Broughton mum Karolina Gudes has set up a free seven-day challenge to help families clear outgrown clothes, toys and books. No sign-up is needed to take part.

A Broughton mum of two has set up a free seven-day challenge to help families sort out the clothes, toys, books and baby equipment their children have outgrown, one category a day, before Christmas.

Karolina Gudes lives in Broughton, Flintshire, just outside Chester, and is the founder of Kidora, a UK family platform she says is run by a small, self-funded team alongside full-time jobs and raising their children. She calls the challenge Outgrown, Not Wasted. There is no registration, no payment and no app to download, and families can start whenever it suits them.

The idea came from her own house. “Being a mum of two and working full-time, I know how quickly children’s belongings can take over the house,” she told Chester Online. “You put away clothes they’ve outgrown or toys they no longer play with, and suddenly you’ve got cupboards full of things that could still be useful to another family.”

One drawer at a time

Rather than asking families to clear everything in one weekend, the challenge splits the job into seven days:

  • Day 1: clothes
  • Day 2: toys
  • Day 3: books
  • Day 4: baby equipment
  • Day 5: shoes and accessories
  • Day 6: larger items, such as bikes and nursery furniture
  • Day 7: decide what to keep, pass on, donate, recycle responsibly or sell

Her advice for a first step is a small one. “I’d encourage parents around Chester to start with something small, even just one drawer of children’s clothes,” she said. “You don’t need to do everything at once, and you certainly don’t need to sell everything. Sometimes passing something on to another family or donating it can make just as much difference.”

Outgrown, Not Wasted campaign graphic reading Free 7-Day Children's Clear-Out Challenge, with icons for keep it, pass it on, donate it, recycle it and sell it, folded children's clothes, pink trainers, books and toys, and a photograph of Karolina Gudes holding Sofia
The Outgrown, Not Wasted campaign image, with Karolina Gudes and Sofia. Photo: supplied by Kidora

Check it is safe before passing it on

The challenge asks parents to check the condition, suitability and safety of anything before it goes to another family, and baby equipment in particular. The campaign page points parents to the government’s product recalls and safety alerts and its guidance on buying second-hand goods, and says anything recalled, damaged or unsuitable should not be passed on, donated or sold.

It also suggests checking what a charity or community group currently accepts before taking a bag of donations along.

How to take part

Although the challenge started in the Chester and Flintshire area, it is open to families anywhere in the UK. Parents can download a free seven-day family checklist, a one-page sheet to tick off day by day, from the Outgrown, Not Wasted page.

Schools, nurseries, PTAs and community groups can use a free printable poster, social media graphics and ready-written messages for parents from the same page. Selling is one of the five options on Day 7, and Kidora runs a marketplace for children’s items, but the campaign says families should use whichever route is right for each item.

Kidora has published more background in its press release. The campaign is new, and Ms Gudes said she does not yet have verified figures on how many Chester or Cheshire families have taken part, so would rather not estimate.