Sorting through outgrown baby clothes has to be one of the worse tasks on Earth. I honestly let the pile of too tiny clothes grow & grow until it gets to the point of truly intrusive. Then I spend a few hours going through both girls closets, sorting & bagging. This was my task this morning, but some reason it was much harder than usual.
Going through Sam’s stuff gives me a bit of a pit in my stomach, I just can’t believe she’s outgrown her favorite doggie shirt already, but at least I know I still have a tinier one waiting in the wings. Sorting Sophie’s closet however was just plain gut-wrenching. Newborn, 0-3 mths, 3-6 mths, 6-12 mths, 12-18mths & even 18-24 mths. She’s gone through them all. The entire infant section is completely done.
All the sweet, little, softie early walker shoes…in the giveaway bag. The soles are worn through & elastics stretched out, I’ve put two kids through each of these items & now it’s time to let them go.
When I actually tied all 8 bags of my little laundry memories I was surprisingly ok. I think I was well distracted by being uber pleased with myself that I could actually see the closet floors & successfully open & the close the dresser drawers. When it came time to actually unload the bags at the donation center however, I started to break. I think it was seeing Sam’s pink elephant onesie through one the bags. Yes, I know they’re going to some sweet little girl who needs them but they were still mine. My memories. My babies. All grown up. I dropped them in the bins, got in the car & caught a quick reflection of myself in the review mirror. I saw the furrowed ‘I’m about to cry’ brow & immediately decided I was too hormonal & needed to suck it up. In the end they are just clothes. I’ll always have the memories & while I it’s ok to give yourself a minute or two to mourn the time that’s passed, anymore than that is just taking away from time you could truly be savoring the wonderful age your child is now. Unless your child is a 14 year old hormonal girl. That can just suck & you can cry.
Am I just a sentimental wreck or do you have a hard time donating your children’s stuff too??
PS- I didn’t give away EVERYTHING, I’m allowing myself one tub (the biggest Target sells) to keep my favorite items. My plan is one day when my girls are big & busy with their own lives I’ll take all their tiny clothes & sew myself a quilt. It will be like a memory album that you can wrap yourself in.
I have the EXACT same problem. It is so hard!! Not everything is difficult to part with but the outfits that I have a really fond memory of the kids is hard to part with. Unlike you, I take the one little outfit that catches my eye out right before I donate. I am thinking I will need more than one bin!
Oh I know the feeling, just finished doing the same to my son and daugthers closets. 🙁 Though I sure hope this doesn’t mean you are two are done because I personally think you rock at the mommy thing!
If we’re not done for good then we’re definitely done for GOOD LONG TIME! (: But thanks for thinking I rock, I don’t always think so but it’s nice to hear!
Been there. Done that. Then I had #3. 🙂
I have been in the same situation- drove up to the donation center and got out of the car a little teary. But instead of toughing it out, I got back in the car and drove away with the clothes still in my car. It’s just not easy on a mama. My husband thinks there should be a Hoarders series just for women who hoard baby stuff.
I’m an overall good “purger”, but for some reason clothing and especially baby clothes are so difficult to let go!
Another idea is to give them to your girls when they have babies. My mom and I had a blast going through the tub of 1980’s dresses, jammies and bathing suits that she had kept for me. I’m having twin girls and I can’t wait to see them in their “vintage” wardrobes 🙂
I do have vintage newborn pink jellies my mom saved. Super super cute!
I was just getting ready to do the same with my little man’s things this past spring, he’s a bit of a chunker and outgrew a lot of the baby clothes rather quickly and we don’t have a lot of space… and then BAM pregnant again, with another boy. While I’m glad I was too hormonal and weepy to drop off the sorted and bagged clothes to goodwill because we definitely still need them, I’m currently trying to sort out how life is going to work with 2 boys under the age of 2 and transitioning into being a stay at home mom come November. In all honesty, your blog is amazing and gives me the hope that my days won’t be big clusters of mess. Don’t get me wrong, I’m super excited to be stay at home mama but it is daunting and reading here helps give me some focus. I agree with above poster, you rock!
Wow, two under two is gonna be tough…I’m not gonna lie but you can totally do it. Sam & Soph are almost exactly two years apart & it has been a looooong two years but they’re finally getting to the age where they play hide & seek together, dress up together, color together…it’s absolutely heart warming to see your two babies act like loving siblings. Granted they’ll try and kill eachother ten minutes later but whatever, just focus on the warm fuzzy memories. (:
My best tip to you & to any stay at home mom is DON’T BE ASHAMED TO GET A SITTER ONCE IN AWHILE! I know I used to feel really guilty about getting a sitter during the day, like there was some shame in it but then I had a lightbulb moment that you know what, my job is 7 days a week, 24 hrs a day. To hire a nice girl to come play with my kids so I can get some stuff done once in awhile is not a bad thing. Getting a break, often, will make you a better wife & mom!
