By Bridget Shirvell
In the fifth instalment of our new series, Advice and ideas on raising kids in the climate crisis, the author of Parenting in a Climate Crisis, Bridget Shirvell, explains how her approach to kids birthdays parties have evolved over the years.
The first time my child asked for a piñata at her birthday party, I was determined to make it as sustainable as possible. How hard could it be? I spent hours attempting to find options that were as low-waste as possible to fill it with—scouring websites for candies wrapped in compostable packaging and hunting down trinkets that were either consumable or built to last.
By the time I was done, I’d compared more types of sweets and seed packets than I care to admit. I’m not going to lie, it was a headache. What should have been a simple, joyful party detail turned into a miniature sustainability puzzle.
Birthdays are a milestone for children and for parents. We want to create moments they’ll remember, but somewhere between all the balloons, glitter, and piles of wrapping paper, modern parties have become small-scale consumer events. It’s easy to get swept up in the expectation that more stuff equals more joy. But the truth is, kids remember how a party feels, not how many favours they take home.
Stressing about sustainability
That first piñata attempt taught me that making everything as sustainable as possible created so much stress that I lost sight of celebrating my child. Intention matters more than perfection. It is basically impossible to throw a kid’s birthday that is zero-waste or zero-plastic, and I wouldn’t even recommend the piñata fillers I used. I ended up lessening my stance in recent years, and it is possible to throw a lower-waste birthday that centres on creativity, community, and connection. One that models to children that joy doesn’t have to come at the planet’s expense.
Start with decorations. Balloons and single-use streamers look festive for a day, but then they end up in the trash. Try bunting made from fabric scraps, paper garlands your child helps paint, or nature-inspired touches like flowers and leaves. Borrow what you can, and reuse what you create. My child wants a witch birthday this year, so we’ve had fun putting together and repurposing our Halloween decorations. She’s asked to help me set things up, and that process has become part of our celebration.
Then there’s the food. Parties are notorious for mountains of leftovers and packaging. Instead of individual snack bags, offer large bowls of fruit, popcorn, or homemade treats. Skip disposable plates in favour of your own dishes. Honestly, I find it easier to load up the dishwasher than deal with bags of trash. Or you can find compostable ones. We had an ice cream party over the summer and used compostable bowls and spoons made of vegetable peels.
The hardest habit to break
Goodie bags can be the hardest habit to break. The pressure to send guests home with something tangible runs deep, even though most of those plastic trinkets end up broken or forgotten within days (although I’ve started saving a few from my child’s parties to reuse in future piñatas).
Instead, think about favours that are consumable or built to last. I baked dolphin-shaped cookies for my daughter’s dolphin-themed birthday, and while
I’ve given up on the completely sustainable piñata fillers in the years we’ve done piñatas; those favours were the goodie bags. Some of the best alternatives we’ve encountered at other parties have been small seed packets, homemade knitted animals on keychains, and even capes and masks handed out at a superhero party.
Presents or no presents
And then there are presents. I find them such a struggle, especially for young kids’ birthday parties. Over the past three years, I’ve tried everything—from putting “no gifts” or “no gifts necessary” on the invitations to leaving the topic off entirely. Nothing ever feels quite right. Aren’t all gifts, by definition, unnecessary?
But I’ve slowly stopped trying to control the gifts, deciding that she is only this age once. I do, though, continue to have conversations with my child about what feels meaningful, reminding her that her friends’ presence at the party itself is really a gift from her friends.
Over time, I’ve slowly stopped stressing about creating the “perfect” sustainable party. Instead, I focus on making it joyful and full of celebration with friends and family.
Bridget Shirvell is a freelance journalist and the author of Parenting in a Climate Crisis. A handbook that explores the challenges and opportunities of raising children in an era of climate change. Her work has been featured in various publications, including The New York Times, Grist, and Fast Company, where she combines personal insights with expert perspectives to inspire and inform readers. Bridget is passionate about raising awareness and sparking meaningful conversations around climate action and the future of the next generation. You can follow her Substack here.
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Categories: climate change, education, Parenting, plastic, Sofie’s World, sustainability, waste