An Idea is Born

When my daughter was born, it just so happened that two of my closest friends had both given birth to baby girls a few months ahead of me.

After giving birth, my friends found themselves with a lot of maternity clothes they didn't plan on wearing again. And since I was in the middle of MY pregnancy, they mailed them to me. It was a Godsend.

Months later, after the birth of my own daughter, the six-month old's mama began mailing outgrown clothes to the three-month old's mama. And the three-month old's mama would mail outgrown clothes to my newborn. And when MY daughter outgrew the clothes, I'd pass them on to whoever I thought might need them. Our daughters' are all five now (where does the time go?), and the cycle still continues. And although we each live in different states, it's SO much more affordable to swap than continually buying new.

I knew how fortunate I was to have this incredible support, especially being a single parent on a very limited budget. But I always felt for those who weren't as lucky. What about parents who DIDN'T have a network of generous friends like I did? For me, that was the key. I KNEW these people. I trusted them. It wasn't like going to a thrift store and purchasing a faceless stranger's hand-me-downs. Don't get me wrong! I've made many a thrift store purchase, but there's some kind of wonderful difference when it's personal. In my mind, swapping is an inherently intimate practice. You're trading pieces of your life, after all!

And then, as the economy gradually tanked, I joined the ranks of many parents who found themselves unemployed after an "economic lay-off." Every family I knew was faced with a tighter belt than ever before. I wanted to help. I wanted to repay the generosity of those who helped me when I needed it. I wanted to share what I DID have.

I thought there were probably a whole lot of people out there who felt the same.

I'm hoping I'm right.

Darcy

swapmamas@gmail.com

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