i cant let go of my sons baby things!?

Question

my flat is so cluttered up with my sons rattles and baby toys clothes etc but i just cant bear to get rid of them! its like throwing away my memories, i can remember where and when i bought everything! hes now 21 months and i really need to declutter, help!

Answer 1

Be brave you cant keep it all forever .Just keep his birth congratulations cards the clothes he wore to come out of hospital and his wrist bands,.his first shoes hair brush toothbrush and a lock of his baby hair .His 1st birthday cards.His rattle and a toy.Put them in a nice big box and add to them over the years.The rest ,wash and iron and take to the charity shop or pass on to friends so some other beautiful baby can make use of them.I have all these things from my own children who are over 40 now.They don't take up much room ---just one box each.Good luck but I bet you shed a tear.
P.s this silly old mother has still got their cot,.stashed away at the back of a wardrobe

Answer 2

This is going to sound SO dumb... but I have a few suggestions:

1) For the rattles, get a framed canvas covered board and, using invisible wire, wire the rattles and small toys that are meanful to that and use it as a wall hanging.

2) Use some of the favorite outfits to clothe teddy bears and other stuffed animals

3) Resign yourself to keeping ONE box of favorite things and pack the rest off for a shelter for battered women who arrive with infants who have nothing. Sometimes just knowing that the clothing will be loved and appreciated by someone who really needs it is enough to help you to let it go.

4) Pack it away for the next baby if you believe there will be another.

5) Loan the items out to a dear friend who will take good care of the things and then perhaps by the time you get them back you will either have lost that loving feeling or will need them for Baby #2.

Some people cut the clothing up and make a quilt out of it, but I could never cut the clothes and it would seem so wasteful in any event!

Answer 3

Its so tough. But, you have your son and his pictures and the really important stuff. Try doing it in steps, it may help. Ex. below

Step one: Clean and sort.
Get a whole bunch of boxes or those plastic storage containers. Sort by age and activity.
(Put all 0-3 month clothes in a bin; all newborn toys in a bin; all 3-6 month clothes in a bin; all infant toys in a bin... etc.)

Step two: Start a Save and Purge system
Label 1, 2, or 3 bins (whatever you can handle) as SAVE.
Sort through each bin and pull out what you feel you can't possible get rid of. Allow yourself 1 bin per age group or 1/2 bin or whatever. Let yourself save a little more than you probably should at first if you are really having trouble. But, DON'T SAVE EVERYTHING! :-)
IMMEDIATELY get rid of everything you have decided not to save. Otherwise you'll just find yourself going back and pulling things out later. Donate them rather than trash them. This may help you feel better b/c you can remember that someone who really needs them is giving their little baby a better life b/c of you.

Step 3: Put it away
Put away your save boxes when you are finished or when you are overwhelmed. When you are over-done, you'll tend to put too much stuff in the SAVE box. Take breaks as necessary.

Step 4: Take a rest
Give it a month or so before you open any of those boxes.

Step 5: Re-visit
Go back to your SAVE boxes, set your mind to get rid of whatever (half, 3 more things, whatever your goal.) And do it. It will be so much easier to just remove a few things than all of it!

Step 6: Repeat
Keep returning to those boxes every now and then until you are happy with the results.

Remember to let yourself keep a few things! These are your babies first items. They are precious... but they shouldn't take the place of room you need for the present here and now!

Good luck.

Answer 4

Well you need to go through your baby things and figure out were you want everything you never know you don't want to get rid of everything because you might have another child and putting things in storage would be a great thing or put his things in the attic and make sure nothing gets torn or anything. Its always a good thing because as your child grows and asks mommy what baby things of mine did you keep you can take your child to where the things are and say everything baby so when you have a kid you can use it all with your own child or keep it all for grand kids as well Sorry not trying to think of having everything move so fast but I was giving you some ideas. I hope this helped you alot.

Answer 5

I think that it's about time that you let go. I mean what exactly are you going to do with all the stuff that your son is no longer going to play with and wear? Just keep the stuff that are of sentimental value like his first clothes, rattles and toys that he REALLY likes etc. and get rid of the rest. If you don't want to throw it away then just give it to charity.
I've got a 2 year old little sister and my mum has given some of her clothes that she looked REALLY CUTE in to charity. At first we didn't want her to because she looked really gorgeous in them and we wanted to keep them for her for when she gets older but now we think what's the point in keeping them when someone else can make a much better use for them.
Just keep the stuff that your son really likes and give the rest to charity, it may be hard but it has to be done.
Another alternative is to put his things in storage but I think that charity is a lot better.
Good Luck!!!

Answer 6

I wonder if you usually have a problem with getting rid of things or just your son's things?

I think it's a good idea to keep one or two things as a memento. You could have a special box to keep them in, maybe it could double as a seat. When your child grows up he might want some of his things for his own children.

But the rest needs to be given away. Try thinking about how useful these things would be to a lone parent who can't afford to buy for thier child. Give them away or to a charity shop.

Think about it like this - your son needs space to grow and play more than he needs toys and clothes that he has grown out of.

I do understand, I found it hard to part with my son's old toys and clothes - and I have saved a few things, ones that fit into a small trunk.

Good luck with it xx

Answer 7

I have been through this with my son.

Limit yourself to one storage container. Pick out items that you really want to keep and put them in the container. One good rule of thumb for outfits is to only keep the outfits that your son got his pictures taken in. Keep one quilt, a couple of receiving blankets, a few of his toys, etc.

Get rid of anything that doesn't fit in the container. Other babies can get some good use out of those toys and rattles! They are doing no good just collecting dust in your flat.

Good luck.

Answer 8

I had the same problem. What I did was to get my babies toy box and pick out a few of my very favorite things that I wanted to keep and put them in there. The rest I donated to charity or gave them to people who needed them. Unless you are planning on having another baby there is no reason to keep absolutely everthing. Also with a couple of my favorite PJ's of his I sowed up the hands and feet, stuffed them and used them for pillows on his bed.

Answer 9

Pick just a few very precious momentos to keep and sort out the rest and take pictures of them. Save the pictures as reminders but then get rid of the stuff! Another idea would be to take anything made of cloth and cut it up and make a quilt out of the pieces.

Answer 10

Take a picture and then get rid of it. If you know someone who is going to have a baby give it to them. You are not throwing away your memories. Keep a few favorite things.