Our Boutique exists because of the community who have donated bags and boxes of beautiful clothes for us to then stock and sell. There are too many to thank here individually, but include Mums with little ones generously passing on their pre-loved quality clothes; small businesses that have excess stock or have recently closed and have donated many lovely things for our women, as well as crafty ladies in the region who have spent hours making beautiful knitted or hand sewn clothes, quilts and blankets. We deeply appreciate each of you. One local Mum gave us 6 vacuum bags of the most gorgeous girls' clothes and the team had a fun evening of labelling and displaying the tiny pink frilly garments. 

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We are commonly asked why we are running a second-hand Baby Boutique when there are local services like Roundabout who provide an amazing supply of second-hand items including boxes of clothes for free to families in need. Our answer to this question includes the following: ‍

1. A way for new Mums to get to know us – browsing for baby items is a non-threatening way for a new Mum to make her first contact with us. ‍

2. To give the joy of shopping! - The look on a Mum’s face when she comes to the counter with a basket full of gorgeous things she could not otherwise afford says it all. She has the same joy of shopping for her little one that a Mum who can more freely spend would have in an expensive baby store. 

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‍3. To encourage engagement with our programs - We have developed a reward system where Gift Vouchers for the Baby Boutique are given when a woman has engaged with our services or attended a certain number of appointments, classes or drop-in sessions. This then allows her the same shopping experience without actual cost.  ‍

4. Raises funds for FSPS – FSPS receives no government funding and we rely on the generosity of individuals and community organisations to enable us to operate. Several of our initiatives including the Baby Boutique and our First Steps Birthing classes are currently ‘cost neutral’ with the small amount of income generated helping to cover the costs of that aspect of our work. We hope to move towards generating some income once set-up costs are covered, which will support our other programs in the future.  

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‍5. Volunteering and Community Support - donating clothes and helping with the Boutique are easy ways for Mums in the community who are further ahead in their parenting journey to support new Mums coming through. This might be through entrusting us with their children’s clothes, sewing/knitting or volunteering their time to help with the washing, sorting, labelling and hanging of these items. It is also an avenue for other passionate community members such as local teenagers or Mums with a free hour or two to come and help out with the running of the Boutique.

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We are so excited about the beautiful and inviting space that the Baby Boutique creates within our new premises. We look forward to welcoming you to come and have a look and would love to hear from you if you are in need of quality pre-loved baby clothes or if you would like to help us out in any way with keeping our Boutique stocked and open! 

Please email hello@fsps.org.au to organise donations or if you would like to be involved!

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