Maybe there's a bag of newborn sleepers in your trunk, a bin of 3–6 month onesies in the closet and a pile of 9-month pajamas on the dresser. You've already decided they're going. You just need the next step. This guide covers where to donate outgrown baby clothes so they reach a family who will use them. It includes eight national programs, a 3-step way to find local options, and the prep that keeps your bags out of the rag pile.

Not sure a size is really finished? Our guide on when to switch baby clothes sizes covers the fit signs to check first.

First, sort your pile by condition

In short: condition decides where things go. Programs that hand clothes directly to families are picky, and thrift stores are less so. Sort into five piles before you pick a place.

If another baby might come along, pull the like-new basics before anything leaves the house. Most families need fewer than they expect. Our breakdown of how many clothes a newborn actually needs can help you decide how much to hold back. Everything else can go.

8 national baby clothes donation organizations

In short: thrift charities are the easiest drop-off. Networks with local chapters are more likely to put clothes directly into a family's hands.

There's one tradeoff to know. Big thrift charities mostly sell donated clothes and use the money to fund their programs, so your bag helps people indirectly. Family shelters and baby closets give clothes away for free, but each chapter sets its own rules about what it accepts.

1. Goodwill

Each Goodwill is run by an independent local organization, so the rules vary a little by region. Clothing, including baby and kids' sizes, is a standard donation everywhere. Many locations have drive-up doors where staff unload the car for you, which helps when there's a sleeping baby in the back seat. Sales fund Goodwill's job training and employment programs.

2. The Salvation Army

Salvation Army family stores accept clothing at their donation doors. In many areas you can also schedule a pickup online, which helps with a big cleanout. Store sales largely fund the organization's adult rehabilitation programs.

3. Society of St. Vincent de Paul

St. Vincent de Paul thrift stores take clothing. Many of its local volunteer groups, called conferences, also give clothing or store vouchers directly to neighbors who need them. Store coverage varies by region, so check the finder to see what's near you.

4. Pickup Please (Vietnam Veterans of America)

Vietnam Veterans of America runs Pickup Please, a free curbside pickup service in many states. You schedule online, leave marked bags outside on pickup day, and a truck collects them. The proceeds support the organization's veterans programs. It's the easiest option when getting to a drop-off with a baby just isn't happening.

5. Catholic Charities

Catholic Charities is a network of local agencies, and many run programs for pregnant women, new parents and refugee families. Their services are open to people of any faith. Some agencies welcome gently used baby clothes, while others take only new items or prefer cash. Check your local agency's donation page or call before you go.

6. Family Promise

Family Promise affiliates help families with children who are experiencing homelessness get back into stable housing. Families may arrive with very little, so some affiliates keep a supply closet and welcome clean kids' clothes. Others post a wish list of specific new items instead. Find your nearest affiliate and read its list first.

7. National Diaper Bank Network

Diaper banks exist because diapers are expensive and can't be bought with SNAP or WIC benefits. Most focus on diapers and wipes rather than clothes. They're still worth a call for two reasons. The half-used pack of newborn diapers in your closet is exactly what they need, and many accept opened packs (ask first). Staff also tend to know which local groups run baby clothing closets.

8. Buy Nothing Project

The Buy Nothing Project connects neighbors through local gift groups on its app and on social media. You post a photo and a note like "Bundle of 6–9 month clothes, winter, about 20 pieces," and a nearby parent picks it up from your porch. It's the most direct route from your closet to a baby who will wear it. Where Buy Nothing groups are quiet, Freecycle (freecycle.org) works the same way.

Also worth checking: regional baby charities

Some large metro areas have nonprofits built entirely around children's clothing. Cradles to Crayons serves Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago, Room to Grow serves New York City and Boston, and Loved Twice serves the San Francisco Bay Area. Check each one's site for current donation guidelines before you go, since drop-off rules change. Elsewhere, search "baby clothes nonprofit" plus your city to find a local equivalent.

How to find places that take baby clothes near you

In short: search for the groups that give baby clothes away, then call before you drive.

If you type "donate baby clothes near me" into a map app, you'll mostly get thrift stores. That works fine for a mixed bag. If you want to reach families directly, use this three-step method.

Step 1: Search for who gives clothes out

Groups that hand out baby clothes are the ones that need yours, and they don't always call themselves donation centers. Try these searches with your city or county:

• "baby closet" or "clothing closet"
• "diaper bank"
• "family shelter donations"
• "foster closet" or "foster care donations"
• "refugee resettlement" (resettlement offices often furnish homes for families with young kids)
• "pregnancy support" or "new parent program"

You can also dial 2-1-1 or search 211.org. It's a free service that lists local help for families. Any agency on it that gives out clothing is a place that may take yours.

