Tot up the savings on quality kids' clothes

Kim Waller has come up with a genius idea to help keep young children looking dapper in quality clothes in a cost effective way.

The Ballinagh native was inspired to create ‘Little Tots Swaps’ by the arrival of her daughter Emily.

Many people were guilty of buying items they really didn’t need during Covid and Kim was no different. Pregnant during Lockdown and with work-life on the go slow she found herself shopping for her unborn baby.

“I had far too much time on my hands to spend,” Kim confesses with a knowing laugh. “Emily had a big wardrobe before she was even here, which is ridiculous when I think about it. She didn’t wear half those clothes.”

Kim applauds the many families who share clothes between siblings and cousins, but for her that wasn’t an option.

“With Emily not having any cousins to get anything from and not having any siblings to pass things on to - I’m left with all these clothes.”

Swap

That experience sowed the seed for Kim’s voluntary project ‘Little Tots Swaps’, which chimes with these circular economy times.

“If I could have been able to swap them up for the next size and not buy a whole new set of clothes would have been great.”

Many good ideas just remain good ideas. Kim turned hers into a reality after she took up a marketing executive role with Breffni Eco Group, owned by Jim Farrell.

“I pitched the idea to my boss [Steve Burns] and he loved it because he’s big into sustainability and he said they would sponsor the whole set up. They bought the rails and created posters and flyers and a pull-up. So thanks to them it all got started.”

Kim approached Ballinagh Community Enterprise Office who arranged the use of the community hall for ‘Little Tots Swaps’. Typically she hosts four events annually.

The system is simple to use.

“Families donate their pre-loved clothes to me in advance,” she explains. “I give each item a credit based on its quality, so for example if someone gave me an item that was completely brand new with a tag on it, they would get 10 credits for it.

“If it was really worn it would only get two credits for it. But all would have to be of a quality that someone else would use again.”

Customers with no clothes to exchange can still make use of ‘Little Tots Swaps’. They simply make a donation through the GoFundMe app for credits in return.

Happily Kim reports the system has been “working great” and she has had a good response.

“The families who have been consistently using it in the last while, they are coming back every time and getting bags full of clothes for their kids, and then they trade them in again, and come back again.”

She thinks back on those well meaning purchases she made for Emily, who is now three and a half.

“Lots and lots of clothes,” she says with a wistful laugh of Emily’s first year, “the attic was full of clothes.”

Kim’s was not alone when it came to such purchases. She’s struck by the pristine condition of many of the items handed in.

“A lot of people donate gifts that their kids have never even worn, because, particularly for babies - people buy them clothes but yet they live in sleep suits! It might have been on their back once or never even worn at all.”

As a result she has a glut of good quality smaller sized clothes. Occasionally she reaches out to people she comes across on social media in need of new clothes.

Donations

She also creates attractive gift baskets in return for GoFundMe donations. When the donations become substantial enough she will divide them between Féileacáin and the Special Care Baby Unit in Cavan.

“I know both of those charities are really important to a lot of parents and sometimes get forgotten about with all the other things going on.”

Kim emphasises that ‘Little Tots Swaps’ is run on a not for profit ethos.

“I am not getting anything out of this other than knowing I’m doing good,” she stresses.

The cut-off point is three years to make the project in some way manageable. But even at that she has amassed a huge volume of clothes. Kim now lives in the neighbouring parish of Cornafean with her partner Wayne Eccleson, and her house soon became wedged with clothes.

Wayne came to the rescue by renovating and insulating a farm shed to keep the clothes safe and in top condition. It’s just one example of others pitching in to make ‘Little Tots Swaps’ a success.

“Whenever I do my events a lot of friends and family help me run them - in particular my partner Wayne, if it wasn’t for him and his van transporting everything it wouldn’t be possible. And thank you to the community for getting behind me with it.”