Children's products

Child car seats

Before you sell or donate any baby gear, go to www.recalls.gov to see whether items have been recalled in recent years. Standards are tougher now than even a few years ago. For baby gear in good shape, sell it on eBay or through another outlet or donate it at a Goodwill or Salvation Army thrift shop.

We advise against reusing child car seats. It can be hard to tell whether the plastic's strength has degraded after years of use or storage. Designate this as trash and dispose of it according to your community's rules.

Stuffed animals

For like-new items, Beanies for Baghdad, at www.beaniesforbaghdad.com, sends Beanie Babies, stuffed animals, and other items to armed service units in war-torn areas such as Iraq and Afghanistan and they distribute them to children. LovingHugs.org sends soft stuffed animals to children in war zones, refugee camps, orphanages, medical facilities, and elsewhere. With both, you pay for postage. For well-used stuffed animals, some animal shelters use them to comfort puppies. Call yours for info.