The plastic fantastic era is done and dusted. Now we understand how polluting plastic is, there’s been a global shift towards earth-friendly alternatives that do the job just as well. Going plastic-free also means protecting your kids from nasty toxins and chemicals, like BPA and phthalates. So, to celebrate Earth Day, we’ve picked our top five eco materials that really are fantastic.

1. BRILLIANT BAMBOO

eco rascals lifestyle

The fab thing about bamboo is that it grows so easily and with so little water - plus, once it's seen better days, it can be buried in the ground. Small wonder it's now being used left, right and centre for clothes, toys, tablewear - you name it. eco rascals makes beautiful creative dinnerware sets from bamboo, in loads of inspiring animal shapes your kid will love. A new brand to KIDLY is Wild & Stone - they're bringing beautiful pastel-coloured bamboo toothbrushes to a bathroom near you. The bristles are still plastic, but when the toothbrush needs replacing, you can break off and bin just the head and bury the handle in your garden.

2. FIRST-RATE RUBBER

Hevea wants to leave its fingerprints on the world - in a good way. By using natural rubber for their soothers, dummies and bathmats, rather than synthetic (which is made from oil), they cut back on fossil fuel use and promote sustainable forestry. They also offer an upcycling service, reducing waste and cleverly turning the rubber they use into brand new products.

Sophie la girafe

Sophie la girafe is a classic rubber teether who's nearly 60 years old!

Sophie la giraffe, Oli & Carol and Natruba also make cute and characterful teethers and bath toys from natural rubber, in a wide and wonderful range of shapes and animals. You'll definitely find something for your little one to get their teeth into.

3. STYLISH STAINLESS STEEL

Little girl drinking from One Green Bottle Calssic Tough Canteen Bottle

One Green Bottle's Classic Tough Canteen Bottle is all you need to last your kid years and years.

Stainless steel is making a well-deserved comeback. It's durable, recyclable, super hygienic and nowadays used in loads of different fun and eye-catching styles of drinking bottle by lots of brands we love. One Green Bottle, Liewood and Blafre are great ones to check out for bottles that'll become indispensible: look our for cool lunch boxes and snack tins in stainless steel too.

4. SUPER SILICONE

We Might Be Tiny Stickie Bowl

Hardy, flexible and derived from the earth, rather than from petroleum, silicone is a great material to opt for when it comes to kids' stuff. Hailing from Melbourne, the husband and wife team behind We Might Be Tiny designs fab-looking but fully functional kids’ products that fit into modern lifestyles. Their cute silicone lidded bowls, snack boxes and bibs withstand the mess and knocks of family life and can be popped in the dishwasher.

5. WONDERFUL WOOD

Wood lasts, looks beautiful and brings character and uniqueness to every play piece. Brands like Grimm's and Grapat make amazing wooden play sets consisting of tactile pieces that encourage creative and divergent thinking. The different types of blocks and tubes can be used for building, small world play, pretend telescopes, trees, buildings, cars …the possibilities are endless.

Grapat's wooden toys being palyed with by mum & child

Your child will enjoy a Grapat wooden play set for years - literally.

Choosing to swap out a little or lots of plastic in your daily life helps build a more sustainable world for our children. If this guide's inspired you to make some changes, our Plastic-free Swaps collection has more curated goodies that we're sure you’ll love. And remember, if you need any more guidance, our Live Chat Team are always here to help, 7am-11pm, every day. Just hit that purple button, bottom right.