Kit out your kids without spending a fortune. See clothes, toys and children's furniture go to a good home, and not to landfill.
Soton classifieds is mainly for the University community, and carries ads for both free and price-tagged items. It's also useful for household items and services such as babysitters.
Many charities, including British Heart Foundation (city centre) and Oxfam (Shirley) sell good-quality furniture through specialist shops.
Check first
You should always make sure that items such as car seats, electrical goods and anything that might become a choking hazard, are safe before they are used.
Swap Shop
The University's Sustainability Action Programme runs several Swap Shops for men's, women's and children's clothing and accessories through the year. Find out more .
Maternity and babywear
Several specialist organisations in Southampton welcome donations. Among these, the Firgrove Centre accepts clothes for ages 0-6 months, as will many hospital maternity units. Women's Aid takes a wide variety of clothes snd baby equipment. Please check first to ensure that the centre concerned will be able to use your donations.
Bargains!
Two sites where you can advertise your unwanted items for re-homing are Freecycle and Freegle . You can also post requests for free items.
University staff are entitled to discounts on goods and services from some local shops and restaurants. Both staff and students can post ads on Sotonclassifieds (anyone can reply). Alumni are also entitled to benefits .
If you live near Highfield or Avenue campuses, membership of Highfield Residents' Association also gains you reduced prices with certain local outlets.
Describing itself as a 'local social network', Streetlife carries postings for buying, selling and exchanging goods and services, as well as groups and events in your locality.
Mum2Mum is a network of franchised markets, mainly in London and the Home Counties, for buying and selling nearly-new baby goods.
Oh, and don't forget unnecessary food waste !