Best to you, keep in touch Noelle!
I love the idea of making a memory quilt from their old clothes!
I actually started cleaning out my son’s (the 3 year old) and my daughter’s (the 9 month old) closets. I am completely in love with the idea of consignment sales. I use to go just to buy items for my kids. Most of which came from high-end stores and still had tags on them. I was grabbing up clothes marked down by at least 60%/. I got an email from my sister about a local consignment sale called “Tot Swap”. They have it in Gaithersburg and Frederick and a couple of other areas around the state. Now those items that I would just give away or trash, someone else can enjoy it. The first time I did it, I loved seeing people buy my stuff. Made me think I had pretty good taste. You should try it sometime.
It never gets any easier. I just went through my 9 year old’s closet, and she was seriously distraught about the clothes she couldn’t fit into anymore. Good thing I have 2 other girls and one more on the way to pass them down to. 🙂
If you haven’t donated them yet, if you have any button up onesies or sleepers in the newborn/0-3/3-6 months sizes, I’d love to take them off your hands. You can read more about what I’m collecting donations for here.
http://lifecraftsandwhatever.blogspot.com/2012/07/gastroschisis-awareness-day-is-coming.html
Hahahaha, sorry but when you put that comment in there about the 14 yr old hormonal teenage girl I instantly wondered if you were thinking of me. (My oldest is 14 and somewhat hormonal!) Let me tell ya, you are not ready for that with your girls!
I have a difficult time packing away the clothes (and toys) when my kids outgrow them, but you are so right–there are so many memories ahead to be made and had!
Just think, when your girls start going to school dances you will be able to make them so really great dresses–one of a kind at that!
Ohmgosh, I was the worst teenage girl when it came to mood swings…ugh, those are not my fondest memories! I actually had my two youngest sisters in mind when I said that, whenever I see them burst into tears because my mom shrunk their favorite neon pink denim cutoff shorts I feel like I’m taking a little glimpse into my future. I then shake my head quickly & try to will the thought away!! (;
It must have been hard to donate all those itty bitty baby clothes. It’s a hard thing, but you’re doing the right thing by letting someone else have them. And about that “14-year-old-girl” thing, I beg to differ. My fourteen-year-old-girl is lovely. Our family is very close–two teenagers, a firefighter dad, and a mom. So don’t dread those teenage years you’ll have soon enough. It can be good.
Good for you, let me know your secret to having sweet teenagers!
I think you’re braver than brave. I most definitely cannot do it! I have decided that I will get rid of some of it, but my absolute favs [which is a lot] I will save and give to each girl when they have a baby of their own. My mom saved a few of my dresses and I have loved dressing my own girls in them. I think the quilt is a great idea. Maybe I will do that one day with all the baby blankets we have collected over the years.
OH the baby blankets, I totally forgot about those!! Oh well, guess I’ll have to keep them (:
The quilt is a fab idea! My sisters and I each had one made from my Mom’s favorite clothes when she passed. It is one of my favorite things and holds so many memories!
I can totally sympathize. I feel it is the hardest decision I have ever had to make to decide to be finished having kids. I have 4 kids and they are my everything! Now, I am ready to enjoy them growing up, but it is so hard to say goodbye to that stage of my life. We recently had a yard sale and I decided it was time to get rid of the big bulky baby items because I hate clutter. As my husband was unloading all the stuff at the table we set up he found my Baby Bjorn and was like, “Hey, you forgot this!” Instantly, I grabbed it and said, “We CAN’T get rid of this!!!” All I could imagine was every single one of my precious babies snuggled against me. It’s amazing how one little thing can take you back in an instant! Of course, my husband took this as I was ready to have more kids, which I’m not. It’s just so hard to say goodbye to the memories and realize they’ll never be that tiny again. So bittersweet!
Natasha…
You are not the only one my love… I can not make myself get rid of the stuff. I will go through my girls stuff and think oh I need to keep this because this was the outfit she had on when she took her first steps or ate a solid food or something totally LAME… But the bad part is that I have FOUR kids. Twin boys that are nine and two girls that are 18 months apart in age, a 3 year old and an 18 month old. I find it hard to give my boys’ clothes away too because they are just so dang cute and little but not really. So it is nice to see that when I go through my childrens clothes and do not give them away, I am NOT the only person being this way.
Just last week I literally went through the same ordeal – we are doing our “coming towards the end of summer” clear out” and my friend and I planned a trip out to take clothes to an orphanage. I too have kept some key items and have had to get rid of a load of things that needed to go, The furrowed brow and overly hormonal persona?! That was me all over the other day too – the girl who collected the things from us kept grabbing the holdalls from me and I was reluctant to let them go!!! But just think – closet space AND two amazing girls at the age they are now:) x