It is kind of a sad day in my house. Maybe I shouldn’t consider it sad, but instead think of it as a new chapter. You see, ever since I married my cute husband, we knew that two babies was our limit. So yesterday, I started the dreaded task of packing up our newborn/infant clothes. My little Molly is now seven months old and it’s time for me to start saying goodbye to those precious, tiny clothes.
| Molly – July 2010 |
With my girls only being 20 months apart, we’ve had our share of baby clothes in this house over the last 2 1/2 years. We’ve seen (and cleaned) a lot of messes in these little outfits. A lot of the clothes I can even tell you if it was a gift or something I bought on my own. Isn’t the old saying…”If these walls could talk..” Well if these tiny baby clothes could talk – wow, they would have some fun stories to tell! So many great memories.
| Maggie – December 2008 |
Wanna hear the good news? One of my oldest friends that I’ve known since I was in the third grade just found out this week that she’s having a little girl. Good timing on her part because she just hit the baby clothes jackpot!
While I do plan on sharing most of my clothes with my friend, I’m also donating a lot of our baby clothes to a local women’s organization. They are in desperate need of donations and I feel giving back is the right thing to do. And call me crazy, but I’d rather give these baby clothes to a worthy cause for free than I would sell them at a garage sale for next to nothing.
| Molly – September 2010 – Shameless plug for Graco products! |
While, I’m sad to see all of these little clothes going off to a new home, it is exciting knowing that some other precious baby is going to be making their own memories in them too! And yes, I did keep a few of my “favorites”. (Wouldn’t you?!)
So spill the beans…what do you do with your old baby clothes? Garage sale? Donate them to a special organization? And the real question…how many of them do you still have as a keepsake?! Tell me..
Comments
Gsc418
We too are a 2 kid limit family – once our 2nd baby boy arrives in April, that’s it! Once he outgrows some outfits/the swings/other baby stuff I plan on donating A LOT of clothes. The strollers/swings/etc. I will sell to a great consignment shop in the area – Once Upon A Child.
Carrie with Children
Oh I hadn’t thought about consignment shops – we have a Once Upon A Child here too! May have to look into that – thanks for the tip! 🙂
Ashley @ Mama of All Trades
With Bunny, I hoarded her clothes. I had 6-7 large bins with every article of clothing she ever wore. I finally went through it a few months ago and gave a bunch to two sets of friends having girls and then the rest to charity. I did keep my favorite things for her memory trunk.
With Bubba, I am keeping the favorites and sending the rest right out for donation each time he switches sizes. I don’t want to deal with the clutter anymore and I know we’re done having children.
Carrie with Children
You sound like me – I’m done dealing with all the clutter! Time for me to clean out and free up some space!
Barbara
I’m a hoarder! My husband wants to give away all of Little Man’s clothes since he is convinced if we have #2 she will be a girl! I’m torn.
Carrie with Children
I think it’s worth keeping them..just in case! You never know! : )
Carrie with Children
Haha! I know what you mean – give all your clothes away and it will be another boy! Isn’t that the way it always works!
Vanessa Ranee
I sold a lot of them at a children’s resale last spring. But then donated the rest just last week to Goodwill. I held on to a few of my favorites too! I was hoping to keep some each year and eventually turn them into a fun quilt for my kids down the road.
Carrie with Children
Oh I love the idea of making a quilt! That is awesome! Good tip!
April
Kanin was about 18 months old and I still had ALL of his baby clothes. I finally decided that I was going to get rid of them. I pulled all of the boxes out and started going through them and then I sat there and bawled like a baby. As I held up each of those tiny newborn outfits and realized that he would NEVER be that small again, my heart just broke. I packed them all back up and kept them for another 6 months and went through the whole process again. I ended up doing the garage sale thing because I desperately needed what little $$ they did bring in.
With GracieAnn and Caleb’s clothes, I have a niece and nephew that are about 1 year younger so I have give them a lot of their clothes. I also do consignment shops and sales and then I donate to Goodwill or AmVets.
Of course I kept all of their hospital coming home outfits. I have this Tigger pj outfit that all 3 of the babies wore so I will definitely keep that. I have all of their first Christmas outfits and anything special that each of them looked exceptionally cute in or I have fond memories of.
It sounds so silly but it almost feels like when I get rid of those little clothes, as they grow into bigger ones, that I am giving away part of my memories.
Carrie with Children
Isn’t it crazy to look back and see all the tiny, little clothes?! Oh my heart melted today when I found a newborn-sized diaper. It was *So* tiny!
I’ve kept out their coming home outfits too. I just couldn’t part with those yet!
