This article originally appeared on RecycleBank.com
By Annie Bell Muzaurieta
The world of infants and toddlers is filled with disposable and plastic items, but there are myriad ways to re-use baby goods that would otherwise end up in a landfill. Here's a few to try:
- Kids' socks
Cut the feet off of your older children's holey socks, and voila! Baby has a new pair of leg warmers-perfect for crawlers. - Food jars
Give a clean, empty glass food jar a new job: Use them to store finger paints or baby bows. - Baby wipes containers
An empty carton of wipes is perfect for storing markers, crayons or paint brushes. - Diaper boxes
Get organized: One Florida mom took an old empty diaper box, covered it in wrapping paper and used it to store her daughter's Legos. - Too-tight pajamas
With a little creativity you can maximize the life of your kiddies' clothes. One clever friend told us she cut the sleeves and legs off of her daughter's too-tight favorite pajamas and lo and behold-it's a short set! - Bonus: Yesterday's favorite toy
Inevitably your kid will move on from that favorite or age-appropriate toy (or maybe you'd like to just weed a few out of the toy heap in your home). A toy swap is an easy way to keep the goods out of the garbage and will save you money too.
Talk to the moms at your new moms group, Strollercize class or familiar faces on the playground. Set a date to exchange toys or books with a specific mom in need, or you can make it a general toy swap. Moms donate a clean, gently used toy, and then select a new one from the pot. Depending on the number of participants, and if you've extended the group to beyond friends, you might want to set some rules-toy size, price range, and age group, for example. The organizer should donate any remaining toys to a charity. (See more on swaps here.)
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