How do I Get Kids' Free Clothes & Other Items?

Free kids' clothes and items can be found in a variety of ways.

Often, parents feel overwhelmed and anxious when taking their kids shopping for new clothes and other items. Whether your family is large or small, it can be costly to clothe and provide for children. If you and your family have been hit by hard economic times or you are just looking to save money by finding free clothing and other items for your children, there are several places and organizations that can help.

Instructions

1. Contact family members and friends who have kids who are the same size as yours or larger. Hand-me-downs from relatives and friends are the first place to check. You can shop each other's closets every weekend and swap clothes back and forth to keep your children in a variety of clothes.

2. Contact religious and charitable organizations in your area and community through the phone book or online, and ask for a list of organizations that provide free clothing and items for children. If churches in your community know of a need, they will typically call upon church members for donations.

3. Check some of the online sites that offer free clothing for kids, such as Handmedowns.com, or online classified websites that offer free items, such as Craigslist.org, Freecyle.org and Freesharing.org. If there are no free clothes for children or other items you may need, post a want ad on the sites and list the needed items, gender and sizes.

4. Drive to garage and yard sales late in the afternoon and see if the sellers are willing to give away some of their kids' clothing and other items. Many times after garage and yard sales are over, sellers throw out or donate their leftover items. You can save these sellers the time and energy by taking these items off their hands.

5. Start a community outreach group and gather together members of your community to swap clothes and other items. Most people love the idea of not having to spend money, and it is a great opportunity to meet and greet your neighbors. You can print up flyers and signs to notify residents of the big swap. Check with local businesses to see if you can leave your flyers for customers to pick up and post signs around the area. If it is a success, you may wish to have a swap once a month.

References

• Hand-Me-Downs: Free Girls Clothing
• Freecycle

Resources

• Clothes To Kids
• University of California, Riverside: Here to Help