30 Ways to Upcycle Baby Clothes

Last Updated on May 3, 2023

The trouble with baby clothes is that they are so darn cute.  There’s something about teeny tiny dresses and tuxedo onesies that makes everyone forget what their credit card limit is. The result is that most babies have way more clothes than they could possibly need after parents, grandparents, friends and church ladies have all made their purchases. And then, as moms, we go ahead and get sentimentally attached to every single onesie.  So we need ways to upcycle baby clothes that are reasonable, useful and meaningful.

I have 3 large bins of baby clothes that I can’t bring myself to part with.  I did make a bunting for my youngest’s room out of clothes that were too rough to donate or use again.  But that only made a small dent in my collection.  Every piece I pulled out reminded me of how tiny my boys were and I could remember cuddling them in that exact outfit!  Then I started to cry and put everything right back in the bins.  Thanks hormones.

So here are a number of ways to upcycle baby clothes.  I plan to tackle a bunch of these so I can justify keeping all the adorable clothes my boys wore!

Donate Them

If it won’t totally break your heart and the clothes are still in good condition they can be donated.  I once saw a ‘want’ ad on Kijiji posted by a young mom who needed baby items she couldn’t afford to purchase. Take a look online or put a call out to see who might be in need.

1. Donate to friends or family
2. Donate to a pregnancy center
3. Donate to a children’s hospital
4. Donate via a church group

Quilt Them

If you are not crafty yourself, you can hire a seamstress to turn baby clothes into a number of keepsakes:

5. Quilted blanket
6. Pillow cover
7. Wall hanging
8. Christmas stocking

Photo Sources: Quilt, Pillow (unknown), Stocking (unknown), Wall Hanging

Repurpose

Use old baby clothes as a means of being more environmentally conscience:

9. Use them as rags
10. Turn them into reusable snack bags, I like this tutorial.
11. Use them as elbow or knee patches to prolong clothing longevity
12. Turn them into drawstring travel shoe bags (so you have one less reason to need plastic grocery bags). I like this 10 minute diy.

DIY Decor

If you are a crafty type of mama you can turn tired onesies into nursery decor or into decorations for baby showers.  My mama friends and I seem to host baby showers on a rotating basis and we just share around a big bag of decorations!  Plus most garland diys are no-sew!

13. Buntings
14. Scrap tassel garlands
15. Stretch around an inexpensive canvas and staple in place
16. Create a gallery wall by framing cute patterns in traditional frames or embroidery hoops

Photo Sources: No Sew Bunting, Rose Garland, Tassel Garland, Heart Bunting

Games

These projects are for the more ambitious crafter as they require some sewing skills.  You can upcycle baby clothes into toys or games for your little ones:

17. Memory game
18. Stuffed animal
19. Doll clothes
20. Bean bags
21. Soft balls or blocks

Photo Sources: Memory Game, Doll Clothes, Blocks, Stuffed Fox

Other Ideas

I had more ideas that I couldn’t categorize, lol!

22. Turn into a beanie hat
23. Turn into carrier strap covers
24. Refashion into new clothes by combining two pieces
25. Turn into bibs
26. Turn sweaters into mittens or slippers or hats
27. Turn into hair bows or headbands
28. Turn into cute coasters
29. Turn into Christmas ornaments
30. Turn into a child sized purse

Photo Sources: Hats, Dress, Mittens (source unavailable), Headband

Here’s a link to a free mitten pattern using upcycled knits!

There are so many ways to upcycle baby clothes so that you can keep them in your life without taking up all your storage space.  What’s the point of storing memories in a box under the stairs that you never look at? Might as well make use of those adorable clothes!

Go ahead and Pin this for later:

Do you have any other ways to upcycle baby clothes?