It doesn’t sound silly at all to think that those clothes are memories – they definitely are just that! I can remember so many things about each of my girls clothes! <3
Nichol
Awww. I donate or give away all my clothes to friends who do not have it well off. I have received clothes from so many so why sell them.
Ashleyplus3
We passed most of them on to other moms. I had 5 friends with older daughters so we had insane amounts of hand-me-downs! It is bittersweet getting rid of them!
Carrie with Children
Haha! You hit the baby clothes jackpot just like my friend! That’s great you all were able to share – baby clothes can be pricey!
Busymomibee
I agree..It is always a bitter sweet feeling for me. I still have some of my boys things that I know I will never use again. I still have the outfits they came home in, and they are now 5 and 3:) Those are definitely keepers! When I do go through their clothes I either give them to a close friend like yourself, donate to Goodwill or sell them on Ebay. I once gave some coats to the Children, Youth and Family Agency in my county. As far as everything else like big toys or swings, I wait to the neighborhood garage sale.
After my first child, I kept all of his clothes not knowing when or what we would be having if we had another child. Luckily, I had another boy and we were able to use everything again! But now, I don’t know if we are going to have another so I am not storing everything up like I did before:)
Carrie with Children
It’s very bittersweet! I agree, the coming home outfit is definitely a keeper!
Shannonblaeske
I gave all of the boys cloths to the Hatiti relief fund because that happened right when I found out I was having a girl and would not need baby boy cloths anymore. Fiona’s cloths that she has started to grow out of I have been giving to my sis-in-law for her new little blessing, but any cloths that I recieved that I didn’t like and never used, I sold them to a consignment shop because a. they were gifts and I figured friends and family wanted me to get something out of them. Since Fi never wore them, the money helped buy her other things she needed and b. if I didn’t like them, I wasn’t going to pawn them off on another person. I’ll let someone make their own desicion and buy them if they like them.
Carrie with Children
Oh that was a great idea to donate to the Haiti relief fund and such perfect timing for your sister-in-law!
I need to look into this consignment shop stuff! Never thought about it!
Jessica D Torres
After my first child I saved a lot of the outfits that I really liked and I gave the rest away to friends and family who were expecting girls. With my second child, who thankfully was also a girl, I have been giving away everything that she grows out of because I am done having children. The only exception is the dresses that my grandmother has made for my kids. I can’t part with those because they are handmade. Everything else though, has got to go.
Carrie with Children
How neat – those dresses your grandmother made must be gorgeous! What a fantastic keepsake for your girls!
Cintia
Hello from the Blizzard Blog Hop! I keep them or give them to my sisters. we just started having babies!
Carrie with Children
Hi Cintia – thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Toesthattwinkleblog
I found you on the blog hop and now Im following you! Please check out my blog and follow me, http://toesthattwinkle.blogspot.com/ I also wanted to say how much I love your blog and reading the posts!
Katie Hurley
I gave all of my baby clothes to my best friend back East, who has a little boy 10 months behind mine. I am always sad when I pack up a box, but it makes me happy to see pictures of her baby wearing them.
Carrie with Children
That’s a great point, Katie! It is fun to see other little ones wearing them! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Goodnight moon
Hello! I just found you from todays blog hop! Your babies are completely adorable! I am a SAHM of 4…2 girls and 2 boys. I am HAPPY to announce that I am also able to pass on my baby clothes to someone else to make their own memories. It is sad to put them in a box and take them to Goodwill, but I don’t have room to keep holding on to them anymore. I think we as moms know and understand our limits…we we say we are D.O.N.E with babies, we are done. I am really excited about the next chapter, watching them grow and molding them into special people!
Carrie with Children
Hi there! Thanks for stopping in! You are so right – we know our limits and two babies is mine! Haha! My girls keep me busy! 🙂
Melissa
I work with an organization called Young Lives that offers mentoring and support to teen moms. I know that our local chapter accepts donations of infant clothing {many of the girls can’t afford to buy clothing for their babies}. Donating is always a great option…nice to find you through the blog hop
Carrie with Children
Hi Melissa – Thanks for stopping by! That sounds like a great organization and very similar to the one I donate to locally! It always makes me feel good to help out!
NYCPatty
My mom kept some of our baby clothes and I hope to someday put it on my baby if I have a girl. I have a blanket and I still have to rescue the little teddy bear my dad gave my mom when I was born…my sister stole him (she’s younger and a teddy bear fan)…I have photo proof the bear is mine. Oh my mom let us have some baby clothes for our dolls and that meant the world to us. Just an FYI from a grown girl who treasures her baby clothes!
