Where to Donate Toys When the Kids Have Outgrown Them

Every time the season changes, I find myself in the playroom used by my five kids, holding a trash bag and ginning up a newfound motivation to become a minimalist. I’m part of the problem—nearly 80% of all toys end up in incinerators, the landfill, or the ocean, and toys make up 6% of all landfill plastic, research shows. Sometimes, with toys that I really think have most or all of their parts still, or don’t have some sort of amoebas growing inside them from being left in the rain or bath, I donate them to a local family center. And when I’m really ambitious, I take them to a local kids’ resale store, and earn a few bucks, which my kids inevitably spend within minutes in that same store on new toys.

"When my clients are deciding where to donate toys, it’s often as much about the heart as the logistics," says Cindy Thomas, Cincinnati-based professional home organizer at Simply Organized Interiors. "Many want their children to be part of the process, so we talk about choosing places that matter to them. The common thread is finding a place where the toys will be loved again, and that makes it easier to let them go.”

The next time you head into the playroom ready for a fresh start, or your kids outgrow their formerly favorite toys, consider this list of places to donate or sell toys, which is better than the landfill for their next home.

Programs like Toy Cycle are popping up around the country, helping to find new homes for old toys. On this resale platform, and others online, you can buy, sell, or trade in your toys and participate in rehoming others’ toys instead of buying new.

Similarly, Once Upon a Child is a resale store with more than 400 locations nationwide, where you can drop off bags of clothes, toys, and accessories for kids, and you keep a portion of the estimated sale price. This might feel like you aren’t getting back what the toys are actually worth, but if you look at it as a donation with a little tip, you won’t be disappointed.

Loved Before is an innovative online “adoption center” for pre-owned stuffies, which you can donate by mailing in the US or UK to their warehouse. From there, they are given a glow-up and photo shoot, and are sold again in their online store, complete with descriptions about their quirks and former owners’ favorite things. For example, Bramble, who is ready for adoption (purchase) in the teddy bear section of the store, has a note: “This friend has a zip down their back!” You can even shop by donated species, which is helpful when your kid loses their favorite stuffed penguin, fox, or other niche creature.

You might be living right near a toy donation center or program that takes the guesswork out of it, and not even know it. For example, dozens of locations of Second Chance Toys will even pick up the toys from your home, and you can donate up to 350 toys that are redistributed to kids in need. Note that this program has specific times of year they run their toy matching program, so check back in April or before/during the holiday season. This is also a great way to get kids involved in volunteering around the holidays, and helps them see what happens when you donate a toy.

Local thrift stores including Salvation Army, Goodwill or others are helpful go-to places often with drive-thru donation centers or drop bins to consider. This is especially helpful if you can identify one on your normal route through town, to make it easy and convenient to donate often.

The last thing a family is going to be able to pack during a hurricane or wildfire evacuation, among other disasters, is a bunch of toys. Stuffed Animals for Emergencies accepts donations of used stuffed animals, books, and toys. You can also host your own stuffed animal drive or volunteer in other ways.

Toys for Tots, well-known for their holiday toy drives, also has disaster relief programs where you can donate toys. Keep an eye on their page for best donation times and drives, which have helped victims of the Maui fires, the Ohio train derailment, and multiple hurricane and tornado efforts in recent years.

Children’s hospitals, fire and police stations, libraries, and after-school programs are all excellent local resources to consider when you’re ready to donate toys. Reach out to the coordinator or librarian of your local library, who can often use toys in the play center area, or during read-aloud toddler times. Check your local hospital’s website before heading there with donations, though. Some note that they can’t accept pre-owned items due to the infection control policies and risks.

In addition to the city or community library, also look for Little Free Libraries in your area where you can donate books, games, coloring books, and the occasional little toy for other kids to find and love.

Kids in foster care can use some extra love sometimes as they might be separated from their own toys, or placed in homes or centers that don’t have many. It’s best to look to your local foster care centers for specific directions on donating toys. You might find a community foundation that helps organize toys for foster kids in your own area, such as the Foster Care Support Foundation in Roswell, Georgia, which provides a very specific list of needed toys and where to drop off. As they note, if you are giving toys to foster families you’ll want to ensure they aren’t broken or have a bunch of missing pieces, and are in great, reusable condition.

As a former teacher, I remember vividly the final price tag of setting up my first classroom—$800. So, when a teacher asks for little toys and prizes for their classroom, or toys to set up a sensory corner, they aren’t being cheap, they just really do need your help and donations. Reach out to your own or neighboring schools, classrooms, and daycare centers to see if they can use your toy donations. You can also consider daycare rooms in local religious institutions and gyms, or even the corner in your favorite coffee shop, which often have minimal toys and could use a boost too. For example, my own pile of beanie babies from childhood (that I saved for my kids who didn’t care about them!) are being well-loved in a local gym that opened recently without much to do in the playroom.

“The best way to offload toys is to go to your local neighborhood networks via NextDoor, Buy Nothing, Facebook Marketplace, etc.,” says Ashlee Piper, sustainability expert in the Chicago area and author of No New Things. “Mileage may vary depending upon how large of an area you live in and the robustness of your network. Parents I've spoken to have had excellent luck posting a 'lot' of kids' toys by age, for instance, and for free on Buy Nothing—usually people snatch them up.”

To ensure quick pick up, you can post the day or time you need the toys retrieved, so you aren’t fighting with your kids trying to fall in love with them again waiting for pick up on your porch.

Yes, you can wash stuffies! So do that before donating, to ensure they are clean and ready for their next home. Similarly, you can wipe down other toys, ensuring there are no broken, sharp, or missing pieces. But, don’t feel like you have to throw out a toy if, say, a puzzle has one missing piece—it can still be donated and loved again.

“It's always a good idea to give them a good wash and thorough dry—out in the sun is extra nice, as the sun is a natural stain remover and sterilizer—before donating anywhere. Hard toys made from plastic and wood should also be soaked in the tub or wiped down before donating. If donating to an organization, always call first to see what they accept and need,” Piper says. And toys that really are in no condition to be passed on might be able to be recycled through companies like TerraCycle, which currently accepts lots of brands including Spin Master, VTech and LeapFrog, and action figures.

With a few extra minutes of attention and research, you can find your toys in the hands of another kid who can really use them, rather than the landfill.

Alexandra Frost

Freelance Writer

Alexandra Frost is a Cincinnati-based freelance journalist and content marketing writer, focusing on health and wellness, parenting, education, and lifestyle. She has been published in the Atlantic, Glamour, Today’s Parent, Reader’s Digest, Consumer Reports, Women’s Health, and National Geographic. She spends her “free” time with her five kids under age 8, and testing lots of products. To connect or read more of her work please visit alexandra-frost.com or follow her on social media: Twitter Instagram Linked In.