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If you’re looking for inspirational and ethical gifts for kids, I have hand-picked a selection that should tick all the boxes, from babies to teens. Each brand has strong ethical credentials. Some encourage kids to recycle, reuse and care about the environment and their fellow humans. Some of these ethical gifts for kids are organic, fair trade and chemical-free to minimise the impact on our environment.
Ethical Gifts for Kids: Organic Clothes
My girls love clothes, so we find they make a great, useful gift that will last.ย
Piccalilly Organic Kidswear
As brand ambassadors for ethical organic kidswear brand Piccalilly, we have experienced first hand how wonderful their clothes are. They are super soft and free from any chemicals which could harm sensitive skin, so they would make fantastic gifts.ย
Ava wears the Piccalilly Navy Deer Top (gifted) and Thea wears the unisex Piccalilly Mustard Quilted Sweatshirt (gifted). Thea is wearing this sweatshirt non-stop at the moment. (Apart from the times I wrestle it off her to wash it!)
The clothes we were gifted have lasted brilliantly, and are firm favourites with both girls over a year later. They have all worn and washed so well. The colours are still beautifully vibrant, and the prints still look fantastic.
The girls wear these dresses an average of once a week. They wash beautifully and are still as vibrant as a year ago. Ava’s dress will need to be handed down to Thea soon as she’s getting a bit tall for it.
Apart from her vest, Ava’s wearing head-to-toe Piccalilly on the right. This is the outfit she chose for non-uniform day, completely unprompted by me.
In my opinion, itโs worth spending a little more on high quality, ethically produced clothes, especially when they are gifts. Piccalilly clothes stand the test of time, and you can buy them with a clear conscience, and hand them down to friends and family. The organic cotton used to produce them is free from harmful chemicals, which is better for the farmers who produce it. The people who make these clothes receive a living wage, plus healthcare and funding for their childrenโs education, and they are child labour free, naturally. They also do lots of lovely boys clothing!
Tommy & Lottie Ethical Clothing
Tommy & Lottie are an ethical clothing company, specialising inย unisex sustainable clothes that are built to last.ย Because the designs are unisex they can be handed down or reused whatever the gender.ย The cotton and clothing is vertically produced, meaning that the cotton is grown, produced and the garments are manufactured in one place and not all over the world, helping to reduce the carbon footprint. No harmful chemicals or dyes are used in any of the processes of production. The cotton is certified Oeko Tex Class 1 so safe for babies and young children.
The people employed in the factory come from the local community, where the cotton is actually grown. They are not just given jobs but are also taught life long skills, so they can provide for their families. They are treated fairly with good working conditions, a fair wage and many other benefits.
Ethical Gifts for Kids: Sustainable Shoes
How about some ethical trainers from Veja? These gold ones are so gorgeous aren’t they? They’re made with sustainable materials that last – these cute kicks are sure to become hand me downs!
Or what about these fab sustainable childrens trainers? They’re from ones on the left are made from recycled plastic bottles (and come in several colours). The ones on the right are made from chrome-free leather, and come in red and pink too. They’re made by Dubs, and go up to a size 1 (EU33).
Ethical Gifts for Kids: Books For A Better Future
I think books make brilliant gifts, and at the moment, my girls agree. These books will help raise awareness of environmental issues, encourage them to get fresh air and exercise, and educate them about great women from history. Of course you can always buy them second hand, for extra ethical points!
For budding environmentalists, ’23 Ways to be an Eco Hero’ by Isabel Thomas’ (ยฃ11.31) is a full of step-by-step projects for crafty kids eager to reuse, recycle, and do their bit for the environment. Some projects require help from grown ups, and activities are broken down into easy steps.
If you family are National Trust members, your under twelves will love ’50 Things To Do Before You’re 11 3/4′ย (RRP ยฃ7.99). Thisย book‘s full of ideas to help children discover the great outdoors and get closer to nature. They’re all chosen by kids.ย
I’m very keen on encouraging my girls to rebel against societal stereotypes. Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls definitely helps. As well as being a beautiful book, it is the perfect way to inspire girls and boys. It’s beautifully illustrated by female artists from around the world. This gorgeous giftable book introduces 100 remarkable women and their extraordinary lives, including Ada Lovelace, Malala, Amelia Earhart and Michelle Obama.
Kate Pankhurst’s wonderful book ‘Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World’ (RRP ยฃ6.99) is also both beautiful and educational. It includes Jane Austen, Gertrude Ederle, Coco Chanel, Frida Kahlo, Marie Curie, Mary Anning, Mary Seacole, Amelia Earhart, Agent Fifi, Sacagawea, Emmeline Pankhurst, Rosa Parks, and Anne Frank.
