Why Hiring Not Buying Prams Makes Environmental Sense

As your baby progresses from a newborn through the various stages of infancy, the kind of equipment they need will change significantly. From starting on a sling, carrycot, or pram early on, they could be in a pushchair as they take their first steps and speak their first words one dizzying year later.

This begs the question of whether it is better to buy or rent baby equipment during these fast-moving months.

A key issue in these environmentally conscious times is what will happen to equipment when you no longer need it. After all, everyone with a baby will want them to grow up in a world we are taking good care of.

It would be nice to think that every baby item finds its way to a new home instead of being chucked out. However, as the charity Goods for Good notes, all too often used prams end up in landfill or in the loft (which probably means they get discovered years later, rotting, rusting and dirty - and then get thrown out). Worse still, some will be fly-tipped.

Not only is this a big waste in every way, but it should not be forgotten that there is plastic in most prams and cots, which means if this finds its way into the environment it can be especially toxic.

The worst case is when plastic finds its way into watercourses, at which point it can be washed into the sea and ingested by aquatic creatures, with some rather gory scenes of dead animals being washed up on the coast with stomachs full of plastic being the result. You certainly won’t want your child to see that on a day at the beach.

Hiring equipment avoids the risk that any of these things will happen. Not only can you get your hands on high-quality items, but each thing can be returned when you no longer need it as your baby grows.