Here’s a quick guide to how The Wee Swap events run, from Swap Drops to the fun on the day itself!

Swap Drop in Advance

To ensure a smooth and well-organised swap day, we only accept your gently-used children's clothes, items, toys, and books in advance for the swap. This helps us sort everything and get it ready for the event.

For information on what items we accept, please see the FAQs below.


The Wee Swap Day

Our swap days are lively and welcoming community events designed for families. Here's what you can expect:

First Dibs Hour: For those who gave items for the swap, we offer an exclusive "First Dibs" hour at the start of the event. This is your chance to browse and pick out treasures before anyone else! 


Open-To-All Hours: After the First Dibs hour, the doors open for everyone! All are welcome to come along and explore the vast array of pre-loved items. It's a fantastic opportunity to find everything from clothes to toys and books for your little ones, all completely free.

Creative Activities for Kids

We firmly believe that children are at the heart of The Wee Swap, and we want them to feel involved and excited! That's why we offer creative activities specifically for kids on both our advance donation days and the main swap event day.

Bringing your children along encourages their participation in the circular economy and makes their swapping experience joyful and memorable

 FAQs

  • We accept most children’s clothes, items, toys, and books, provided they are in good, clean, and useable condition and are not stained or damaged. When in doubt about the quality of an item, please use the mindset: "What would I want to receive at the swap?"

    Please wash all clothes and soft furnishings, including soft toys, in advance of your Swap Drop.

    Unfortunately, due to health and safety regulations, we do not accept:

    • Anything broken, dirty, or unsafe

    • Car seats or booster seats

    • Cot mattresses, pram mattresses, cot bumpers

    • Repainted cots or drop-side cots

    • Incomplete toy sets (like board games or puzzles with missing pieces)

    • Safety helmets

    • Used pacifiers and bottles

    Apart from these exceptions, we will accept everything else. If you are still in doubt, please feel free to message us here.

    Don’t forget, we also happily accept maternity clothes too!

  • Please sort your items as best you can by age-group in advance of your Swap Drop. This makes a huge difference to our volunteers, who otherwise have to go through large bags, which can take a lot of time. Your help allows us to get items onto the swap floor much quicker for everyone!

  • Ideally, yes, we prefer people to register if they are planning to take part in the swap and drop items off to us. Registering helps us plan our resources in advance, and it means we can communicate with you easily in the run-up to the event, especially regarding the First Dibs Hour.

    Sign Up Here!

    If you are not bringing items in advance and plan on just attending the 'Open-To-All' part of the event, there's no need to register – just show up!

  • While we appreciate the kind intention, we would prefer that you only drop off items if you are planning on coming back for the swap event and taking part. If we receive too many items that aren't then swapped, the event doesn't work as intended, and we risk being overwhelmed with leftovers, which can be difficult to pass on after the event. Our goal is to keep items in a circular flow within the community!

  • Yes, absolutely! The event is completely free for everyone. Our view is that these items have already been purchased and they exist to be used. If we don't give them second lives, we risk good quality items going to landfill. We completely understand that not everyone is in a position to give items in advance, and honestly, by taking these items home and giving them new lives, you are doing us (and the planet) a favour.

    So, as the saying goes – "fill your boots!"


  • Unfortunately, no, we can only accept items during our designated Swap Drop Days. This is because we only have access to our Swap Drop venues at specific times, and our wonderful volunteers are available to help us receive and process items during these designated slots. With our current capacity, concentrating drop-offs to these specific days allows us to efficiently manage and prepare all items for the main swap events.

  • We are always looking for extra hands to help with our Swap Drop Days and event days! If you'd like to get involved, please check out our 'Volunteer' page for more information.

  • Unfortunately, no, we are not able to do pick-ups at this stage. The Wee Swap is a passion project for Meg and Anna, but they both have other full-time commitments. For now, we can only receive items for the swap during designated Swap Drop Days.

  • Our main goal is to find new homes for as many items as possible! If there are items left over after the event, we work hard to ensure they continue their circular journey. We typically partner with local community groups or charities, or textile recycling initiatives to responsibly rehome or repurpose anything that remains. Our priority is to avoid anything going to landfill.

    If you know of any organisations who would be interested in taking leftover items, please let us know!

  • No, there's no strict limit! We encourage you to take what you need for your family. Our aim is to give these quality items a second life and reduce waste, so please "fill your boots" with items that will be used and loved in your home.

  • Right now, we're only holding Wee Swaps in East Belfast and Lisburn in 2025. The organisers, Anna and Meg, run The Wee Swap as a passion project but they also have other full-time commitments, and these current locations are within their local communities. As The Wee Swap grows, we would absolutely love to be able to bring it to more towns across Northern Ireland!