How to Find Free Baby Items
Babies can be expensive when you consider diapers, formula and miscellaneous equipment that help a parent care for an infant while accomplishing all the other tasks of daily life. In the first year alone, a baby will go through 4 or 5 sizes of clothes, so finding baby items for free would definitely help the household budget. There are many places moms and dads can check out for free baby items.
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Instructions
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Sign up on manufacturer mailing lists for free products. Sign up at manufacturer websites. Companies that sell diapers and formula all have their own websites, and they typically have a place where parents can sign up to be on their mailing list. By doing so, parents will often receive free diaper samples, cans of formula, and coupons for significant amounts of money off of these products.
Baby Center offers a list of current free offers on their website in "Free Baby Stuff & Great Deals."
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Use the computer to find free baby items. Check local classifieds. In addition to the local newspaper, parents should check out Craigslist as a source for free baby items. Many parents whose children are outgrowing baby items would just like to get them out of the way and list them in the free category.
Freecycle is an organization of people who are consciously choosing to recycle items that are still useful by giving them away for free. Listings include everything from clothes to swings to baby bathtubs.
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Many communities have car seat giveaways. Call community-based organizations. Many organizations in the community offer baby items for free just for the asking. Sheriff departments all over the country hold car seat inspection stations and will often give car seats away for free in an effort to keep little ones safe in their community.
Many crisis pregnancy centers want to give a helping hand to mothers who have made the hard choice of having and raising a baby rather than terminating the pregnancy. Donations of baby clothing, diapers and supplies are freely given out at these centers.
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Check household garage sales for baby items. Check rummage and yard sales. After the above resources are exhausted, parents can still find free items at rummage sales. While sellers usually have price tags on baby items, parents can always leave their phone number with the host and ask them to call if the item is still available at the end of the sale and they would be willing to give it away. After a yard sale, most people just want to get rid of what is left and will happily give it away for free.
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Tips & Warnings
If in need of baby supplies, don't be afraid to put the word out to friends and family. Often someone knows of a family who is getting rid of outgrown clothes and equipment and will happily hand it down to someone who can use it.
When acquiring free baby items that have been used, check the Consumer Product Safety Commission's website under "Infant/Children Product Recalls" to ensure these items are safe to use and have not been recalled because of safety concerns.
References
- Photo Credit baby image by Diane Stamatelatos from Fotolia.com babywindeln image by Daniel Fuhr from Fotolia.com laptop image by Jorge Figueiredo from Fotolia.com Baby image by Yvonne Bogdanski from Fotolia.com red garage door image by green308 from Fotolia.com
