How to Declutter Kids Stuff and Baby Gear (A Realistic Guide for Parents)

Before becoming a parent, I prided myself as a minimalist. I knew exactly what came into my home, and I kept it simple. Then I had a child, and suddenly my house was filled with toys, clothes, baby gear, and gifts from well-meaning family and friends. It feels like every day, my child reaches a new milestone or develops a new interest that triggers a shopping spree.

If you're a parent, you already know this truth: watching your children grow also means constantly decluttering what they outgrow.

Over time, the buildup can feel overwhelming. Through my own parenting journey, I've found a sustainable way to declutter kids' stuff and baby gear — one that keeps our home calm and lets us focus on what matters most: enjoying this short season with our kids.

Here's the step-by-step system that actually works for me, and I hope it can for you, too.

Step 1: Break Decluttering Into Small, Manageable Tasks

The biggest mistake parents make when decluttering is trying to do everything at once. Instead, break the task down.

You can declutter:

• Room by room (or if you do Step 8, then you can do it by bin)
• By family member (and involve your kids)
• By category (kids clothes, toys, books, baby gear)

Small, focused sessions make decluttering feel doable — even during nap time.

Step 2: Sort Everything Into Three Categories

When decluttering, every item belongs in one of three categories:

• Keep
• Sell/Give/Donate
• Trash

To help remove decision fatigue, make this decision within 5 seconds. Another way to make this fun could be to take turns with your kids and make it into a game.

I also always remind myself of the Marie Kondo mantra – "Does this bring you joy?" If so, keep it. If not, pass it along so it can bring joy to someone else.

Step 3: Start With Trash First

Always begin with items that are clearly trash. This creates instant progress and frees up space right away.

Examples of kid and baby items to trash:

• Broken toys or toys missing pieces
• Heavily stained or ripped clothes
• Expired baby products
• Damaged books or unusable gear

⚠️ Electronic baby gear (monitors, electronics) should not go in household trash unless your city allows it. Look for local e-waste recycling events — many are free. In my area, these events happen at the public high school on designated weekends, and there's also one that happens on Sundays at our local Chik-Fil-A parking lot (because they're always closed on Sundays).

Step 4: Start the Waterfall (Sell → Give → Donate)

Now that the trash is gone, it's time to tackle the remaining items. I like to think of the next pile as a waterfall of sell → give → donate.

First, I try to sell it, to see what value I can extract from our outgrown items. Many parents are surprised how much kids' stuff still holds resale value.

You can sell:

• Gently used baby gear
• Kids clothes in good condition
• Toys, books, and family items

To sell faster:

• List in as many marketplaces as possible
• Price items realistically (Pro Tip - Recess Price Check is a free web-based AI tool)
• Focus on brands that resell well
• List items quickly because they can go out of style or be replaced by newer models

Choosing the Right Marketplace

• Facebook Marketplace → best for large baby gear and local pickup (lower prices, smaller audience)
• Poshmark → great for designer or higher-end kids clothing
• eBay → great for toys and collectibles
• Recess → built specifically for families and kids items, with both local and shipped options

Cross-listing tools can help get your items posted everywhere, but watch out for subscription costs.

👉 On Recess, it takes minutes to list kids items — and you're selling directly to other parents who need them.

Step 5: Give Away What Doesn't Sell

Not everything will sell — and that's okay. Set a time limit (for example, 14 or 30 days, depending on how much patience and storage space you have). After that, move items to give away or donate.

Giving away works best when:

• You have friends with younger kids nearby
• You join local parenting or Buy Nothing groups
• You post items in community spaces, such as daycare or school bulletin boards

Recess also offers community posts, where you can share what you have and reach nearby families who may need them — and often, make new parent friends in the process.

Step 6: Donate Carefully (and Get a Receipt)

Many donation centers, including my local Goodwill, do not accept baby gear due to safety regulations and recalls, so always check guidelines first.

If you itemize deductions, you should also ask for a receipt to get a charitable deduction on your taxes.

Step 7: Organize What You Keep

For items you keep, organization matters just as much as decluttering.

Helpful strategies:

• Bins kids can easily access
• Clearly labeled boxes for hand-me-downs
• Storage that makes cleanup fast and realistic
• For younger kids, toy rotation is not only a great way to minimize clutter but also recommended for their learning and development

The goal is not perfection — it's reducing daily friction.

Step 8: Create a System to Declutter Ongoing

Kids constantly outgrow things, so decluttering needs to be ongoing.

Create designated "outgoing" spaces in your home. I try to use spaces that are not as easily accessible day-to-day (to dedicate those spaces for the things you're actively using) but are within reach:

• High shelves for toys
• Bottom drawers of dressers for clothes
• Box in the garage for bigger items

As soon as something no longer serves your family, put it there. Then schedule a monthly or seasonal appointment with yourself to declutter again. (Really, put it in your calendar as a reminder.)

👉 Start decluttering today at therecess.app