What to Do with My Old Baby Clothes?? Vote Now!

HI--
I am taking a page out of "The Gilmore Girls". I'm taking my favorites and having a quilt made out of them. The rest will go to friends or to a good cause.
J.

2 moms found this helpful

I thought of the memory quilt, too.

I have a friend who I know is on a tight budget come over and pick through. She takes some, not others. I try not to be disappointed. :) It's a really fun time for both of us. I then go through a few other friends to see if they can benefit. If not, it goes to Goodwill, or if I'm in the area, a local woman's shelter whose program I really like.

I do keep my favorites in a cedar chest for posterity. Who knows what my kids will do with them, but my mom did the same for me, and my daughter has actually worn some of the same clothes I wore. It's a lot of fun.

My only objection to the quilt is that my kids do not need yet another blanket/quilt. They all have handmade quilts, anyway. There are a lot of people, especially right now, who can benefit from hand-me-downs. It is how we have always dressed our kids, and I'm glad to keep the cycle continuing.

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I gave away all the stuff that didn't have a fond memory. Someone else really could use it and needs it!
That being said, I still have about 3 or 4 huge trash bags, full of my babies clothes that I just couldn't part with. I am making a quilt out of them. I don't know how to sew, I don't know how to quilt, but darn it I will learn to do this project!!! =) Good Luck!

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donate them to a crisis shelter. Like a womens shelter. They often have to leave right then and there and can't grab a whole lot. And save the ones that are uber important to you.
After each time my son grows out of his clothes I keep the ones I really truly want to keep/maybe might have another boy someday and donate the rest. I'm on freecycle and I hear a lot of desperate mom's who need things. I was once one, and 90% of the clothes that I got were donated so I feel that they should go and help another family.

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The Gateway Battered Women's shelter is in desperate need of children's clothes.
http://www.gatewayshelter.org/

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This isn't in your poll, but I suggest turning them into a quilt. That way you still have them and the memories of your girls growing up in them.

I know you'll find your answer here.

Sincerely,
Tricia
http://www.mamas2mamas.com

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For what it's worth, here's what I've done.

Pull out a few things (2 per child) that are dear to you for each girl and put them in a small, labeled storage box to keep for them. Then offer the rest to a dear friend or family member, as long as you can handle that they might not adore them at the level you do. Then sort - any stuff that is nearly new could be taken to Kid to Kid, where you can get cash or store credit and then shop for what your little darlings need now.

Donate or yard sale the rest, knowing that someone who can't afford to dress their own babies any other way will be able to use and enjoy the things your crew have outgrown.

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Select a few to keep and bundle the rest up and sell in bulk if they don't sell then find someone to give them to but don't expect adoration now that the memories will always be there and if you need something to hold onto hold onto a picture :). My college roomates mom made a quilt for her of all of her favorite dresses and clothes. Now as a mom I realize it probably helped the mom more then the child but it was a really really neat gift.

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I vote E.

It's REALLY hard for me to get rid of stuff too. I had two boys, so watching each boy wear the same outfits actually made it harder for me I think. Double the memories ;)

My third was a girl, and even thought the clothing is cuter, I've been buying it all used and feel less attached.

I tried selling some stuff this past spring at a large (group) garage sale. It took forever to piece outfits together, hang it, tag it.. then more than 1/2 came back unsold (GASP! WHY wouldn't someone want these adorable clothes!). In the future I am planning to give it away. I prefer to give it to someone who needs them, they will appreciate it. I gave a pile of my boy stuff to someone I barely knew who was expecting twin boys. I got a really nice thank you card, but have never seen her since. It's kind of nice to know she needed it, and I could help.

J.

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I say donate, unless you in need of the money. I have been on both sides of the donating situation. Being a single mom of a special needs child in and out of the hospital took a toll on my finances. I didn't recieve any help, but would have been very greatful for some. Now married and in a very comfortable situation I avividly donate to help others in need. I donate to women and childrens centers.

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I'm smiling! Actually, I'm giggling.

No, don't expect adoration for your baby clothes in any case. Somebody else MIGHT just adore one of those favorite outfits for her baby. To most folks, though, they're just (gasp!) used clothes!

Your fantasy of giving the clothes to a friend might be dashed to smithereens if that friend picks up the darling outfit your daughter wore for her six-months-old photograph and says, "Oh, I would never dress a baby in something like this!"

How encouraging am I being? Well, let me try again.

