cute teddies

[pinkbabytots]

Has anybody got any ideas with regards to homes for loads of cutes teddies that my son has grown out of.

Don't really want to send them to a charity shop as they just end up with a load others in a basket looking very lonely.

Thanks

[loza]

I would suggest you send them to your nearest childrens hospital. The children may all pick out a teddy each and you would be surprised of the comfort it would give them whilst in hospital. I am 20 now and kept hold of mine for so long, i gave them to my local childrens hospital too.

[yummymum]

Good idea from loza, if not this why not a childrens home or u could put them on Freecycle. Its a shame you cant send them to third world countries as these children have nothing.

[annie0000]

i am amazed that you can get your son to part with them - my two boys are now coming up for 7 and 6 and i can't get them to part with any! I am slowly removing them and storing them in a bag and hoping they don't notice. I thought they might be embarassed into getting rid of them by now by their friends, but they don't seem to bat an eyelid at the beds full of bears and cats etc. I know that some of the 3rd world charities collect or make up filled shoe boxes where you can send things to children such as pens/ pencils/ books/ small toys and underwear/t shirts etc. I don't know if there may be a collecting centre for those near where you live?

[pinkbabytots]

Thank you all for you answers.

Loza - Do the hospital accept second hand teddies then?

yummymum- Where do I find out about Freecyle?

annie0000- My son is now 13 years old and so has definately grown out of them. Do you know whether they accept second hand teddies or just new ones?

[annie0000]

Does your son not want to pass some on to his girlfriends?

About the charity thing, I don't think they are that fussy - from time to time we get asked by the school to fill a shoe box. You choose boy or girl and age band then fill it with useful and fun stuff - e.g. things for school toothbrush, gloves or t-shirt (depending on where they are going, small toys, crayons etc. I have usually manages to get the boys to part with something that belongs to them e.g. a car as well as buying things. I don't really know how they are organised, but I don't think they would be averse to used things (if you put the toys in a plastic bag in the freezer for a while after washing and drying, it kills of any remaining germs or dust mites)

re the freecycle thing mentioned by yummymum, here is a link to the page where you can see if there is a group in your area - I have used it from time to time to get rid of unwanted things e.g. a bed, they seem to cover everything.

http://freecycle.org/display.php?region=United %20Kingdom

[annie0000]

Just another thought, do you know any health visitors? They sometimes come into contact with families who have very little for their babies and children and are happy to pass things on. I passed a lot of my sons baby things on that way to a family who needed them. People can be funny about buying from charity shops for their baby but when the health visitor passes them on, they know that they have come from a clean house.