A guide for parents
What to do with baby clothes when you've finished having children
It's a completely different job from clearing out one size, and nobody tells you that. Here's how to do it without wishing you hadn't.
Clearing out one size is a job. Clearing out all of them is something else entirely, and if you've been putting it off for two years then honestly, so has everyone.
Two things make it harder than it sounds. There's an awful lot of it, eleven sizes rather than one. And some of it stopped being clothing a while ago.
When to start clearing out
The thing people regret most is not keeping enough. The second is doing the whole lot in one afternoon, six weeks after deciding, and realising it was too soon.
There's genuinely no rush. They're not going anywhere. Do it in stages if that's easier, and don't be surprised if the first size is the hardest and the rest go quickly after that.
What baby clothes to keep for memories
Fewer than you'll want to, and this is the bit to be firm with yourself about. A box of forty sleepsuits isn't a memory, it's a box in the loft. Six things you'd actually recognise, that's a memory.
| What to keep | Why |
|---|---|
| The coming-home outfit | Almost everyone names this one first |
| One newborn sleepsuit | For the size of it, which you forget |
| Anything handmade or handed down | Not replaceable, and not really clothing |
| The one thing they lived in | Every child has one and you know which |
| Something from a specific day | A christening, a first birthday, a holiday |
That's around six items, which fits in a box you would actually keep somewhere you would look at it. Forty doesn't, which is how it ends up in the loft instead.
The photograph trick
If something is hard to part with but you know you won't keep it, photograph it before it goes. It sounds slight and it works. Most of the attachment is to the memory rather than to the fabric, and a picture holds that just as well as a drawer does.
What to do with everything else
You now have a large amount of clothing in good condition and no particular use for it. The full picture on where each option leads is in our guide to outgrown clothes, but the shape changes when the volume is this big.
Selling it's a bigger job than it sounds. Eleven sizes photographed, listed and posted individually isn't a weekend. If you're going to sell, sell in bundles by size and accept a lower price for a much shorter job.
Charity shops will take it, and it supports the charity. Most donated clothing gets baled up and sold on rather than put out in the shop, and a big chunk of it leaves the country. That's fine if clearing space is the aim. It's not the same as a specific child wearing them.
Anything worn out goes to textile recycling, not into a charity bag. Damaged items cost charities money to dispose of.
And if you know someone expecting, ask before doing anything else. Someone at the start of this is often quietly relieved to be offered a bag, and it's the outcome that wastes nothing.
Take your time with this one. There is no rush at all, and doing it in stages is so much easier than one big afternoon.
🌱 Or pass it on through us
You don't have to want anything back. You can list what you've finished with, and it goes to families who need those sizes now. Everything is checked and graded first, so the family receiving it knows exactly what's arriving.
You'll earn credits, and nothing says you've to spend them. Plenty of people are done with the baby stage and simply want the clothes to be used, which is the whole point of the thing.
We're opening in small batches and it's invitation only for now.
If you are not sure you are finished
Then keep the practical basics of one or two sizes and let the rest go. Sleepsuits, vests, plain things in neutral colours, in the sizes a newborn actually needs.
Storing everything for a maybe is how lofts fill up, and clothes stored for four years often come out yellowed or musty anyway. Storing a little is sensible. Storing all of it's usually a decision deferred rather than a decision made.
Common questions
What baby clothes should I keep for memories?
Around six items rather than a boxful. The coming-home outfit, one newborn sleepsuit for the size of it, anything handmade or handed down, the one thing they lived in, and something from a specific occasion. A small box gets kept and looked at. A large one goes in the loft.
When should I get rid of baby clothes?
There is no rush, and doing it too early is the more common regret. Most people find it easier in stages, starting with the sizes furthest from the present. If you are unsure whether you are finished having children, keep the practical basics of one or two sizes and let the rest go.
What is the best thing to do with baby clothes you no longer need?
If you know someone expecting, ask them first, since nothing is wasted that way. Otherwise the options are selling in bundles by size, donating to a charity shop, or passing them on through a clothes swap. Anything genuinely worn out should go to textile recycling rather than into a charity bag.
Is it worth selling a whole wardrobe of baby clothes?
Only in bundles. Listing eleven sizes individually is a very large job for a modest return, and most people give up partway. Selling by size in bundles takes a fraction of the time for a lower total, which is usually the better trade.
Can I give away baby clothes without wanting anything in return?
Yes. Charity shops, local groups, and clothes swaps all accept clothes with no obligation to take anything back. On Swapaboo you earn credits for what you list, but nothing requires you to spend them, so you can simply pass things on to families who need those sizes.