CradleBless: Rehoming $20,146 Worth of Baby Items

CradleBless: Rehoming $20,146 Worth of Baby Items

Baby Gear, Bigger purpose

“As of 2022, (US) households contained 263 million unused—but valuable—kids’ items, of which 100 million were thrown away and another 29 million were left on the street,” said GoodBuy Gear co-founder and CEO, Kristin Langenfeld. This problem of waste and lack of recycling is not unique to the US. Singapore’s household recycling rate in 2023 stagnated at its lowest point in over a decade, with just 12 percent of all rubbish thrown out recycled. 

At Cradlenest, we believe in changing this narrative — by giving baby items a second life, empowering communities through meaningful, responsible giving. That’s why we launched CradleBless, an initiative that redistributes gently-used baby items from families who no longer need them to those who do. 

 

What is CradleBless?

CradleBless is a redistribution initiative by Cradlenest aimed at collecting pre-loved baby items from families who want to donate and blessing other families who truly need them. 

For many families struggling to make ends meet, baby items, especially essentials like cots, strollers, clothes, or milk warmers, can be financially out of reach. Below is a table on how much parents need to spend on essentials during their child’s first two years: 

Image 1: Infographic by SmartParents, detailing the breakdown of expenses in raising a child (ages 0-2)

That amounts to roughly $30,000 a year spent on baby essentials alone — and that doesn’t even include the cost of daily necessities for the rest of the family. CradleBless helps lightens this load by engaging the community — connecting generous donations from one family to another. 

 

How CradleBless is Contributing to Sustainability Efforts 

Despite growing awareness and increased household participation in recycling, Singapore’s low domestic recycling rate of 12% can be attributed to multiple reasons, one of the most pressing issues being contamination. When non-recyclables like food waste are tossed into recycling bins, they contaminate the entire bin, deeming whatever is inside unrecyclable. According to the National Environment Agency (NEA), up to 40% of domestic recyclables end up being discarded due to such contamination.

CradleBless therefore aims to curb this issue and best extend the life of baby items through reuse and redistribution. The baby industry, by nature, is fast-moving and consumption-heavy. By 2025, Singapore’s baby clothes market is projected to generate over US $64 million, with parents purchasing an average of 2.1 pieces per person — underscoring frequent clothing turnover as infants grow fast. Meanwhile, Singapore uses around 6–8 disposable diapers daily per infant — approximately 5,000–6,000 diapers before toilet training, contributing nearly 1 tonne of waste per child. 

By giving these items a second life, CradleBless actively reduces landfill pressure and promotes a more sustainable, circular culture of parenting in Singapore, all while lightening the financial load on families in need.

 

CradleBless: Progress and Achievements

Since launching on 23 May, we have held 7 runs of CradleBless, successfully:

  • Redistributing an estimated $20,146 worth of baby items to families across multiple districts

  • Partnering with 4 Social Service Agencies (SSAs)

    • Montfort Care

    • Viriya Community Services

    • Fei Yue Community Services

    • Riverlife Community Services

  • Supporting over 288 beneficiaries

  • Diverting over 6,181 baby items from landfills

None of this would have been possible without the generous contributions from our blessers and the unwavering support of our SSA partners — to whom we are deeply grateful.

Photo: 7th CradleBless Run Partnership with Riverlife Community Services - CradleNest

 

How are CradleBless Runs Carried Out?

If you're interested in donating, we welcome contributions from blessers (individuals or families who are donating used baby items). The process is simple, making giving easy and convenient:

  1. Fill Out the Form
    Blessers complete a short Donation Form on our Instagram page to let us know what they’d like to donate, as well as their contact details.

  2. Thursday Pick-Ups
    Every Thursday, our Cradlenest team makes scheduled rounds to pick up items directly from Blessers’ homes. If they’re not home, Blessers can leave items labeled with their name and “CradleBless” outside their doors for contactless collection.

  3. Redistribution through Partners
    All collected items are delivered to our trusted Social Service Agency (SSA) partners, who then identify and distribute them to families under their care. These agencies work closely with lower-income households and are well-positioned to ensure items go where they’re most needed.

How to Be Part of CradleBless

Want to be a Blesser?

  • Visit our Instagram Page and fill out the CradleBless Donation Form

  • Prepare your gently-used baby items

  • Leave them out on Thursday, clearly labelled if you're not home

  • We’ll take care of the rest

In Need of Baby Items?

If you're a family in need, reach out to one of our partner SSAs or contact us directly — we’ll connect you with the right agency.


Get in Touch:

WhatsApp: wa.me/91285268

Instagram: @cradlenestsg



This article was informed by resources from the following: