Donate Goods

We give your donations a new life. You give a child a better life.

Big Group Hug graciously accepts donations of new or pre-loved goods for children aged between newborn and 16 years old. We humbly ask that you only donate items that are clean, in good, working condition, and comply with Australian safety standards.

Rule of thumb: Don’t donate something you wouldn’t be happy to receive yourself.

We need your help making sure all material items received are suitable for their future owners

Please see the list of what we can rehome below. Click on the Category Title to expand. Contact us at donategoods@biggrouphug.org if you’re unsure whether a specific item is suitable or acceptable for donation.

Sometimes items are donated to us that we are unable to re-home, in this case they may by listed in our online shop or given to a sister charity.

A hug for our planet too

We’re committed to ensuring all children have the best start in life. This includes preserving the planet for the next generation. A core principle of our approach is to upcycle and recycle. This way, pre-loved goods not only get a second life with someone who can use them, but it also prevents them from ending up in a landfill.

Items we can accept

Our Main Tips
  • Clothing and books cannot mention a family member or religious or festive holiday as we don’t know our recipient’s background
 
  • Cots must be under 10 years old and feature that AU/NZ Standard sticker and year of manufacture (usually found on the base or the side)
 
  • Car seats must be under 8 years old and free of damage, have not been in an accident before, straps cannot be worn.
 
  • We do not accept furniture, household electrical items (lamps, toasters, kettles), photo frames or prints/wall/nursery decorations.
  • Clothing – sizes 00000 to 16 years. No stains or tears. All clothing should be freshly laundered. Please sort clothing by gender and size and label bags accordingly. Underwear and children’s socks must be new. Clothing mustn’t mention a family member nor have a holiday theme.
  • Shoes – baby to 16 years. New or near new in excellent condition. Please clean before donating.


We do not accept adult or maternity clothing, coat hangers, school uniforms, sporting teams/uniforms, Holiday themed clothing (Christmas/Easter), snow gear (including boots).

  • Bibs – silicone and fabric in very good condition, no stains 
  • Breast pumps – manual or electric 
  • Baby Bottles – new only 
  • Bottle warmers – new or used 
  • Highchairs no more than 10 years old, with a tray, safety harness, brakes (if on castors), and perfectly clean with no rips or tears  
  • Formula – unopened and in date 
  • Sterilisers – microwave or electric 

 

We do not accept baby food, opened cans of baby formula, used bottles or teats, Highchairs that strap to chairs or hang from a table, sippy cups, metal cutlery, Bumbo seats 

  • Baths – no bath aids or stands, no bath toys 
  • Change mats  
  • Maternity pads – Unopened. They can be loose if individually wrapped
  • Nappies – disposable only, opened bags are fine 
  • Nappy change bags & nappy change mats – no stains/tears 
  • Nursing pads – disposable only & unopened 
  • Potties & child toilet seats Please clean & disinfect before donating
  • Toiletries – new, unopened and in date for newborns, children and adults. Deodorant must be roll-on.
  • Towels – baby towels only 
  • Vaporizers 
  • Wipes 

 

We do not accept bath aids, bath stands, bath toys, change tables of any kind including folding, cloth nappies, nappy wrappers, swim nappies, nappy bins.

  • Activity mats & baby gyms 
  • Books – for babies to teens in very good condition (no damaged pages or scribbles). Books mustn’t have a festive or religious themes nor family members as the focus of the story e.g. “my day with grandma”. 
  • Bouncers & rockers – must have 3-point safety harness 
  • Playpens – wooden and metal. Make sure they are clean and have all their parts before donating.
  • Sports items – balls, skipping ropes etc. No local team branding (AFL/NRL etc is fine), no sports or team uniforms.  
  • Toys, games, and activities – for newborns to 16 year olds. Items must be new or in very good condition.
    • Games must be complete.
    • Please ensure toys are functional, cleaned and with parts packed together.  
    • Items should be no larger than a supermarket bag.  
    • Soft / stuffed toys – no more than 1 supermarket bag of soft toys will be accepted due to storage requirements. Toys should be new/near new, less than 30cm in size and washed prior to donating.   
    • Imaginary play – dolls, cars, trains, tool sets, action & character figures, dress-ups, pretend food etc. – no battery operated toys.
    • Educational– craft & construction kits, puzzles, board games, electronics, musical instruments etc. 
    • Stationery – pencils, textas, scrap books, exercise books, rulers, unused activity/craft sets, unused colouring books, erasers, glue, pencil sharpeners and pencil cases.
    • Pull-along toys – only if suitable for 1 to 3-year-olds


