To Donate or Not to Donate?

Tips on donating the clothes your little one no longer needs!

Baby clothes. SO. MANY. BABY CLOTHES. Of course, that’s everyone’s favorite gift to get any expecting parents. They’re just so darn cute! You start out thinking, oh my gosh, I’m so unprepared for this little human about to enter the world. Before you know it, in the months leading up to the birth, you’ve got drawers and closets full of little tiny outfits.

Which is great, right?

Until the baby phase is over, your little one is running around and destroying the home (in the cutest way, of course…) and you’ve got an abundance of clothes that seemed to only have been worn once before your little one grew right out of them. If you’re expecting more children, then this is awesome! Store them away for a future baby. And say you happen to have the same gender baby and can reuse them all, then you’re really saving yourself (and your friends and family) quite a bit of money on baby clothes.

However, if you have a different gender baby, or decide to have no more babies, you’ve got a problem on your hands. You’ll need to make room for clothing that now fits your older child and get rid of the piles of tiny onesies and accessories. Most of them are practically new – some even still have tags on them! It seems like such a shame to just let them sit there, unused, along with all the space they’re taking up that could be used for more prevalent needs. So, while you’re sorting through all your maternity clothes you no longer need, take the step to go through the baby clothes you’re ready to part with as well.

Once you’ve washed everything that’s able to be saved from spit up and whatever other disasters may have happened in the adorable ‘fits, organize them by size/age. Like your maternity-wear, try getting rid of anything you no longer need for baby by asking family and friends if they need any baby clothes and specify the age ranges that you have available. New mom’s LOVE hand-me-downs; one less thing to worry about, and who doesn’t love free stuff!?

You can also post in local Facebook groups and marketplaces to see if anyone is interested in taking them off your hands. You can give them away for free or score some extra cash in the process. Local ‘mommy swaps’ are a useful tool when dealing with overflowing items. Look up local swaps in your area to get started!

If you’re in the market for a good deed, you can go the route of clothing donation and give to local orphanages and shelters, where they are happy to accept your hand-me-downs! You can also take the items to Once Upon A Child and similar stores that accept gently used items like children’s clothing and toys. Where you can donate depends on what’s available in your area and what kinds of organizations are in need. Do a quick Google search of donation centers near you and find where you can make the most difference in your community while also freeing up some space in your home!

Garage/yard sales are also a great way to clear out unwanted items in the home and provides a perfect opportunity to try and get rid of some of your old baby clothing and items as well.

When it comes to donating or selling, an obvious starting point is to wash everything. As a common courtesy, make sure all items are freshly cleaned and the way you’d want them to be if you were purchasing them. If you’re not sure if an item is okay to donate or not, you can check with the specific charity. Items like car seats, baby bottles, unused diapers and wipes, formula, pacifiers, etc. have different rules depending on where you’re looking to take them, so make sure you either call or check the company’s website before proceeding.

As a general rule, if you look at your item and think, I wouldn’t want to use that, ew! Then it’s probably a good idea to toss or recycle it if possible. If you determine the item is in clean, good condition, do a thorough wash and sanitation of all products before putting them up/out for sale or before donating them to accepting locations. Choosing the recycling route? Here’s a helpful list of baby items you can recycle instead of putting in the trash.

You can find wish lists for some organizations to see what exactly they are short on and if you have any extra lying around, why not give it to someone who truly needs it?

Now that you have all this open space for storing new items, keep your kids’ room clutter-free and under control with some mDesign storage cubes!

Cube furniture is all the rage right now, and rightfully so! It’s so cute and functional, especially for a child’s room. Girl, boy, or neutral, the front view window on these cubes allows you to see the contents without pulling them out of their shelves! More versatile color tones such as cream and blush are available too so they can be used through any stage in your child’s life. Cubes also come in different sizes for smaller furniture pieces and some even to fit inside dresser drawers.

Stock up with new, age-appropriate clothing and toys and keep the cycle going as they grow and grow!

Shaylee Dillen is a SEO Content Writer at mDesign
and considers herself a caffeine and cosmetics fanatic!

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