How matching works
Donation bins are a black box. Your Loop Bag isn't.
Every bag is matched to one real family before it ships. Here is exactly how we pick that family, check by check.
The journey your bag takes
Four steps, one real family
You log in to your account
You tell us one thing: the gender and size of what's inside.
Our system searches the community
Every family in the loop has shared their kids' sizes and genders. We run your bag through five checks (just below) to find the right match.
You ship with the prepaid label
Shipping is included with every bag. Drop it off and you're done. Your part took about five minutes, start to finish.
The clothes land in one real household
You'll make a family's day, and that means a lot more than those clothes sitting in a landfill.
The magic is in the match
Five checks behind every bag
Once you log in and tell us what's in your bag, our system runs every family in the loop through five checks:
One gender per bag
Each bag holds one gender. We offer a unisex option, but we don't support mixed-gender bags.
One size down
We match to a kid one size below your sending size, so the clothes arrive right before they're needed. If you're combining two close sizes in one bag, like 12M and 18M, just enter the smaller size when you log in so it matches correctly.
Matched by climate region
Region is defined by climate zone, like Southwest or Northeast, so the clothes fit the weather they're worn in. Your summer rompers land where it's romper season, and snow gear stays where there's snow.
Senders first
Families who have sent a bag get priority when bags are matched. The loop runs on generosity, so the people keeping it moving are first in line when clothes in their size come through.
Fair rotation
We use a 60-day window: a family who's received a bag in the last 60 days isn't matched again until it passes. One household never stacks up bag after bag while others in the same size get nothing.
Getting the bag
Packing
Going to another family
Not all passing-on is equal
The donation bin vs. the loop
The donation bin
No idea where your clothes actually go
Sorted in bulk; most never reaches another kid
No size, season, or region logic at all
One-way and anonymous; nothing loops back to you
The Little Loop
Matched to one real family before it ships
Gender and size checked, one size behind
Region-matched so the clothes fit the season
Senders get priority, and fair rotation means everyone loops
The questions we actually get
Asked by real moms, answered honestly
Do I need to send a bag to get a bag?
Joining the loop is free, and any family in the community can be matched. But families who have sent a bag get priority when clothes in their kid's size come through. The fastest way to receive is to send.
How do you account for seasons?
Climate-zone matching. Your bag goes to a family in the same climate zone, like Southwest or Northeast, so the clothes match the weather they were worn in. Sundresses sent from a warm zone land somewhere warm. Snow gear stays where there's snow.
How do you handle the quality of what's inside?
The standard is simple: washed and in good condition. No rips or stains, please. Every bag is packed by a mom who knows another mom is opening it, and that changes what goes in. The rule of thumb: if your kid wore it happily, it belongs in the bag. If you'd quietly toss it, toss it at home.
Why does a bag cost $20?
The $20 is the entire cost of sending, with nothing else to buy. It covers your shipping-ready Loop Bag, the prepaid shipping label, and the matching system that finds the one family whose kid wears your size next. Compare that to an afternoon of photographing, listing, and haggling to sell the same clothes for a few dollars apiece, or a donation bin where most of it never reaches a kid.
Always improving
Every family makes the matching smarter
Matching gets better as the loop grows. More families in your region and size means faster matches, closer matches, and clothes that spend less time in transit and more time on kids. With 3,300+ families and counting, every signup makes the next match better.
Last updated: July 2026
Your bag's family is already in the loop.
Somewhere near you there's a kid one size behind yours. Send this size on.
Start your first loopPrepaid shipping included with every bag