KinderCycle is an organization that hosts swaps for baby and kids’ stuff in the San Francisco Bay Area (learn more about their next swap). When I heard about their Preemie Box program, it sounded like such a wonderful idea. Parents of preemies have enough to worry about without the added chore of shopping for an often unexpected new wardrobe for their baby. I contacted Jennifer Pesetsky, founder of KinderCycle, to learn more about their Preemie Box program:

Encore Baby Registry: What is a Preemie Box?

Jennifer Pesetsky: A preemie box is a shoe box filled with preemie clothes. After each KinderCycle swap, some of the leftovers are preemie clothes, I separate those out and make shoeboxes containing about 20 pieces of clothes each. I have boxes for girls and boxes for boys.

EBR: How did the Preemie Box program start?

JP: My daughter was a preemie. She was born by emergency c-section at 35 weeks (after a planned homebirth!) She was in the NICU for nine days and was too small for 0-3 month clothes for at least a month or two. (I seem to have blocked that memory.) I still wanted to dress her in clothes that fit her and looked good on her. We had a few friends who lent us preemie clothes to get us through until she fit in 0-3 month clothes. We didn’t have time to go shopping and I didn’t feel like we needed to own new preemie clothes because I knew that my daughter would not be in those clothes for very long. So, borrowing them from friends made sense to me. Fast forward a few months… When I started KinderCycle, I knew that I wanted to have a component that gave back to the preemies in my community so I started the Preemie Box program.

EBR: Who can borrow a Preemie Box?

JP: Anyone in Alameda County can borrow a preemie box. If I have a few preemie boxes on hand, I will deliver some of the clothes to the Alta Bates NICU where my daughter spent time.

EBR: How can parents borrow a Preemie Box?

JP: Get in touch with me – jennifer@KinderCycle.org or call me at 510-967-5467. I, or a KinderCycle volunteer, will drop off a box at your house or at the hospital and you can return it to me when your preemie has outgrown the clothes.

EBR: Do you take donations of preemie clothes?

JP: YES!! If you have preemie clothes, I’d be happy to take them to pass along to other families who have a new preemie in their lives.