When I was pregnant with my daughter Rosie, I got my first box of hand-me-downs from a friend (shout out to Rachel I!). We hadn't even seen each other in ages — she lived in another city — but we re-bonded over our babies, and she went out of her way to send me a ton of awesome clothes and even a bassinet. This interaction set the tone for how I'd approach dressing my kids for years to come.
Over the next few years I became a mildly obsessed kids-clothing-bargain-finder. Have you seen the prices of new kids clothes? Have you seen how fast they either ruin something with one good outdoor play session, or simply grow out of it? I was keeping eyes on all the apps for hot deals — but it was exhausting. Conversations abandoned when I realised I couldn't commit to a pickup. Scrambling for cash I never carry. Getting overstimulated trying to input an e-transfer and sending it to the wrong email. Trying to sell my own things and getting ghosted, lowballed, or just... nothing.
Fortunately I had great friends to keep the clothing karma going. My former boss still sends boxes of hand-me-downs for Rosie. I give almost everything Rosie outgrows to my neighbour — and once she grows out of them, I get them back and pass them on to another friend. I raid my nephew's closet for gear for my son Jordie. I am basically a one-woman operation trying to make kids' clothing and gear more cyclical.
This is all to say: I wanted to build a better system. I've been to the second hand shops plenty of times only to either be offered $1.17 for 40 pieces of kids clothing, or have awesome pieces rejected due to tiny imperfections. We all know these clothes are still totally wearable (and honestly, they reduce my anxiety because I don't care if my kids continue to destroy them). But they won't sell on Marketplace either. You can donate them, but there's no guarantee they won't end up in landfill anyway — and it's still effort on your part with no real connection at the end of it.
Direct, person-to-person giving is different. I've had so many genuine connections through giving and receiving kids' things — the kind where you end up chatting on the porch for twenty minutes and exchanging numbers. It makes parenting a little easier. It makes your community feel real. And it keeps good stuff out of the bin.
Getting a bag of hand-me-downs is so joyful! Finding a piece that becomes your kid's absolute favourite — the dress they refuse to take off, the hoodie that somehow captures their whole personality. Clothing is how little kids start to express who they are, and it doesn't have to cost a fortune (or anything) for that to happen.
GiveItAway is built for exactly that. No price tags. No negotiations. No awkward lowball offers. Just neighbours passing things on to people who'll actually use them — and maybe making a friend along the way.