KinderCycle

We went today for the first time. It was a horrible experience. We’ve been looking forward to this swap for a long time. Unfortunately when we got there the toy and gear tables were stripped of anything useful. I didn’t understand why until I saw how two individuals would immediately take every useful toy right when they came out. I had told my 3 year old daughter that she could pick one toy to take home but she couldn’t compete with the grabby greedy adults who were literally grabbing every working toy that got out on the table. One of them tried to take a toy out of my hands. Not everyone was like that but it only takes a couple greedy purple to ruin the experience for everyone.
I know they don’t want there to be limits to what you can take but some sort of limited system could help people be choosier about what they take rather than take everything they can.
Luckily my daughter found a pack of crayons that she was happy with. We’ll go to drop off toys and stuff (it’s nice seeing people happy to reuse your things) but forget paying the five bucks to go inside.

I’ve been to several swaps in the Bay Area and KinderCycle is my favorite, so I’m a regular KinderCycler now. I like that the drop-​off and swap are at the same time, so you don’t have drop off your stuff and then wait around for an hour for the swap to happen. This system also means that new stuff is being brought to the tables throughout the swap, so all the best stuff can’t get swooped up in the first 10min. The turnout is great, with several hundred families participating and all kinds of clothes, toys, books (on parenting and for kids), and gear. My son is almost two and I’ve never gone home without a bulging bag or two of stuff.
Yes, it’s true that the older your kid gets, the less clothing you’ll have to choose from (people love to give expectant families excessive amounts of cute itty-​bitty clothes that barely get worn and toddlers are more likely to wear holes in their clothes and get stains on them so they’re not swapable, but that’s just a fact of life). Regardless, I always come home with great stuff and some new «favorites» that get worn more than any thing else, anyway.
I also like the personal touch from Jennifer (the mom behind KinderCycle). She runs the entrance and if you’ve come to a swap before or you have a preemie that they’ve helped with their preemie-​box program, she’ll remember you, ask sincerely how your doing, etc.
KinderCycle has been a huge money saver for us and I highly recommend it!

I am so excited about kindercycle. I think is is one of the most brilliant ideas I have seen in a long time. Kids grow out of their toys and clothes so fast and we could all spend a fortune getting them new stuff or we could just go to one place and swap out the old for the new. So glad this resource exists!

Give away baby/​kid stuff that you don’t need and is just cluttering your house, and pick up baby/​kid stuff you do need for just $ 5. It’s both good karma and a good deal. Definitely one of the best baby resources in the Bay Area. I only wish I’d found it when my kids were littler. If you have a baby in your family or on the way, you could seriously save hundreds of dollars on clothes and gear by coming to the swap — there are tons of baby clothes, swings, bathtubs, slings, toys, books, etc. that other families only use a short while (so they are «gently used») and you’ll only use a short while before you’re ready to swap them out, too. Some stuff is really good quality… some not so much. It doesn’t matter, you’ll still get your money’s worth.
Like others said, there is less available for older kids. Which makes sense, really — older kids actually wear out their clothes. Plus, who’s going to come swap a bag of 6T clothes, knowing they aren’t going to be able to pick up anything for their 7 year old? Actually, I think I’ll just donate my big kid clothes (when the time comes) as a thank you to Kindercycle. Still, if you hang around long enough, you can still get some good 2T and 3T items — at least enough to make it worth the $ 5.

I went to the swap for the first time this past weekend and was impressed by how well it was run. There must have been well over 100 swappers and many of them had several bags of clothing each. It’s a very organized, streamlined process from the time you enter to the time you leave. Several of the volunteers were quite helpful as well.
The quality of the clothes, gear, and toys were at least as good as any resale store.
As other reviewers here have noted, there is a smaller selection of older kid clothes when compared to baby clothes, but this is ALWAYS the case no matter where you are getting your clothes from; buy/​sell/​trade stores, Goodwill, and heck even Babies R’ Us have a paucity of older toddler clothes when compared to baby clothes. The important thing to look at it the quality of items and I thought they were high.

This is a rad idea! I wish I had known about this when my son was smaller. It is definitely a place to score some wearable stuff and those little gadgets you need only for a couple months while you baby is small. We scored some great little toys and shorts for the summer. I agree it is getting a little tough to find the next size up at the swap. it seems to tap out at the 12 months age, and some of the older kids clothes were pretty well worn (not much life left in them). Definitely worth checking out.

KinderCycle is one of the BEST baby resources I have found in the Bay Area. I was so excited to find it and it has been fun each time I have gone!
I love that I can bring in a bag (well, in our case, it usually amounts to 3 bags) of clothes that no longer fit and get them out of our baby’s dresser. In exchange, I get to pick bunches of clothes that fit, some of which are super cute brands, fantastic toys, and even books for my little boy.
The excitement of the swap keeps me coming back. There is mystery and unpredictability to it too, of course. Sometimes there is more girls clothing or stuff for certain ages. I know that as word spreads and more and more people go to the swaps bringing clothes for different ages, it will only get better.

This swap is fantastic. After trading in my bag of out grown clothes etc. and paying $ 5, I spent the morning getting a whole new wardrobe for my son. It definitely was better for the under 2 years old crew. This is a great concept and I can see it really growing as more families participate. It was fun to see others taking our old clothes. I heard they donate all the leftovers to moms in need. I’m excited for next month!

Well, I have to say I love a good swap. I love that items get reused and used to their full potential and, let’s face it, you can’t beat free!
Before I had a baby I held them for me and my girlfriends, but now that I have a baby who is quickly becoming a toddler, I’ve been on the search for places locally where I can get new clothes and essentially a new wardrobe for her without spending a fortune. I got tons of clothes as gifts when I was pregnant for her through the first year, but now I have tons of baby clothes I no longer need and she’s rapidly outgrowing her existing clothes. I don’t have time to hit up garage sales or really even go to a thrift store and sift through items, but I DEFINITELY have a half an hour on a weekend to get rid of the stuff I no longer need and grab a new wardrobe for her for essentially FREE! (I paid $ 5 at the door because I brought items. It’s $ 10 if you don’t).
I went to the first ever swap on a Saturday at the Rockridge library, walked up to the community room, paid my $ 5, handed my items to the volunteers and immediately was able to begin getting what I needed. The clothes were well-​organized by age/​size and the swap also included toys, shoes, socks, bottles, sippy cups, pump parts, and gear (such as bouncers, boppy’s, strollers, and more). One thing I loved about this swap is that it had things besides clothes. I needed boots and socks and sippy cups and it’s great that I got a chance to get some of those, too! I’ll definitely be hitting up the next swaps for additional clothes, to donate my items and hopefully get some gear (I’m in need of an umbrella stroller). :-)
Jennifer who runs the swap is also very nice and well organized. Everything ran smoothly and seamlessly and was easy for me as a swapper to give and get quickly and efficiently. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!