Get the bids in

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The eBay website is one of the most popular ways to sell unwanted baby gear, as it provides access to thousands of potential buyers nationwide without needing to step outside your own front door.

You have to register and create a seller's account at ebay.co.uk, and you'll be charged a small fee to sell your items. Take a picture of your items in a well-lit area, clear images are much more appealing.

Next, think about pricing. Carey Maguire of eBay has some tips:
To get an idea of what to sell your item for, check our eBay's Completed Items search and find out what similar items have gone for.
The next step is to write a listing title and description for your items. 'Imagine you're the buyer,' says Carey. 'What key words would you type in to find your item? What would you want to know? 'You need to provide all the information a buyer needs, such as brand, age, colour condition etc. 'Be honest,' says Carey, 'Don't withhold information, because it may become an issue later.'
Consider packaging and weighing your item in advance, as eBay will then calculate the postage costs for you. Finally, decide the duration of your listing - from one day up to 10, and wait for those bids to roll in!

Bank baby clothes

Charities such as Oxfam, Scope and the Salvation Army welcome donations of clothing, which are generally sold in charity shops to raise money for their programmes
of work. Schemes such as Oxfam's Wastesaver send second-hand clothes to Mozambique, Malawi or Angola for emergency use, and provide warm winter clothing for homeless and destitute people both in the UK and abroad.

Even your wrung-out old muslins can be used, as Scope spokesman, Rob Dyson, explains. 'Damaged clothes, unsuitable for sale, are sold to textile traders by the kilo.' Scope then uses the proceeds to fund their work.
There are nearly 3,000 charity-run textile banks nationwide and door-to-door clothing collections. See Practicalities below for info.