Carrie with Children
That’s so cool your mom saved some baby clothes for you! I hope you get your teddy bear back soon!
Annie Shultz
We just had our third and my doctor told me this had to be our last. It was a very sad realization. I was holding onto ALL my baby clothes from my son and daughter “just in case” we had a baby that could use it. Since I realized I wouldn’t need them I have been giving them away as well. I have a good friend that took all my baby boy clothes. Oh I cried! But like you, I kept a few pieces for memorie’s sakes.
Carrie with Children
Hi Annie – Thanks for stopping by! It is so sad to pack up baby clothes – I didn’t think it would be this tough! So glad you also saved a few special clothes for the memories! <3
Nicole Harry
I had packed up all my baby clothes and moved them to the garage ready to be given to charity when I felt ready. We too felt that 2 babies was our limit. It seems the universe had other ideas and all the baby clothing is back in the house with baby girl number three due to arrive in April! This time the clothing will be heading out the door as soon as it no longer fits!
Carrie with Children
Haha! Sounds like it’s a good thing you held on to those clothes a little while longer! 🙂 Congrats on your soon to be newest addition!
Bella Skye
I’d rather give them 😀 , of course, im one of those who’d keep some few of my faves 😀
http://buybimatoprostonline.com/
Anonymous
I took a lot of my kids’ clothes to a resale shop where they just buy them from you up front. Unfortunately, they only take items that are like brand new, and we all know that toddler clothes are as far from brand new as it gets most of the time. I have about 15 HUGE bins full of clothes that are just sitting in our guest bedroom. I need to look for a women’s shelter around here. That’s a great idea!
Jill
Our kids are both in school now, and I have to say it’s hard every step of the way to get rid of clothes and toys because there are so many special memories attached to them. Some things my mum kept from when I was a kid and brought them out to Australia, and some I’m keeping in a box to pass on to my grandchildren (long way off), some I box to post to nieces and nephews (we spend money on postage rather than new gifts and like the idea of favouite toys and clothes becoming family favourites again), the rest I either give to charity – or use to upcycle or make into something new that can be used as the kids grow! Kind of like the memory quilt idea!
I found you through Totally Tuesday Blog hop and am following your lovely blog now! I hope you’ll stop by mind sometime too!
http://beourbest.blogspot.com/
Carrie with Children
Hi Jill – Thanks for finding me via the Tuesday Blog Hop! I totally agree with you – it’s probably going to be hard for me every step of the way of getting rid of clothes and toys. So sad to pack up all those great memories! 🙂 I love the idea of upcycle – I’m going to have to look into doing that for some of our things! Awesome tip! Thanks!
jamie bartley
Ladies be careful. I thought two was it for us and now I have a four month old. My kids are 11 and 10 and 4 months. We had no baby stuff at all.
new follower from find friends friday
Carrie with Children
Oh my goodness! I guess you had to start over and buy all new baby clothes, huh?!
Thanks for stopping in and following along! 🙂
jamie bartley
Yep we had not had a bottle or sippy cup in the house for many years. It was just like starting over. very expensive. Since we had two other kids no one wanted to help either, crazy huh.
Oak Lawn Lady
First off, your baby photos are great ! Children certainly are a blessing.Yours are beautiful!!!
We have four, now grown, daughters and even at that I, too was a little sad at having to get rid of the last of the baby things. With three older children and all their clothes, both Summer and Winter to find storage space for, I ended up giving away a little too much.
Because I now regret not keeping some of he home made knitted outfits and sweaters made my my Mom or other family members. Some were so little used, they could have been passed to some of the grandchildren.
Sure it’s great not to have those boxes to store, but be careful to not give away some of the the more sentimental family things. I now find our home is now a storage spot for some of the grandchildren’s clothes, as they wait for another one to grow into them.
Take care and I hope you can visit my blog, too.
Kathy at Oak Lawn Images
Kiwi Abroad
I had two boys so everything got worn twice (and rough worn too, they were lively little terrors! 🙂 I kept the special stuff (jumpers knitted by my nana, first day clothes etc) and shawl and their first birthday presents from us but the rest I passed on. It’s hard to pack it all away but nice to know someone else is getting the use of them. Harder still was packing up the new clothes I bought for my son who I lost at 16wks gestation, back in Easter. I can’t give them away, I’ve tried. They’ve never been worn but they are all I have of him so maybe I’ll hold on to them a while longer.
There are some great idea’s on here. I think as my boys grow I’ll pass their stuff to the womens shelter.