A mum-of-one has explained how she got £1,000 worth of free baby items by using an app.
Some of the freebies Leah Williams* managed to get via YoungPlanet include John Lewis baby clothing, Clarks shoes, a car seat and even a cot.
The 41-year-old, who lives in London, also found a free microwave steriliser, some bottles and a baby swing - and she reckons in total she’s saved around £1,000 by not buying these items brand new.
YoungPlanet is a free-to-download app that connects parents with other mums and dads who are getting rid of products they no longer need.
The idea is that it helps struggling families find items without paying a cost, as well as keeping products out of landfills.
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Ms Williams, who lives with her partner and their two-year-old child, said: "Through the app we were gifted lots of items such as clothing, reusable nappies, swim nappies, a microwave steriliser, some bottles, teats and pacifiers.
“In real cash money terms, we’ve saved around £1,000, possibly more.
“We have been given a car seat with a family fix base, a baby swing, and our single cot - those three things alone would have cost us over £500 new.
“We were helped by loads of parents in the early days when we had no idea what we needed.
"We love passing on the love, too! So we have also used YoungPlanet to help pick things up for a local baby bank.”
YoungPlanet was first launched by husband and wife duo Jason and Emma Ash in late 2019 as a trial in London.
It has now expanded to other parts of the UK so more families can use its service.
You can download the YoungPlanet app for free via the App Store or Google Play .
Once you’ve downloaded it, you’ll need to register and enter your postcode so it can bring up items that are near to you.
You can also use its search function to browse for anything specific, as well as using filters to sort through items “by distance” or “by date”.
Once you find something you’re interested in, you can “request” it and send a message to the person who posted it - it’ll then be up to the “giver” to decide who they gift it to.
If they choose to give it to you, you’ll then need to arrange a face-to-face meet up or for the product to be posted.
Ideally, you should exchange items with someone nearby to avoid paying for postage costs - but if you do need the “giver” to send it, it’ll be down to you to pay for postage.
Just make sure you’re aware of scammers and send your money in a secure way so you can get it back if the transaction goes wrong.
Jason Ash, founder of YoungPlanet, said: “As a busy parent, being environmentally-conscious isn’t always the priority and there’s often a higher price to pay for ‘greener’ brands.
“With YoungPlanet, we wanted to make a ‘greener’ and more practical option the logical choice by making it easier for parents to exchange unused or no longer used things. And it’s working.
“We’ve enabled thousands of families to not only declutter sustainably but help other families by giving them access to the things they need or want, for free.”
* Name has been changed for the purpose of this article