People who refer families to help often know who needs what. Ask your pediatrician's front desk, a hospital social worker, or your school district's family resource office. Domestic violence shelters keep their addresses private, so reach them through their main office or hotline and they'll tell you how to hand things off.

Step 2: Call or email with four questions

Small programs have limited storage and specific needs, and one message saves you a wasted trip. Ask:

1. Do you accept gently used clothes, or only new?
2. Which sizes and seasons do you need right now?
3. Is there anything you can't take, like shoes, sleep sacks or hats?
4. Where and when do you take drop-offs?

Here's a message you can copy:

"Hi, I have about two bags of outgrown baby clothes, sizes newborn to 6 months, washed and stain-free. Do you accept gently used baby clothes right now? Are there sizes or seasons you don't need? If you can use them, when and where can I drop them off? Thank you!"

Step 3: Split your bags to match

Divide your bags based on what you hear back. The winter 12–18 month clothes might go to the shelter that asked for them, the newborn sleepers to a Buy Nothing neighbor, and the rest to a thrift drop-off. Plan it as one trip if you can, so leftover bags don't end up living in the trunk.

Timing matters too. In early fall, warm sleepers, long sleeves and jackets are the most useful. In spring, short sleeves and sun hats are. Programs with little storage may turn away out-of-season items, so thrift charities are the better stop for those.

How to prep outgrown clothes so they actually get used

In short: a clean, sorted, labeled bag gets used, while a jumbled one can end up in the recycling pile.

• ☐  Wash and fully dry everything. Clothes that sat in a bin for months can smell musty, and a fresh wash fixes that.
• ☐  Check each piece in daylight. Milk and spit-up stains can turn yellow in storage even if the item looked clean when you packed it. Move stained pieces to the worn-out pile.
• ☐  Test snaps and zippers. A sleeper with one broken snap is hard to use at 3 a.m. Close zippers so they don't snag other clothes.
• ☐  Pull drawstrings out of toddler hoods and jackets. The next section explains why.
• ☐  Keep sets together. Tuck matching pants inside their top so they don't get separated.
• ☐  Bag by size and label it. A strip of tape reading "3–6M, winter, 18 pieces" saves volunteers a sorting job.
• ☐  Write a quick list of what's in each bag if you'll want a receipt for taxes.

If sorting a whole closet feels like a lot, it's easier going forward to keep clothes grouped by size from the start. Our comparison of ways to organize baby clothes by size shows a few ways to set that up, so each outgrown size is ready to bag in minutes.

What most places won't take

In short: skip anything damaged, recalled or safety-related, and handle gear separately from clothes.

• Stained, torn or stretched-out clothes. Take these to a textile recycling bin or your city's textile drop-off. Worn receiving blankets and towels are often welcome at animal shelters, but call first.
• Used socks and underwear. Most programs don't accept them, but new, sealed packs are widely wanted.
• Toddler outerwear with hood or neck drawstrings. Federal rules treat drawstrings at the hood or neck of kids' jackets and sweatshirts (sizes 2T to 12) as a strangulation hazard, and many donation centers turn them away. Once you pull the cord out, the item is fine to donate.
• Recalled items. Search the CPSC recall database before donating sleep sacks, swaddles or anything you're unsure about.
• Car seats. Car seats expire, and a donation center can't check a seat's crash history, so most won't take them. Look for a car seat recycling program or a retailer trade-in event instead.
• Cribs. Older cribs, especially drop-side models, may not meet the federal crib standards that took effect in 2011. Many charities won't accept any used crib.
• Used clothes at hospitals and NICUs. For infection-control reasons, hospitals usually accept only new items, if they take clothing at all. Call the volunteer office before bringing anything, even new preemie outfits.

Getting a receipt, and whether it's tax deductible

In short: ask for a receipt at registered charities and keep a list. It only matters at tax time if you itemize.

• Charities count; people don't. Donations to a registered charity like Goodwill, The Salvation Army or a nonprofit shelter can be deductible. Gifts to individuals, such as a Buy Nothing neighbor or a friend, are not.
• You generally need to itemize. If you take the standard deduction, donated clothing usually won't change your tax bill.
• Condition and value have rules. Clothing must be in good used condition or better. Its value is what similar items sell for secondhand, not what you paid. Many thrift charities publish valuation guides with typical price ranges for kids' clothing.
• Keep your paperwork. Save the receipt and your list of items. If your non-cash donations for the year total more than $500, the IRS asks for Form 8283.

For the current year's rules, see IRS Publication 526 or ask a tax professional.

Your next step

Pick one bag, one place and one day this week. Start with the size your baby just finished. Wash it, check it in good light, and send one message to a baby closet, shelter or Buy Nothing group. Send whatever they can't use to the nearest thrift drop-off on the same trip. Clothes your baby wore for a few short weeks can get another baby through the same stretch.

Frequently asked questions