Kids outgrow toys and clothes faster than the weeds in my garden (well, maybe not that fast). Beyond hosting your own kiddie swap, there are several sites now that make exchanging kids’ gear easier for families, who may not have local connections for such trades. Reusing and reducing the amount of your children’s paraphernalia will not only lessen your carbon footprint, but it will de-clutter your home!

• Zwaggle: Kristen Chase of Cool Mom Picks calls Zwaggle, “basically a more organized Freecycle“. Organization is good, especially since Zwaggle focuses on socially responsible parents. It is a simple concept: “You receive Zwaggle points (or Zoints) by giving your gently used things to other families, then use those Zoints to obtain “new” things for your family.” You can obtain Zoints just by signing up through Parent Bloggers Network.
• SwapBabyGoods: This site’s motto is “Keeping the Earth green one swap at a time.” You can swap, buy, trade your gently used kids’ items to save money and reduce your consumption of new goods. Best of all, SwapBabyGoods was started by a stay-at-home mom!
• Swango: Everything listed on Swango sells for just $0.99! It’s online dollar store that doesn’t feature cheap junk made in China that will be recalled after you purchase it. You can buy maternity clothes, baby clothes, accessories, etc. by listing your own used clothing in exchange for credits used to buy other items. Swango makes “Swapping as easy as shopping”.

All of these sites have the best names! They are worth signing up for just to be able to drop these cool words into conversations with your friends. What I want to know is can you Swango while you Zwaggle?

Image courtesy of Zwaggle