A guide for parents
How to get baby clothes for free in the UK
Where to look, what you need to do to get help, and the service most parents have never heard of.
What's in here
- Where to get free baby clothes
- Baby banks
- Local parent groups
- Freecycle and Olio
- Family and friends
- Local swap groups
- Charity shops, which are not free
- When free is not quite enough
Babies grow through six sizes in their first year. That's a lot at the best of times, and when money's tight it comes round faster than you can plan for.
There's far more free help out there than most people know about, and some of it exists for exactly this.
Where to get free baby clothes
| Where | What you actually get | When | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baby banks | A week of clothes per child, plus essentials | Referral, then often a wait | Free |
| Local parent groups | Whatever someone happens to be passing on | When someone posts | Free, you collect |
| Freecycle and Olio | Whatever is being given away nearby | When it appears | Free, you collect |
| Family and friends | Whatever they kept | Whenever you ask | Free |
| Local swap groups | Whatever is going round the group | When it comes round | Free |
| Swapaboo | The size you need, chosen by you | Whenever you need it | Clothes free, from £1.99 to move them |
Charity shops aren't on this list because they're not free, though children's clothes are often a pound or two. Everything above costs nothing for the clothes themselves.
Look down the middle two columns. Everything free is whatever turns up, whenever it turns up, which is fine when it works and no help at all when your child has gone up a size and nothing has appeared.
Baby banks
If you take one thing from this page, make it this one. Most parents have never heard of them.
A baby bank is like a food bank, for babies. They collect donated clothes, nappies, bedding, cots, prams and toys, and give them to families who need them. There are more than 300 across the UK. Everything is free.
How to get help. Many baby banks take a referral from a midwife, health visitor, GP, social worker, support worker or children's centre. Others accept self-referral, where you contact them directly. Each one works slightly differently, so it's worth checking your local one.
Where to find yours. The Baby Bank Alliance keeps a map of baby banks across the UK. The Lullaby Trust links to it too.
What you can expect. Typically a week's worth of clothes per child, plus coats and shoes, and often equipment, bedding, nappies and toiletries. Most items are donated and checked; things like mattresses and bottle teats are usually supplied new.
The people who run them are volunteers, and the one thing every baby bank says is that they help without judgement. If you're finding it tough, that's what they're there for.
Ask, even if you are not sure you qualify
Criteria vary and plenty of people rule themselves out who would have been helped. A health visitor or midwife can tell you in one conversation, and asking costs nothing.
Local parent groups
The fastest free option in most places. Local Facebook groups are full of parents whose children have grown out of things, and the alternative for them is a trip to the tip.
Post asking rather than waiting for something to appear. "Does anyone have any 6-12 month boys' clothes they're passing on?" gets answers, and people are generally glad to have somewhere for them to go. Offer to collect.
Freecycle and Olio
Both are built for giving things away rather than selling them. Freecycle works by local groups where you can post a wanted as well as browse. Olio is app-based and hyper-local.
Children's clothes come up regularly on both, and bundles more often than single items.
Family and friends
Obvious, and worth doing properly rather than vaguely. People hang on to baby clothes because they can't face sorting them, not because they want them. A specific ask, with the size named, usually produces more than a general one.
Local swap groups
Some areas have WhatsApp or Facebook groups where parents pass clothes round as children grow. Free, local, and the best thing going where one exists.
They're invisible from outside, so ask at a baby group, a children's centre or a nursery whether there's one.
Charity shops, which are not free
Worth including even though they don't belong on the list, because children's clothes are often a pound or two and it's the fastest option of all. The full comparison of paid options is here. Shops in more affluent areas tend to have better stock. Some also work with local support services, so ask.
When free is not quite enough
Free is genuinely free, and if money is tight it should be the first place you look. But every free route has the same shape: you get what somebody happens to be giving away, at whatever moment they give it away.
Which is fine until your child goes up a size in March and the group has nothing, the baby bank has a four-week wait, and nobody on Freecycle is offering 2-3y.
Ask even if you think you might not qualify. So many people rule themselves out and they would have been helped.
🌱 What Swapaboo does differently
The clothes cost nothing here either. You photograph what your children have outgrown, we check and value each piece, and that value becomes credits you spend on the next size. Nothing is bought and nothing is sold.
What you pay for is moving them, from £1.99. Which is what a free bundle costs anyway once you've driven across town to collect it.
And it's there when you need it. Not when someone posts, not when the sale comes round, not after a referral. You choose the exact size and the exact pieces from the whole catalogue, on the day your child needs them.
You also know what you're getting. Every item is checked for holes, stains and heavy wear, graded, and the condition shown before you claim it. No pot luck on what's in the bag.
Two conditions, honestly. You need clothes going out as well as coming in, so it doesn't work if you've nothing to list yet. And we're opening in small batches, invitation only, so there may be a wait to join. If you need clothes this week, a baby bank is the faster answer.
Common questions
How can I get free baby clothes in the UK?
Baby banks are the main source and there are more than 300 across the UK, giving out donated clothes, nappies and equipment for free. Beyond that, local parent groups on Facebook, Freecycle, Olio, and asking family and friends directly all produce clothes at no cost.
What is a baby bank and how do I use one?
A baby bank is a community service, like a food bank but for babies, giving essential items to families who need them. Many take referrals from a midwife, health visitor, GP or support worker, and some accept self-referral. The Baby Bank Alliance keeps a map of baby banks across the UK.
Do you need a referral for a baby bank?
Often, but not always. Many baby banks accept a referral from a healthcare or support professional, while others let you contact them directly. Each works slightly differently, so it is best to check with your nearest one. Criteria vary, and it is worth asking even if you are unsure whether you qualify.
Where can I ask for free children's clothes?
Local parent groups on Facebook are the quickest route, and posting a specific ask with the size named works better than waiting for something to appear. Freecycle and Olio are both built for giving things away, and family and friends usually have more than they realise.