We do not accept b
ikes, scooters, ride on toys, battery operated toys, rocking horses, trikes or helmets, wooden baby items, books about pregnancy or child rearing, CDs, DVDs, gro clocks, jolly jumpers or swings, toys with button batteries, Holiday themed toys (eg. Christmas/Easter), bath toys, umbrella strollers, large bulky toys (bikes, trikes etc.), Soft furnishing – beanbags cushions, curtains, Christening gifts, Foam floor mats, sit-in walkers or activity centres for babies, cot mobiles, child’s decor items such as pictures, cushions.

  • Baby gates – pressure-mounted not hardware-mounted.
  • Safety items – plug/power point covers, cupboard, and drawer locks, etc.
  • Baby monitors
  • Bassinets – not cane, cradle, rocking or portable, must have mesh sides and not solid sides – for airflow
  • Bedding

    Cots – sheets only and blankets that can be tucked under the mattress, mattress protectors

    Single beds – sheets, blankets and new doonas or quilts, mattress protectors

    No moth holes, tears, stains

  • Bunny rugs & baby wraps
  • Cots – that meet Standard AS/NZS 2172:2003 (revised 2005) with manual, if available, and bolts. No older than 10 years (manufacture date stamped underneath). No cots with metal clips on the drop sides. If donated with a mattress – it must be the correct size for the cot (size stamped under).
  • Gro-bags & infant sleeping bags
  • Mattress protectors – for bassinets or cots, preloved is fine if clean and in good condition.
  • Mattresses cot mattresses only – no stains or tears. If mattress is being donated without matching cot, please email us to see if it is needed.
  • Portacots


We do not accept beds (including toddler beds and rails), pillows (including breastfeeding pillows), or any bedding larger than single, co-sleepers (e.g. My little baby), cot bumpers, cot mobiles, floor mats, GRO clocks,
Sleep positioners, Weighted blankets.

  • Carriers – Baby Bjorn or similar front carriers only 
  • Carry cots (soft) – They must have a firm base and ‘D’ clips to attach to a pram frame. Please clean before donating.
  • Car Restraints – capsules, reversible, booster seats must have tether strap (no foam boosters). Must meet standard AS/NZS 1754. Must be no more than 8 years old and never been in an accident. Please clean before donating. 
  • Newborn head supports (for prams) – Make sure they are clean before donating. 
  • Prams & strollers – must meet Standard AS/NZS 2088:2000, have 5-point harness, faultless brakes, sun hood & carry basket. Strollers must fully recline. Please vacuum and clean before donating & include original manuals if possible. Fixed wheels are ok 
  • Pram accessories – pram bassinets with matching pram (not on their own), newborn headrests, rain covers, liners, mosquito nets, skateboards etc. 
  • Window shades for cars & prams  


We cannot accept portable travel chairs nor bassinets from prams unless they come with the matching pram.

 

 

Opening Hours

Opening Hours:

• Mon – Thurs, 9:00am – 12:30pm

• First Saturday of the month, 10:00am – 12:00pm

Address:

12/337 Settlement Rd Thomastown

Located in the Mint Place Business Park (access via Dunstans Ct also available.)

The Sustainable Collective by Big Group Hug

Opening Hours:

• Mon/Wed, 9:30am – 12:30pm

• First Saturday of the month, 10:00am – 12:00pm

Address:

4/29 Hawker St, Airport West

Thank you to our sister organisation, St Kilda Mums for their guidance and support in creating our Acceptable Donations List.

Recycling Guide

If you have items that we cannot accept but would like to recycle, you can visit Recycle Mate to find your nearest recycling centre. 

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