LilSugar

Turn In Your Used Baby Items For Some Cash

LilSugar — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:10:00 -0700

Call it cash for baby clunkers. Like the federal government's program designed to remove gas guzzlers from the road, Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us are launching a program to draw attention to the number of baby products that should not be handed down or resold to a new generation of lil ones.

Beginning Friday, the stores will launch the Great Trade-In, allowing parents to bring in used cribs, car seats, bassinets, strollers, travel systems, play yards and high chairs in exchange for a 20% savings on the purchase of any new baby item by certain manufacturers – including Britax, Chicco, Evenflo and Graco. The three-week program hopes to target the 70 percent of recalled products that are never returned to stores. Before rifling through your used baby items, be sure to check out our tips regarding hand-me-downs to see if an item can be used again.

Website lil Loves: Googooswap.com

LilSugar — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 05:00:12 -0700

A baby changes everything - even your bank balance! While some mamas have family and friends to hand down used baby items, others are looking for a place to unload their goods and possibly pick up a few bucks while they are at it.

Like other online classified sites, Googooswap allows mothers to post ads for the stuff their babes have outgrown or never really took to in the first place. Unlike Craigslist and Freecycle, which also feature ads for used goods, the site only allows baby and maternity products, helping moms reduce the amount of time they spend searching for the products they need. Currently the site is focused on the Southern California region, but it is expanding its reach on a daily basis.

What Do You Do With Your Old Goodies?

babysugar — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:00:38 -0700

There's no denying that a wee one brings a lot of baggage to a parent's life. And by baggage, I mean boxes of clothes that children outgrow at record pace. Moms hoping for large families usually pack the stuff up and store them for future use. Others wash, fold, and hand them off to other expectant family members or friends to use for their tots. Philanthropic mamas donate the tiny wares to Goodwill or other outlets. Still some make a few bucks back by selling their goods through mother's groups, eBay, or Craigslist. What do you do with your child's wardrobe items when they have outgrown them?

Tell Mommy: What Will You Keep Forever?

LilSugar — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 04:00:00 -0800

Children grow quickly and you are inevitably faced with the decision of incorporating hand-me-downs from friends and family (or second hand stores) into their wardrobe, or strictly buying off the rack. In fact, 70 percent of lilsugar readers say they mix new and used duds.

One of my biggest challenges is knowing when to say no (as in, those clothes you are trying to give me are beautiful, but my children have plenty, believe me!), when to let go and what items I want to stow away as keepsakes. I generally hang on to heirloom gifts and handmade items, big ticket item toys, classic outfits, sentimental items and books. What clothes, gifts, toys and items do you plan on holding on to until they fall apart?

Would You Take a Hand–Me–Down Crib?

babysugar — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:00:46 -0700

A friend of mine graciously offered to give me the crib that she used for all four of her children. Mostly due to safety issues, I declined her generous proposal and bought a new one. Consider these points before you pick up a secondhand crib:

Many older cribs have not been built to current safety standards; the width between the slats may be too wide, posing a choking hazard.
If you didn't assemble it, you can't be sure it was put together properly.
Check for splinters, peeling paint, and worn out bed railings or broken slats.
Be wary of dislodged mattress supports.

To see the rest of the list, read more.

Avoid higher corner posts than the end panels, as children can hang themselves on these pillars.
Find out if there have been any recalls on the crib.

Did you, or would you, consider using a hand-me-down crib for your child?
Source

What to Stow and What to Throw

LilSugar — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 05:00:00 -0700

It's so hard to part with your baby's first blanket, the bonnet they wore home from the hospital or their first pair of shoes, but it's even tougher to live with bags of their keepsakes stored in every nook and cranny of your place. As the mother of two, I don't have trouble tossing things into a giveaway bag. It keeps me sane and allows the goods to keep on giving. For those of you who feel the urge to keep every washcloth, burper and pair of ballet slippers, here are a few purging tips that help me choose what to lose.

Stow heirloom gifts and handmade items. Things that people took the time to make should be cherished.
Stow short term items that you will need for another baby - receiving blankets, onesies, snapsuits.
Stow big ticket item toys like your swing, papasan chair, baby carrier and jumper.
Stow timeless, classic outfits that can be worn by siblings and/or future generations.
Stow a handful of sentimental items - the stuffed animal your child slept with, the first barrette that held her hair, the lil suit from his first photoshoot.
Stow books - kids love to read the same stories over and over.

To see what to throw, read more.

Throw trendy clothing
Throw child specific clothing. If your daughter loved all things ladybugs, it doesn't mean your next lil girl will.
Throw multiples - if you have three identical toy boats, share the wealth with those in need.
Throw battery operated and talking toys that sporadically turn on while in storage.
Throw bedding if you plan on buying a different motif for each baby.

Source

Off the Rack or Out of Someone's Closet?

LilSugar — Sun, 25 May 2008 04:00:00 -0700

Sarah Jessica Parker's son James Wilkie may have a hand-me-down wardrobe, but it didn't seem to bother most lilsugar readers. Seventy-six percent of you said it didn't matter that the cutie pie wears second hand threads while mommy wears designer duds. So that left us wondering, how you outfit your child.

Do your kids get most of their clothes off the rack or out of someone else's closet?

Source

Sporting Couture While Your Kid Wears Hand-Me-Downs?

LilSugar — Tue, 13 May 2008 13:32:55 -0700

Rags to riches to rags? Sex and the City's haute mama Sarah Jessica Parker grew up poor. And though the actress and her husband Matthew Broderick are well off, they don't want their son James Wilkie to take his lifestyle for granted.

When a Parade reporter recently commented that the 5-year-old wouldn't have to wear hand-me-downs, Parker said her son's wardrobe was quite the contrary. She said:

“Oh, no. He only wears hand-me-downs because I’ve got all these older nephews,” Parker insists. “That’s the God’s honest truth. Plus, my mother saved all my brothers’ clothes. I am not kidding. I don’t think I’ve ever bought him any clothes. Maybe a new winter coat. I do buy him shoes, because everybody’s feet are different.”

Would you be comfortable wearing designer duds while your lil darlings were in previously worn?

Bauer-Griffin

Star Parents Are Selling Their Kids' Hand-Me-Downs

LilSugar — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:00:14 -0700

One haute new mama or pop will cruise around with Matt Damon's old diaper bag because the Sugardaddy is donating it to charity.

A piece in Us Weekly reports:

The stars are teaming up for the Johnson's Celebrity Hand Me Down Auction, which benefits the March of Dimes, Save the Children, Zero to Three and Baby Buggy, among other charities.

Other items up for bidding are Julianne Moore's daughter's highchair and Mariska Hargitay's son's tracksuit.

To see when the auction begins, read more.

The auction runs from April 29 to May 9.

Which kid-friendly celeb item would have you emptying your pockets?

Source

Mommy Dearest: Hand-Me-Downs

LilSugar — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 09:00:50 -0700

Mommy Dearest,

A friend of mine is pregnant and asked me for my son's hand-me-downs. I only have one child and plan on having more.

I am willing to lend her some of his outfits, toys and blankets, but I want them returned in the same condition to use again in the future. What's the appropriate way to respond?

- Conditional Lender

To read the response from Mommy Dearest, read more.

Conditional Lender,

Simply tell your friend your expectations. However as a mother, I am sure you understand that babies are unpredictable and even the tidiest of tots cannot insure that inevitable stains won't set. You have no obligation to hand over your goods, but if you do be realistic about them coming back in the same condition.

- Mommy Dearest

Submit a question for this feature at the Mommy Dearest Group on TeamSugar.
Source