Watching your child grow quickly can feel bittersweet.
On one hand, it’s thrilling to see them grow healthy, happy, and strong. But it’s also astonishing to see how time flies.
It’s also frustrating to be left with a pile of used baby clothes that you don’t know what to do with.
Your babies’ comfort can’t be sacrificed, but watching nice clothes collect dust is never pleasant.
However, there are plenty of ways you can repurpose baby clothes after your child has outgrown them. Using them will give you the satisfaction of knowing they’re being put to good use.
So keep reading to learn about four great things you can do with used baby clothes. Then, you’ll have a few ideas for your next step after realizing that your baby’s growing fast!
1. Keep their Most Used Clothes
Kids grow up so fast. So when it’s time for them to step into jammies of a new size, it can be tempting to get very sentimental when it comes to their old clothes.
Though it’s not viable for parents to keep all of their babies’ wardrobes from infancy, you can be selective when it comes to fabric-laden momentos. Just as some people keep their wedding dress or tuxedo to remember their special day, it’s valid to store away a few pieces of their most-used clothing. This way, you have something tangible from this precious moment of their life to refer back to when you’re feeling nostalgic.
Keep baby clothes in a dry, dark place when storing them. You’ll also want to wash them before storing them for the long haul, especially if they’re made of natural fibers. Clothing made of natural fibers won’t decompose so easily, but humidity and mold will shorten its lifespan even further.
You might also want to keep other memorabilia that was in your baby’s possession besides clothing. Those items, including pacifiers and toys, should be well-sanitized and washed before storing away. This way, every item you store has a great chance of longevity.
2. Give Them Away
Gently used baby clothes might look pretty much brand new by the time your baby has outgrown them. It can seem very wasteful to waste the maximum of its wear potential. In that case, it’s a good idea to give away your used baby clothes.
Giving them away to a friend on a tight budget can give you great peace of mind. But you can even donate them to stores that accept used clothing. Better yet, you can donate to organizations that distribute resources to people in need.
Either way, make sure that the clothes you donate don’t show excessive signs of wear. They should also be free of stains.
Organizations such as Pickup Please that donate to American veterans’ families in need are great options. Or you can donate to the American Red Cross, an organization that will distribute baby clothes to families experiencing the fallout of various disasters.
But you can even go local with your altruism. There are plenty of babies and children in homeless shelters. You could even visit the soup kitchen, where there are bound to be people in need who have babies needing new clothes.
3. Use Them to Wash
No matter what, floors need to be washed and kitchen counters need to be wiped. Instead of buying new rags that will eat away at your funds from getting soiled too easily and disposed of, reuse old baby clothes as sanitation materials.
Even if you plan on giving away most of your baby’s clothing, you can be selective when choosing which pieces are going to be used for your chores. Clothes with stains that won’t wash out and are otherwise just unfit to give away will make great candidates for this purpose.
This way, you can save quite a bit of money, at least for your household chores expenses. Once again, babies also outgrow their clothing very quickly, leaving you with a steady stream of reusable clothing that you can use for your chores. You can even couple this supply with clothes of your own that you can’t give away to maximize savings even further.
4. Sell Them
Whether or not you’re keeping some of your baby’s clothes, it’s also a good idea to sell used baby clothes that don’t have a place in your home anymore. For pricier clothing items, this is an especially great option.
This option can even give you a jumpstart in buying other baby clothes for your child. Resources for your baby can rack up in cost in the long run, so this idea might appeal to you, especially if you’ve got a stricter budget.
If you’re short on time and you can’t clear your schedule to commute, then you can sell used baby clothes online. Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and even eBay offer great platforms to do just that.
But again, you should make sure that the clothes you sell are in good condition. Clothes should be free of stains and shouldn’t show excessive signs of wear. After that, you stand to get back a good fraction of the fund you originally spent the clothes on.
Great Ways to Repurpose Used Baby Clothes
Sometimes, it seems like kids grow a couple of inches overnight. Seeing this phenomenon is bittersweet, and part of this feeling is because of the clothes they leave behind. But with a few strategies, you can ensure that these clothes get used as much as possible.
This guide should have explained how you can repurpose used baby clothes. If it did, then check out the rest of our blog! We’ve got plenty of other information on how to be a conscientious parent.