Probably a Totally Stupid Question

If they are in PERFECT condition, absolutely no holes or stains, good elastic, then they get donated along with the rest of the outgrown clothes. Otherwise they get tossed.

That's what little cousins are for. :)

At the very least, donate & let them make the call--at the very least, they'll be sold for rags!

Not a stupid question at all......

I am surprised at some of the responses.

I donate a lot of things to the Women's Shelter, Goodwill, etc ...........BUT I DO NOT donate underwear, bras, swim suits, etc.. Those get pitched because no matter how "clean" they are, I can't stand the thought of used undies or passing them on. Yuck

Even though we have purchased good quality undies, it is one item not on my list for donation.

I've known families who buy underwear from thrift stores, so even though I wouldn't purchase them, some people need to. I donate.

I have bought and sold used cloth diapers and underwear. I usually donate the underwear if it is in good shape with no tears or stains.

I just bought a bunch of underwear at the thrift store for my daughter. She will be potty training soon and they were .25 each! Deal!
As my kids have gotten older (my boys are 10 and 7) we usually wear them until they can't be worn any more (holes) and then they are tossed.
But, if they are in good shape and not stained then I would donate them.

I put the ones in good shape, with no stains or discoloration, good elastic, no holes, into the donation bag. I figure the charity I give them too can decide to either keep them or not, but at least the decision is theirs and I don't feel like I'm depriving a child of something necessary just because I wouldn't want hand-me-down underwear.

As long as they are well laundered, they should be fine, I see children's underwear in garage sales all the time, especially the colored patterns like Sesame Street, Super Hero's characters.
If you don't want to sell, donate to Good Will or Planet Aid.

I donate underwear to Goodwill. I buy more expensive underwear for my kids so they hold up. Like Gap boxer briefs and Gymboree briefs. There are many who buy used cloth diapers so I assume they would not mind used nice undies. That is for my boys though. My daughter has not outgrown any undies yet but hers just seem much more used. Maybe because they are so tiny. I think I may just toss hers when done.

P.:

If they are clean (freshly laundered) donate them. That's what we do.

We've also handed them down to other friends. This economy has a lot of people strapped for cash, etc. and underwear is expensive. So if it's still in good shape (elastic waist not messed up), we pass them on to friends.

I've freecycled and sold them on ebay as well.

good luck!

I know some friends list them on freecycle. The small sizes get grabbed up to be used for potty training.

We'll likely be passing them along to friends with younger kids if Kiddo ever grows out of them. We usually get the ones from Hanna Andersson and so far, we've never worn them out.

I gave mine to Goodwill. And that was after at least 3 kids wore it, because my SIL handed down her son's underwear to me, and both my kids wore it.

It's not like they get all worn out from a little kid wearing them for just a short time...

I donated it if it was still in good shape. And I have bought underwear and swim suits from thrift stores. I wash EVERYTHING before wearing it, even if I buy it new. I have worked softlines retail and I know how dirty some people are when they come into a fitting room to try on clothes. I have no idea how many people might have tried on the item I bought before I got it, or what kind of creeping nasty they might have had on their skin. I'm not a germaphobe but that's one area where I just prefer not to take unnecessary chances.

Not silly at all!

Underwear and t shirts make great dust cloths...

Or into the garbage they go!

best

trash or garage rags

Rag box. They are great for little jobs and then I toss instead of washing. For instance, if I use a scratch cover on the coffee table, I use an old sock or pair of underwear and then throw it away.

I would just toss.

I've bought underwear for my grandkids at a resale shop. So, yes, please donate them.

That's a hard one. I have a friend who's daughters are of a similar size even though they're a couple of years apart, so they share underpants but I just throw them out when we're done.

Honestly, if they are clean, not stained, good condition, etc..., they could be sold at a garage sale or donated. So many people would be grateful for the savings on such necessary items, especially for small children that grow so fast and aren't concerned about where their clothes came from yet.

And, btw... I've recently read that bras are the most needed and least donated items at women's shelters and such, so please keep that if you have good condition bras that you no longer will wear.