Ethical Gifts for Kids: Encourage Creativity, Recycling and Reusing
If children are taught to recycle and reuse things at a young age, I think it will stay with them. Giving them fun ways to do it makes it even more likely to make an impact.
I spotted this fantastic kid-friendly cardboard toolkit on UncommonGoods, (gifted). Although this saw, screwdriver and screw set is made of plastic, it does encourage kids’ creativity and ingenuity. It also helps them recycle other materials into something new, and they are also reusable forever!
Have you discovered Sugru yet? Sugru is an amazing mouldable glue for fixing and making, and comes in individual sachets so you don’t waste it. This pack is ยฃ12.99 for eight sachets (gifted) and I got the family-safe, skin-friendly version. It’s suitable for kids over eight, unsupervised. Ava, who’s nearly seven, has used it to mend her watch strap, with me giving her a hand.
Sugru say it’s “the only mouldable glue on the planet that sticks to almost anything – including wood, ceramics, metal, glass, plaster, stone, most plastics and some fabrics. Mould it like play-dough, and you and your mini makers have up to 45 minutes to fix, make, decorate, customise and personalise.ย In 24 hours, it cures into a strong and durable, flexible rubber that stays stuck.
Sugruโs advanced silicone technology is waterproof, heat- and cold-resistant, dishwasher-safe, saltwater-proof, UV stable, electrically insulating (up to 24 volts), shock-absorbent, wipe-clean and holds up to 2kg. Itโs also removable – just in case your budding builder changes their mind.”
For the mini artists in your life, how about clothing or mats they can colour in, wash and colour in again?
Ethical Gifts for A Baby
For the littlest members of your family, how about a fair trade cotton rattle? I love this unisex camper van rattle by Pebble at Born Gifted, ethically produced in Bangladesh (ยฃ13.99, gifted). I was expecting it to be much smaller, so was pleasantly surprised to receive it as it’s a really substantial size (20cm x 15cm) with a gentle chiming rattle inside. It’s suitable from birth, machine washable, and so unusual.
Or how about beautiful teething jewellery and teethers? Made from BPA free, non-toxic silicone, which are ethical and vegan friendly, BPA freeย and containย no lead, latex, PVC or phthalates. They can be washed and re-used so last for years.
Ethical Gifts for Tweens and Teens
If the child you’re buying for is into make-up, you might like to buy them some chemical-free make-up or skincare. I’ve tried these ethical goodies myself, and think they would all be suitable for older children.
Clockwise from top left:
Pacifica Devocean Natural Lipstick (12.99, gifted) packs a real colour punch yet is gentle and 100% vegan. It’s formulated without: animal ingredients (including carmine, beeswax and lanolin), animal testing, FD&C colors, mineral oil, parabens, phthalates, petroleum, porpylene glycol, SLS, gluten, peanut oil and other ingredients you don’t want on your skin. Read my full review here.
Pacifica Alight Multi-Mineral BB Cream (ยฃ16.99, gifted) is light and moisturising, but doesn’t clog pores. It also primes, illuminates, and perfects, leaving a sheer bare skin finish. Read more about this BB cream on my review here.
Laidbare DIY! Two In One Cleanser & Toner is a gently foaming face wash that cleans without stripping. I think it is particularly suitable for oiler skin types as it hasย liquorice and aloe vera extracts which have anti-bacterial properties to reduce inflammation.
Skin & Tonic Lemon Lip Balm is 100% natural and 100% organic. Perfect for anyone who doesn’t want to eat chemicals!
Pacifica Roll-On Perfume (ยฃ12, gifted) is available in seven fragrances (Indian Coconut Nectar is shown here but I also have Waikiki Pikake) They are perfect for holidays and handbags, and contain only natural grain alcohol as well as being free rom phthalates, nitro-musks, benzene, and other things you don’t want. Read more in my full review here.
Hurraw Lip Balmย (ยฃ4.99, gifted) comes in no less than 22 different flavours. They are allย natural, vegan, and made from premium raw, organic and fair trade ingredients.
Little Ondine Nail Polish is a the toxin-free way to paint nails. Though I personally found it only lasts for a day before peeling off, that makes it perfect for kids! It’sย free from formaldehyde, toluene, DBP, formaldehyde resin, camphor, xylene, ethyl tosylamide, parabens and acetone, and is made ofย water, mineral pigments and resin. Because it peels off, there’s no need for removers, and it doesn’t have that unpleasant nail varnish smell.ย It comes in LOADS of pretty colours, including some with a shimmery finish.
Don’t forget to check out my other ethical gift guides!
If you’re looking for ethical gifts for women, I have a guide full of goodies here.
Or looking for ethical gifts for men? Check out my guide here.
And finally, my ethical beauty gift guide can be found here!
I hope you found my guide to ethical gifts for kids useful, why not Pin it for later?
