Every new mom gets to a point when she starts thinking about buying baby clothes. But what if you need free baby clothes?
Some moms want to find free baby clothes to save money or save the environment. Some moms NEED free baby clothes because they have a low income. Either way, it’s possible!
I’ve already written about how to score free diapers, the best baby registry freebies, and covered what to do if you’re pregnant and broke but I realized lots of people need to know specifically about clothes. So let’s get right to it!
Where to find hand me down baby clothes?
Next, you need to find the right audience for your request. Try one of the following online places where moms tend to hang out and ask for hand me down baby clothes there.
1. Peanut App
Peanut is like a mom friend dating app, with additional local groups. There are in-app purchases unrelated to finding free baby clothes, but you can download the app and join the groups for free. Try out the “free babies stuff” group, which currently has more than 30,000 moms swapping clothes and other baby items. You can also join any groups specific to your city or state and just ask the moms near you.
2. Nextdoor
If you haven’t heard of Nextdoor, it’s basically a hyperlocal app for your neighborhood. Making a post on Nextdoor ensures you’ll only get local responses.
I’ll be honest and say I haven’t had a lot of success with Nextdoor, but I live close to the middle of nowhere. I’m told it’s more active in urban areas (after all, its 33 million weekly users have to come from somewhere).
3. MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers)
You know who’s guaranteed to have baby clothes lying around? Moms with slightly older children!
MOPS is a global moms group with hundreds of chapters. If you go to their website and click “find a group,” you can get the contact info of a local mom in your area who’s connected to the group of other moms. Just send her an email based on one of the prompts above. As a bonus, you might make some new mom friends!
4. Buy Nothing
Buy Nothing is a global project to enable neighbors to help neighbors. You can search for “buy nothing [your town/neighborhood]” on Facebook groups, and join whatever’s most local to you. Then, you can either poke around for someone offering up their secondhand baby clothes or make a request for hand me downs.
I’ve received free double strollers, bassinets, nursing supplies, baby clothes and shoes, and much more from my local Buy Nothing group. Of all the suggestions, this is probably my favorite.
5. Facebook Marketplace
In addition to checking Buy Nothing groups on Facebook, you should also look through the marketplace. This might mean filtering down to “apparel, baby clothing” and setting the max price at $0. It also might mean finding local buy/sell/give groups, or local groups specifically created for trading among moms (my local group is called “Trucks and Tiaras,” for what that’s worth).
6. Craigslist
Ah, good ol’ Craigslist. I have noticed Craigslist isn’t as full of baby stuff compared to its heyday (as most moms are on Facebook now), but it’s worth a quick look. Be sure to check both the “free” section and the “baby+kid” section.
How to get second hand baby clothes
Mostly, you ask! I know, it can be awkward to ask for something like this. You don’t want anyone thinking you’re a freeloader, you’re too poor, or you’re a bad mom. Money conversations are already hard, and conversations about motherhood can be even worse.
If you’re not sure what to say when asking for free baby clothes, try either of these conversation starters. You can copy/paste these (making sure to change the part in bold) and post them on your social media or any of the other places I’ll talk about in a minute. Just don’t lie!
“Looking for [gender neutral/boy/girl] clothes, sizes [x-x]. Happy to pick them up from you, and plan on donating anything I can’t use to the [NICU, domestic violence shelter, Salvation Army, etc].”
This works for two reasons. One, because you’re actually providing a service in exchange for the free clothes. Many moms might want to get rid of their baby’s old clothes, but are too busy to drive.
Secondly, you’re not only offering to pick them up. You’re also showing you have a good heart and will donate the extras when you’re done with them.
“Trying to go zero-waste for this baby. Let me know if you have any clothes [sizes, gender, other specifics] you aren’t using anymore and I’ll happily reuse them!”
Some moms love the thought of saving the environment, and would be more than happy to hand some over to you to help prevent waste and adding to landfills.
Free Baby Clothes for Low Income Families
If you’re on a tight budget or currently down on your luck, there are a few more options available to you. Because it would be impossible to list every charity everywhere in the country, I’m giving you some tips to find local resources.
7. Cradles to Crayons
If you live in Boston, Philadelphia or Chicago, you can check out Cradles to Crayons. They’re a charity dedicated to fighting “clothing insecurity,” and they give out free clothes to children living in poverty.
8. Dial 211
Dial 211 on your phone, or searching for “211 [your location]” online. 211 is usually sponsored by the United Way charity, and will give you a whole rundown of options. I was shocked to find a half dozen baby clothing charities in my local area I drove by all the time and never knew about!
9. Churches
Many churches have clothing ministries to help people struggling to make ends meet. You might try searching for the terms “Catholic Charities,” “Gurdwara” (Sikh temple), “St. Vincent de Paul Society,” etc. In most cases, you don’t have to be a member of the religious community to receive the donated clothes, but you might get a pamphlet with a prayer or information about their services in your grab-bag.
10. Community closets / Thrift store vouchers
Community closets are charities run by volunteers. They might have limited hours, but everything is usually free.
Charity thrift stores are a little different. While they usually charge for the clothing (as the profits go back into helping more families), they sometimes offer voucher programs for people who need it. You might need to ask a manager if they participate, and might need to show a SNAP card or get a referral from a case worker.
I hope this helped you find a few new places to check for baby clothes! If you’d like more money-saving tips for moms delivered weekly to your inbox, you can sign up for my newsletter below.