Craigslist could be a try. (I've never sold on Craigslist - I do eBay.) Or a pregnancy center near you - they often need baby clothes (and maternity clothes) for their clients, and a pretty baby dress or handsome baby-boy play outfit might be just the thing to make a young mama smile. Or Goodwill! I was just shopping at Willie's today for my year-old granddaughter.

Once you give them up, they're not yours any longer, so let them go! Your children are yours still, though, and I hope you have pictures of them in the best outfits. There will be many more outfits to come.

Thanks for making my day!

1 mom found this helpful

Give them to someone who can use them, but don't sit down and go through the clothes with them - just hand them over and know they will be appreciated and valued. I'll bet you could find someone through your church who is having a baby (or has an older infant or toddler) who doesn't have the extra money to buy a lot of clothes and would really appreciate the gift.

I did the same thing over the last year, and although it was incredibly hard to pack up those little clothes and just give them away, the thank yous I received back made it worth it.

I gave a huge bag of newborn clothes to a co-worker (that I don't know well) who was having her first child and didn't have much in the way of clothes. She was shocked when she saw how much I was giving her, and it made me happy to know I was helping someone else out even though I would personally never see those clothes again.

I also gave a huge tub of clothes to a friend's niece, who had recently had her first baby and both her and her husband were 19 and in school. They didn't have the money to buy any new clothes, and everything they had been given was newborn stuff, so they didn't have the 6 and 9 month stuff for their son - clothes in that size were the only thing they were asking from their extended family for Christmas last year because they desperately needed them. She couldn't believe I would just give her an entire wardrobe of larger infant clothes, and not only sent me a thank you note but also sent some pictures to me through her aunt to show her son in some of her favorite outfits - mind you, those weren't my favorites by a long shot, but just knowing that someone else was able to appreciate and use the clothes felt really good.

Good luck!

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F. Save the ones that are most important to you (maybe your granddaughter can wear them someday :) ) and then...

E

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I know you don't have a "G" but wanted to give you another yet better option, some mammas on here got me hooked on bookoo.com .......it's WAY better than craigslist

BTW I loved your post, I too have had dreams like that, then I wake up

1 mom found this helpful

I vote with PP.
Start with A. There's no reason why you have to do this with just one person, find several women you know and love who are expecting girls and let them go through the clothes, either separately or together.

Then move to E - women's shelters need children's clothes. Think of your daughters' clothing being worn by a little girl who is having a rough time and might have had to leave most of her own clothes behind but here's this nice dress or these comfy PJs and maybe that little thing makes her feel a little bit better about everything else that's happening. Or the mother that had to leave her house with nothing for her baby to wear but the one outfit she's got on. Clothes can be a pretty big deal.

And, of course, keep a few special outfits for your daughters when they get older.

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Lots of people LOVE hand me downs...find someone who can use them or benefit from them! :)

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Save the ones that mean the most to you and give the rest to someone who is struggling just to cloth their kids and would welcome them with open arms. 2nd choice, donate them to a church or a church rummage sale or to an organization that helps the needy. Know someone who has opened their home to foster children, they would really appreciate it. Foster children are often moved into fosters homes with nothing but the clothes on their back.

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An entirely different idea would be to pick 6-9 of youf very favorite dresses/outfits out for each of your children, and have them appliqued onto a wall hanging quilt. My 82 year old mother has done this for several years, and they are darling. One looks like a clothesline with the clothes hanging on it. I too have kept special clothes from each of my children, but have passed on the everyday stuff. My mom also made my daughter a T-shirt quilt for her 8th grade promotion. She used all of my daughters favorite or special T-shirts that we had saved over the years from her onsie that said, "Family Name's Perfect Kid" to a reproduction of her Geography BEE state competitor T-shirt. If a t-shirt is too special to cut up, it can be reproduced. Now we are in the process of gathering T's for our youngest daughters 8th grade promotion so that Grandma can get busy. If you have a connection to a small town, many still have quilting groups associated either with a church or Senior citizen group. Hope that this is helpful.

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Wow, I think you are probably much more sentimental than I am. I have no idea what my son was wearing when he first rolled over. That said, my vote is to select a few really special outfits (I would skip this part, but that's me) to keep and donate the rest to Goodwill, YWCA, local women's shelter, or a pregnancy support center.
I have given and received hand me downs and my experience is that no matter how great the clothes were new and how well they were cared for, by the time they have been through 3 kids you aren't likely to find someone willing to pay much for them. Also, when you look at the clothes you see something vastly different than a prospective buyer is going to see, and as a result you are likely to ask a higher price than anyone would be willing to pay.
You have the kids, the memories, photos, etc. Can you let go of the clothes?

