7 Ways to Reuse and Repurpose Children's Items ...

1. Consigning

Consignment shops are literally the best way to repurpose children's items. Because kids outgrow their clothes, toys, and books so quickly, you can easily find new and gently used items that are great quality for a fraction of the price. And a great way to purge what you don't need is to take in your child's items to a consignment of your choice and either receive store credit or cash. It's fabulous!

2. Swap Parties

Having a close knit circle of mommy friends is essential when you're a mom yourself! Not only for your own sanity for someone to relate to, but for helping out each other with various needs. One fun way to get new items and rid your kid's closet of unused and outgrown things, is to host a swap party. Invite all your mommy friends and exchange clothing and toys. It's like shopping but without spending any money. Plus, it's recycling and reusing which is super important!

3. Donate!

Let's be honest, we can all do with a little less "stuff" in our lives, our children included. Consider donating your child's outgrown items to your local second hand store or family in need. It might even inspire you to purge your own unused items.

4. Rotate Their Toys

This is a great method when wanting to prevent your kids from getting bored with the same old toys. Sift through his or her toy box, pick out a few toys and store them away. Then, in a couple months or so, bring them back. It's like they have new toys again. You can keep doing this with a few toys here and there which will prolong the life of your child's toys (this method works better for younger children).

5. Borrow Toys from Friends

It's a fact that children love their friend's toys and sometimes would prefer them over their own. One idea is to have your kiddos trade-borrow toys and books from friends. It adds something new to their toy collection without spending any money. Yay!

6. Keep Future Children in Mind

Something to think about when your child outgrows his or her clothes and toys, is their potential siblings if you plan on having more kids in the future. I'm saving quite a bit more in our garage for that very purpose. You can easily reuse older siblings clothes and toys which is such a huge money saver. I tend to keep the more quality items from reputable brands and things that don't have a lot of staining or wear. Feel free to toss the spit-up stained onsies and chewed teethers!

7. Don't Be Afraid to Toss Worn-out Stuff

This point plays on the previous one - when items are too far gone to be saved, reused or donated, toss it out! Even if it got a lot of use and holds sentimental value, you can still capture the memory of the item through pictures. If you must keep something because it's just too special, make sure it's really something worth while, like your baby's 'going home from the hospital' outfit or his first pair of walking shoes that are tattered.

We all know how important it is to recycle! This holds true for children's clothes and toys especially because they are so versatile and grown out of so quickly Do you ladies have any other ways that you repurpose your kid's stuff? I would love some more ideas!