10 Creative Ways To Upcycle Your Baby And Toddler Clothing

Are you swamped with piles of outgrown baby and toddler clothing? It’s amazing just how quickly your little one can outgrow an entire wardrobe. Unless you’re planning on having another child anytime soon, it can be a great idea to upcycle these outgrown clothes.  

To give you a little inspiration, below you’ll discover some of the top creative ways to upcycle your baby and toddler clothing. 

The Bodysuit Memory Bear

Babies and toddlers LOVE teddy bears, so what better way to upcycle their old clothes than to create a bodysuit memory bear? You’ll need to use the bodysuit without legs and you can add a cute bow to the bear’s head if you’re creating it for a girl.  

You can check out how to create this adorable bear here. It may look like a lot of work, but it’s actually surprisingly easy! You’ll be creating something your child can treasure potentially for the rest of their lives, and you’ll feel a sense of pride at your clever re-use of those old baby clothes.  

List Them On Freecycle

Why not give your old baby clothes to those who need it most? There’s an awesome website known as Freecycle.org, where you can list your old clothing (and any other unwanted items you may have) for free.  

Once listed, anybody searching for baby clothing will be able to see what you have available and contact you. Typically, you’ll be giving the clothes to those living within the same area, so they’ll either be collected, or you can choose to deliver them.  

Create Pillows And Cushion Covers

A fantastic way to repurpose baby and toddler clothing, is to create pillow or cushion covers. The great thing about this is, you can be as creative as you want to be. Simply purchase some plain cushion covers, then decorate them with any old clothing you want to use up.  

Cut out the characters or shapes featured on the clothes and bring them together to create a unique, themed cushion cover. Need a little inspiration? Here’s an awesome example of a pillow created with old baby clothes – The Scrap Buster Fall Pillow. 

Create A Ribbon Toy Block

Another great creative toy idea is to turn your old baby clothes into a ribbon block. Your little one is sure to have hours of fun with this awesome and adorable toy block. The great thing about this idea is you don’t need to stick to a theme. In fact, the more colorful the block, the better. 

All you’ll need is your outgrown baby and toddler clothing, some ribbon, something to stuff it with and a sewing kit. You could even use the stuffing out of a quilt to fill the middle of the block. The full instructions for this creative idea can be found here. 

Use Them For Dolls Clothes

If your little one has quite large dolls, you can use their old clothes to dress the doll. Your child will love to play dolly dress up with the clothes they used to wear. Of course, you’ll still be left with them once your child outgrows the doll, but it’s a great temporary solution.  

Immortalize Them In Pictures

As your child grows, it’s easy to forget how small they used to be. What better way to remind yourself, than to create baby clothing pictures? You’ll just need big enough frames to put the clothes into, then they can be hung on the wall in a collage style, creating a unique, sentimental display. 

Create A Learning Book

One of my personal favorites on this list, you can use any outgrown clothing and turn it into an activity book. By attaching a small skirt, shirt and a zip-up top for example, you can teach your little one all kinds of clothing-related things. 

For example, you could use it to teach them how to button or zip up clothing. You could also use it to teach them more about the different types of clothing they wear. Discover how to create this awesome activity book here.  

Store Them In Vacuum Bags

If you absolutely can’t bear to part with the clothes just yet, you can save space by sealing them into vacuum bags. This enables you to store them securely and easily and keep them out of sight in the loft or under the bed.  

This is also a great idea if you’re unsure whether or not you’ll have another child in the not too distant future.  

Create A Christmas Stocking

Do you have any Christmas themed baby clothes? If so, creating a Christmas stocking with them is a fantastic idea. You don’t need Christmas themed clothing, but it definitely helps if you have it. If not, you could use plain baby clothing and decorate it yourself afterwards.  

This is something your child can use year upon year. They may even end up keeping and using it throughout their adult life too. Learn how to create this beautiful gift here. 

A Baby Clothes Bouquet

One of the most difficult ideas on this list, but definitely worthwhile, is a baby clothes bouquet. This makes an adorable decoration which you can use throughout the home. It would look especially stylish and unique in the nursery or bedrooms and you can create practically any design you want to. Details on how to create this unique decoration can be found here. 

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Conclusion

Of course, you can always sell or give your old baby and toddler clothing away too. As you can see, there are so many ways you can upcycle your old baby and toddler clothes. Maybe you have another idea? We’d love you to share your ideas below!