How to Get Toys for your Baby

How to Get Toys for Your Baby

Washington State Resources

Buy Nothing

Buy Nothing is a social movement that connects local community members to exchange many different kinds of free items. A Facebook account is required to participate in your local group; to make your account you must provide a name, email or phone number, birthday, and gender.

Once you have made a Facebook account, you can ask to join your local community’s Buy Nothing group. Visit the link at the top to find groups that are active in your city. To find your city or neighborhood more easily, press CTRL + F on your keyboard and type your area’s name into the search window that appears. Click the link for the one that is closest to you and request to join. You may be asked to provide some information to assure the people who run the group that you are a local.

Once you have been accepted into a Buy Nothing group, you can make posts for items you would like to give or items you are looking for. If you are giving an item, it is helpful to provide a short description of the items, a picture of the items, and a general location where people can pick them up. People will then message you on Facebook or comment on the post if they are interested. If you are interested in someone else’s item, comment on the post or message them directly. If you are looking for an item, make a post describing the item you are looking for and someone may have one to offer you.

Tip: While most Buy Nothing transactions are friendly, please be careful when meeting with strangers. Here are some safety tips to make sure that you are not harmed when giving or taking items from a Buy Nothing group:

1. You can choose to meet in a public place if you prefer, but many people do at home pickups/drop offs for convenience.
2. If you are meeting somewhere, consider bringing a friend and telling others where you are going.
3. Check the Facebook account of the person you are doing the transaction with. If it does not look trustworthy, you do not need to follow through with the transaction.
4. Do not give away personal information such as your address, birth date, financial information, identification, etc.

Facebook Marketplace

Facebook Marketplace is an online storefront where anyone can post items for sale, including you. A Facebook account is required to participate in Marketplace; to make your account you must provide a name, email or phone number, birthday, and gender. You can look at items without an account but you will not be able to contact a seller. You can use the search bar or categories to find the types of items you are looking for.

Once you have made a Facebook account, you can message the seller of any items you need. You can ask them questions, work out how much you will buy the item for, where you will meet to pick up the item, and settle other details about the transaction.

Tip: While most Facebook Marketplace transactions are friendly, please be careful when meeting with strangers. Here are some safety tips to make sure that you are not harmed when buying items from strangers:

1. You can choose to meet in a public place if you prefer, but many people do at home pickups/drop offs for convenience.
2. If you are meeting somewhere, consider bringing a friend and telling others where you are going.
3. Check the Facebook account of the person you are doing the transaction with. If it does not look trustworthy, you do not need to follow through with the transaction.
4. Do not give away personal information such as your address, birth date, financial information, identification, etc.
5. Use safe and instant payment methods such as PayPal, Venmo, CashApp, or Facebook Messenger. Each of these apps can be downloaded on your phone and offer payment protection options so you can get your money back if the item is not as described. Make sure to label the money sent as a purchase and not a personal transaction to enable purchase protection.
6. In many cases, cash can be an option but is also not secure. If the quality of the product looks good in person, cash is a viable option. It is up to the individual seller whether or not they accept cash.

Craigslist

Craigslist is a longtime internet marketplace, where people in the community (including yourself) can post items and apartments for sale, as well as make community posts and post job applications. At the link above, you will see the Seattle Craigslist page. You can easily change the location by clicking on “Seattle-Tacoma” at the top of the page, typing in your city, and clicking “choose this location.” Then you can search for any baby supplies, or other things, that you might need and use the filters to refine your search for specific products, prices, or locations. To sell something on Craigslist, you can click “create a posting” in the top left corner and navigate through the menus to include information about what you are offering.

Tip: While most Craigslist transactions are friendly, please be careful when meeting with strangers. Here are some safety tips to make sure that you are not harmed when buying items from strangers:

1. You can choose to meet in a public place if you prefer, but many people do at home pickups/drop offs for convenience.
2. If you are meeting somewhere, consider bringing a friend and telling others where you are going.
3. Do not give away personal information such as your address, birth date, financial information, identification, etc.
4. Use safe and instant payment methods such as PayPal, Venmo, CashApp, or Facebook Messenger. Each of these apps can be downloaded on your phone and offer payment protection options so you can get your money back if the item is not as described. Make sure to label the money sent as a purchase and not a personal transaction to enable purchase protection.
5. In many cases, cash can be an option but is also not secure. If the quality of the product looks good in person, cash is a viable option. It is up to the individual seller whether or not they accept cash.

Buy Buy Baby

Operated by Bed Bath & Beyond, this chain offers a wide assortment of baby products including diapers, clothing, toys, furniture, and more. You can place orders online at the link above.

Target

This is a chain of department stores that offer many items you may need for your baby, child, or yourself. They have sections for clothing, food, furniture, electronics, and much more. They also offer shipping and often have a greater selection of items online than are available in-store, especially since the pandemic began. You can find a location close to you here by entering your city, or order online with the link above.

Fred Meyer

This is a chain of department stores that offer many items you may need for your baby, child, or yourself. They have sections for clothing, food, furniture, electronics, and much more. They also offer shipping and pickup, and often have a greater selection of items online than are available in-store, especially since the pandemic began. You can find a location close to you here by entering your city, or order online with the link above.

Walmart

This is a chain of department stores that offer many items you may need for your baby, child, or yourself. They have sections for clothing, food, furniture, electronics, and much more. They also offer shipping and pickup, and often have a greater selection of items online than are available in-store, especially since the pandemic began. You can find a location close to you here by clicking on the closest city to you, or order online with the link above.

Costco

This is a chain of wholesale stores – stores that sell items in bulk – that offer many items you may need for your baby, child, or yourself. They offer baby supplies and clothing, alongside child and adult clothing and other assorted goods. Buying from Costco requires a Costco membership, which costs at least $60 a year. You can sign up for a Costco membership here.

You can find a location close to you here by entering your city or order online at the link above.

Amazon

Amazon is an online retailer where you can buy most consumer goods, including baby supplies. Use the link above to order items to be delivered to your house, often within 1-2 days.