliberations, we ultimately came up with a few simple and joyful alternatives to constantly buying new things. Maybe there is one or the other idea for you.

1) Give experiences instead of things

Giving experiences instead of things - this idea is one that our founder created Eva Malawska practiced for a long time. "We give the closest friends of our daughter Lotta (7) regular visits to the Christmas fairy tale, to the zoo, the Karl May Festival and, and, and ... The children are always happy about the event and the time together, and it will be no extra physical resources are used. "A great idea that many other parents are already using, but which can certainly use more people!

2) Apple tree sponsorship

A Apple tree sponsorship is a great gift for older children and of course for us adults too! With us near Hamburg, for example, they are possible in the Altes Land. As an apple tree sponsor, you accompany "your" tree for a whole year and at the end you get all the fruits of the tree. (Plus a nice harvest festival!) Apart from the fact that you get loads of delicious apples whose origin you know exactly, it's also a great opportunity for children to learn something about the origin of our food in a personal way.

3) Stylish and durable: bike that grows with you

In our opinion it is an absolute hit the leg & go bike that grows with the child. With simple modifications, it can grow from the first baby balance bike to a bike for around 6-year-old children. There are also various additional parts with which the bike can be converted into a tricycle or snow bike. A great idea and the implementation looks mega-stylish! There are certainly other products with a similar concept, but we are not yet aware of them. If you know other such well thought-out products for children, send us an email at socialsmall prints (dot) de!

4) Used toys - saves money and is just as fun!

If sustainability is increasingly important to you when it comes to giving, used toys are of course also a great option. Sure, that works with individualized gifts like ours Photo book, puzzle or Memory game bad. But at local second-hand and flea markets and on internet platforms such as ebay classified ads, you can often get a lot of what is currently trendy at Mini, used, in good condition and significantly cheaper than buying it new. So you can often fulfill the current wishes of your little sunshine without having to re-produce. (By the way: Evas is a hot favorite tip for children second hand fans in Hamburg fux vintageshe says, "Be sure to check out!" Buying a used one is no worse than buying a new one. We can probably all ask why we buy so much new for our children, even though there is a lot to buy used in really good condition. (We in the Kleine Prints team are not mutually exclusive.) Of course, we all always want the best for our children. The only question is: what is better about a new toy than a well-preserved used one? Well, of the money that you save over the time when you buy used items more often, you can definitely get one nice family getaway - or you can invest it elsewhere in really high-quality, unique gifts.

5) More great ideas

Of course, we also researched on the Internet what other ideas for sustainable gifts have. Here are two good articles we found: 9 meaningful and sustainable gifts on smarticular.net Sustainable gifts for children At Mamaskind Ultimately, of course, it is always a matter of definition what is really sustainable and a personal decision as to how much change you are willing to make. One thing is clear: Nobody has to radically stop buying new things overnight. But it is also clear that none of us who have children can simply continue to consume as before with a clear conscience.

Would you like more good stories?

With our newsletter, the Kleine Sonntagspost, our founder Eva regularly sends you informative and entertaining stories about life with children directly to your mailbox. In addition, you are guaranteed not to miss any of our great specials with the Kleine Sonntagspost. We from the Kleine Prints team look forward to seeing you!

Photo credits: 1) Jelleke Vanooteghem via unsplash.com 2) leg & go 3) Markus Spiske via unsplash.com 4) Team Kleine Prints (Eva Malawska / Alica Pfister)