Sustainable Christmas Gifts for Kids & Teens

Whilst I was looking for more sustainable Christmas gifts for children this year, I quickly realised that sometimes it’s not the easiest task to find sustainable gifts that are interesting and fun for children.

The thing that is not everyone understands is that if you’re vegan or an environmentalist you usually feel so strongly about this that you don’t want to buy a non-vegan or non-eco gift for anyone. This of course includes occasions such as Valentine’s day.

Regardless of their feelings on the subject the thought of supporting the meat and dairy industry for example fills me with dread. I did have to buy my sister some Brie and Gherkins once for her birthday and I did feel weird about it but she particularly requested it so I had to. In general I only buy Vegan food at Christmas and any other time of the year.

I think that sometimes in buying someone a soap bar or a shampoo bar for example you might actually plant the seed that there are more sustainable Christmas gifts out there and that can’t be a bad thing.

Check out my list of sustainable online shops for Christmas if you would like to know where to buy gifts in the UK.

If you have a bit more money to spend as well, I reviewed the Grimm’s rainbow, semi circles and wooden balls – sustainable wooden toy.

This post contains affiliate links which means I make a small profit if you buy through my link. I would never recommend something I didn’t believe in or wouldn’t buy myself, thank you for your support.

General Christmas Gifts

These are more basic sustainable Christmas gifts but are a great option if you’re stuck and you’re looking for more practical gifts. My son loves socks and he never minds getting cosy socks as a gift for example.

Bamboo Socks

And Keep has a beautiful selection of bamboo socks for children like the ones pictured below. Bamboo socks are so much more comfortable, I’m a big bamboo sock fan and if you haven’t tried them yet you should because they are so soft.

Water Bottles

Water bottles are another good Christmas gift, they can be a bit pricey depending on which one you decide on. Personally I love Klean Kanteens and the pink bottle was bought for my little girl earlier on in the year.

Straws

Although I think most people probably have some stainless steel or glass straws by now there are still some people that haven’t. Therefore straws are still a great gift for some children and affordable too.

School Age Christmas Gifts

This section is definitely my favourite section because I found some awesome sustainable Christmas gifts that will be hit with a lot of children, I think.

Make Your Own Gifts

And Keep have some great ‘Make your own’ style gifts. The below make your own Unicorn or Dinosaur gardens are so cute.

Paint Your Own

Etsy has some really cool sustainable Christmas gifts, this paint your own Christmas pack is really cool. On Etsy they also have a lot of paint your own Christmas decorations which I think is a great craft activity for kids.

Eco Kids Gift Box

This gift set for potential eco warriors is so cute. It has some toothbrushes, make your own elf peg doll, a bath bomb and a PLAYin choc surprise (plastic free version of a kinder egg). Such a lovely idea, I think this is one of my favourites.

Books

And Keep have a selection of books aimed at explaining to children the real issues that we’re facing such as plastic in our ocean.

Pencils

Getting a set of eco drawing pencils or colouring pencils is another great Christmas gift idea. If you pair it with a colouring book or something else it’s a great little sustainable Christmas gift for a child.

Bath Bombs & Crumble

Bath bombs and Bath Crumble are usually a huge hit with my son. Such simple fun for bath time and usually really affordable too.

Any Age Christmas Gifts

These sort of gifts I don’t think really have an age on them but just some other options for children or teenagers.

Shampoo Bars

Shampoo bars are most definitely growing in popularity at the moment. It used to be something that Lush did really well but now most sustainable online stores stock shampoo bars and of course Etsy as well. I don’t want to just recommend one as if you’re buying one as a gift you might have a particular idea of what you need.

Clothes

Clothes can be a great gift for children, although generally a bit pricier when you buy ethical and sustainable clothes. Depending on the recipient, second-hand clothes can be an idea for a sustainable Christmas gift.

If that isn’t an option a sustainable t-shirt is a great gift for various ages. The below bee t-shirt is so cute at £12.50.

Christmas Gifts For Babies

There are a few great gifts for babies, wooden toys are usually brilliant although they can be quite pricey of course. If you go for something like a wooden puzzle they are beautiful and more affordable as a gift.

Puzzle

My baby loves this cat puzzle from Babipur. They have a few others on the website like giraffes and elephants and they’re really beautiful.

Bamboo Plates

Another great gift for a baby or toddler is a bamboo/wooden plate. This woodland bamboo plate from Plastic Freedom is only £7 and super cute.

Bamboo Cutlery

I think the Woodland spoon set £5 and the above plate would be a fabulous gift for a baby.

Gifts For Teenagers

I think teenagers are the most difficult to buy for really, in my experience anyway. It depends on their interests and sometimes giving a voucher or money is the best option.

That-being-said toiletries in general can be useful and might encourage them to use less wasteful products in the future, if they’re not already of course.

Deodorant & Soap

A really affordable gift would be a deodorant and soap set like this one from The Plastic Free Shop in Bristol.

Shaving Sets

Jungle Culture have a few shaving sets at really great prices, the below shaving set is bamboo and currently priced at £17.99 and I’ve been told by a trusted friend that it is really easy to use.

This shaving set from The Plastic Free shop is really great too. It’s priced at £29.99 which isn’t bad for a reusable razer with 5 blades, shaving soap and a brush.

I hope you got some great sustainable Christmas gift ideas from my list. Let me know in the comments if you decide to get any from my list. Of course when you buy sustainable gifts you do also have to consider zero waste gift wrapping ideas as well.

If you’ve wondered which is the more eco-friendly option real or artificial Christmas trees, click here.

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