Baby Clothes
Dec. 22nd, 2004 09:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
velvetpageOkay, this is getting ridiculous.
In the last few months, I have received about five garbage bags full of used baby clothes. Some of it was from a lady at Curves whose granddaughter had outgrown them. I wondered at the time why the mother hadn't simply taken them to a local used kids' stuff shop and sold them. I figured out the reason pretty fast, and it had nothing to do with altruism: the fact is, most of that clothing was not in good enough shape to have been resold. I actually threw out some of it, and I hate doing that. I gave a whole pile of it to the Amity, either because it was already too small or because it didn't meet my minimal standards for play clothes. Many of these even had the tags cut out, leaving me unable to ascertain size without trying everything on my little clotheshorse daughter, and often leaving the clothes with holes where the tags used to be attached.
The second main source was from the LRT at my school, who has two daughters aged 5 and 3. These clothes were in much better shape, purely because they come from a household of non-smokers with similar standards to my own. Still, most had been through two kids before SHE got them, bringing the total up to four children so far. They are clean, unstained, not at all smelly, but quite worn.
The problem: Christmas starts tomorrow in our family. (It will not be over until Monday. Don't you just love extensive extended families?) She's getting two new outfits from me, at least two that I'm aware of from Piet's side of the family (aware of because I was asked for input on them; I love it when people do that) and probably a bunch more from other sources, since it was my mother's job to disseminate information about size and style to her side of the family. I would imagine she will come out of this Christmas with at least eight complete, new outfits. That's a conservative estimate.
So what the heck do I do with all this used stuff???
If anyone on my friends list knows of someone nearby who can use some of it (I'll pick the best stuff, and my standards are fairly high) please let me know and I'll arrange to get it to you or directly to them.
The alternatives are a) sell the best of it, which I don't want to do because it was given to me free to begin with, or b) donate it all to the Sally Ann or the Amity, which means some poor soul working for minimum wage gets to decide what to throw out and what to try to sell, or c) a combination of the above. Maybe I'll sell it to my local used shop, then donate the money I get to a food bank or something. That meshes better with their desire to give it away.
Meanwhile, I need to sort through it all and decide what is being kept for next summer/next baby.
In the last few months, I have received about five garbage bags full of used baby clothes. Some of it was from a lady at Curves whose granddaughter had outgrown them. I wondered at the time why the mother hadn't simply taken them to a local used kids' stuff shop and sold them. I figured out the reason pretty fast, and it had nothing to do with altruism: the fact is, most of that clothing was not in good enough shape to have been resold. I actually threw out some of it, and I hate doing that. I gave a whole pile of it to the Amity, either because it was already too small or because it didn't meet my minimal standards for play clothes. Many of these even had the tags cut out, leaving me unable to ascertain size without trying everything on my little clotheshorse daughter, and often leaving the clothes with holes where the tags used to be attached.
The second main source was from the LRT at my school, who has two daughters aged 5 and 3. These clothes were in much better shape, purely because they come from a household of non-smokers with similar standards to my own. Still, most had been through two kids before SHE got them, bringing the total up to four children so far. They are clean, unstained, not at all smelly, but quite worn.
The problem: Christmas starts tomorrow in our family. (It will not be over until Monday. Don't you just love extensive extended families?) She's getting two new outfits from me, at least two that I'm aware of from Piet's side of the family (aware of because I was asked for input on them; I love it when people do that) and probably a bunch more from other sources, since it was my mother's job to disseminate information about size and style to her side of the family. I would imagine she will come out of this Christmas with at least eight complete, new outfits. That's a conservative estimate.
So what the heck do I do with all this used stuff???
If anyone on my friends list knows of someone nearby who can use some of it (I'll pick the best stuff, and my standards are fairly high) please let me know and I'll arrange to get it to you or directly to them.
The alternatives are a) sell the best of it, which I don't want to do because it was given to me free to begin with, or b) donate it all to the Sally Ann or the Amity, which means some poor soul working for minimum wage gets to decide what to throw out and what to try to sell, or c) a combination of the above. Maybe I'll sell it to my local used shop, then donate the money I get to a food bank or something. That meshes better with their desire to give it away.
Meanwhile, I need to sort through it all and decide what is being kept for next summer/next baby.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2004-12-22 03:20 pm (UTC)However, a lot of charity shops will take anything at all -- what they can't sell often winds up going overseas to clothe third-world kids, or in some cases, be made into rugs or recycled as rags. It'll all find a home, no matter what shape it's in, it just might not be high enough grade to sell in shops here. So don't be afraid to donate it, it'll all get where it needs to be (and better that than it winding up in a landfill).
(no subject)
Date: 2004-12-22 05:38 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-12-22 07:59 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-12-22 04:52 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-12-22 05:37 pm (UTC)