“If my children can have everything they need, why can’t all babies?”
In late 2016, Carly Fradgley was feeding her one-year-old son Noah when a thought struck her. Her children — Noah and three-year-old Isla — had everything they needed: nappies, clothes, a safe place to sleep. But what about the families who didn’t?
That same day, she came across a Melbourne-based charity on Instagram that collected and redistributed baby items to families in crisis. Carly loved the idea, but there was no such service in Queensland. She could have left it at that, but the thought wouldn’t go away.
“I didn’t know how to start a charity,” Carly says. “But I kept thinking, what if it works? What if I can do it?”
With a few friends and a Facebook page, she launched Baby Give Back. The idea was simple: collect good quality, no-longer-needed baby items and pass them on to families in need. The response was immediate. Spare rooms and garages began filling with donations. But as Carly began speaking to frontline support workers, the true scale of the need became clear — women fleeing violence with only the clothes on their backs, parents skipping meals to afford nappies or formula.
“We quickly realised this was about more than just stuff,” Carly says. “This was about dignity, support, and making sure children have a fair start.”
Carly had no formal background in the not-for-profit sector, but her legal experience helped her get the charity registered and operational quickly. From the beginning, Baby Give Back worked through social workers and support agencies to ensure the right help reached the right people.
“Every box we pack is done with care,” she says. “Clothes are folded neatly, items are checked for safety, and each box includes a note that reads, ‘With love from your community’.”
Since 2016, Baby Give Back has supported more than 50,000 children. In 2025, the charity began its largest expansion to date, reaching communities in Townsville, Mount Isa, Doomadgee, and Saibai Island near Papua New Guinea. It’s part of a broader goal to support 50,000 children every year by 2030.
“Six of the ten most disadvantaged local government areas in Australia are in Queensland,” Carly says. “Our state has high levels of need and is also vulnerable to natural disasters. We have to be ready.”
The organisation’s Clothing Program is now central to its operations. By supplying nappies, wipes, and clothing, Baby Give Back helps families ease financial pressure. That, in turn, reduces stress and supports mental wellbeing.
“When a family’s basic needs are met, they can breathe again,” Carly says. “They can redirect money to food or rent. That changes lives.”
For Carly, the most memorable moments are the ones where the cycle comes full circle. One mother, who received support during a tough time, recently returned with a box of baby clothes to donate. “She said the donations had made a huge difference to her as a new mum. Now that her baby had outgrown the clothes, she wanted to help someone else.”
Support workers frequently share stories that reaffirm the impact. One wrote, “When I presented the box to the mother, she cried. She was so happy, relieved and grateful. The kindness meant more than words can express.”
A typical day for Carly starts early with coffee and a walk around the warehouse to greet volunteers. Then come team huddles, meetings, deep work sessions, and policy and strategy planning. Fundraising, government engagement and expansion efforts all sit on her to-do list. “It’s a big job,” she says, “but I’m fuelled by a very real sense of hope.”
Volunteers remain central to the charity’s success. “They’re the heart of Baby Give Back,” Carly says. “They give their time generously and joyfully. The work we do wouldn’t be possible without them.”
Running a charity comes with challenges, and the COVID years were especially tough. Warehouse closures and growing demand made operations difficult. But the team adapted, knowing families needed them more than ever.
Looking ahead, Carly wants every child in Queensland — regardless of postcode — to have access to essentials in the earliest, most critical years of life. She also wants the broader community to understand that helping doesn’t have to be grand.
“There’s something everyone can give,” she says. “Time, items, money, skills — it all counts. I get to see how those contributions come together to create something so much bigger than any of us could do alone.”
To find how you can get involved go to https://www.babygiveback.org/