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1st-choose one outfit for each of your children to give her if she has her own daughter. If for no other reason, just for fun. She may not want it, but she might, and then you get to hold onto a little something for awhile longer.

2nd-Yard Sale! Think of the Mom's and grandmom's that will be so happy to get them and the clothes will live on! You will be recycling! As far as the $300 Craigslist idea......get a grip!

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Here is what I do with my son's old clothes.
1. Keep the special outfits (first outfit, first pics, ect..
2. pull out expensive name brand stuff sell on craigslist or consignment shop (realize going in you will not get a ton of money but something is better then nothing)
3. let friends know that you have old clothes let them look through them
4. the rest gets put out for amvets. Great organization they will come pick up anything. Personally I don't like goodwill I have had a few bad experiences with them.
5.If items are stained but still in good condition I post them for free on craigslist. (same lady keeps coming to get my stuff she takes it to an orphanage in Mexico)

In the end no matter how I get rid of all the stuff it makes me feel like I am helping someone out because weather I give them to someone or sell them. I am helping someone else provide for their child because they may not be able to afford brand new clothes prices.

Good luck! The fisrt step in letting go. I am sure you have pics of these first moments in their cute outfits so its time to let the actual clothes go.

1 mom found this helpful

Just Between Friends Sale -- it is a great consignment -- high quality -- you tag each item -- and get a % of the sale price -- you get some of your investment back and those who buy the pieces, need them. What I did for my sons is saved a few of the outfits I couldn't get rid of (I am super sentimental too)-- such as what they came home from the hospital in, christmas, etc...kept them in a box and will give them to them when they have their kids -- then they can do whatever they want with them! Good luck! http://www.jbfsale.com/default.cfm

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E

PS... I love the way you set up your question. Very fun! :o)

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Well certianly you should hold on to SOME of them, right? As I sort through my son's clothes, I am sorting to a donate pile and a keep pile. Of course the keep pile is substantial. My mother in law gave me the sweater my husband wore when he was brought home from the hospital, and my son wore it when he came home too - I love that. So I would keep some special items. I have some things my mother made for me.
My aunt maks quilts and has an idea for some of my son's shirts to be remade into a quilt.
Ok so for the rest, I have the same feelings you do, but I also don't have many friends who are having babies right now. I have no idea how long I would have to wait to be able to gift them to someone in the future. I am not sure that his clothes were too trendy though - mostly just organic knits. I think I would look for a donation center where the clothes would be given free to a needy mother. There are a lot of people out there that can't drive to a goodwill and don't have anything, and those babies need things too.

Good luck.

1 mom found this helpful

I have 3 little girls and I am done having babies. I was given a lot of clothes and appreciated all the hand me downs, so I plan to pass mine along to someone that could use them. HOWEVER, I have some that I can't part with. I've decided that I will keep a few things that I just love too much to part with. I plan to make blankets out of them for my girls. I'm going to cut them apart and appliqué the smaller pieces onto larger squares and make a rag quilt with their old clothes and blankets for each of them. :-)

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I would make a quilt! Pick your favorites and sew them together...so cute!!! Personally, if you have the time, I would have a yard sale. So many people are looking for great baby clothes! Around here anyway! You could probably sell quite a few!!!

Good luck!!

1 mom found this helpful

Find someone in your neighborhood or church (or some other community group you have access too) who really needs them. There are plenty of young mothers who would LOVE a full wardrobe, and who have very little idea of how they're going to afford it over the next few years. It's true that she won't have the emotional connection that you do, but she'll probably still take good care of the clothes (and appreciate that they are still in decent condition). You could truley be a blessing to one or several mothers.

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I love Ebay. Set up an account, buy an inexpensive scale, take pictures, and sell, sell, sell. You would be surprized on how much money you will make.

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keep your favorite and make a quilt out of them, then give the rest away!

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Quilt!!

I have done them for friends and they turn out so cute! They love having those memories there with them instead of stuffed away in a box. Use your favorite things for the quilt(s) and donate the rest. Hand-me-downs have blessed us many times over the years and we have loved it!

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I agree with TF below.

I went through the same thing with my boys and then a few months after finally having all the stuff gone, we got another surprise... and turned out to be another boy! But it's OK. I saved their first outfits and my newborn now has a whole new wardrobe that is not outdated, and gone through 5 children (my sister and I shared all the clothes between all 5 of our boys).

1 mom found this helpful

This week I did E. I sorted through the clothes on my own. I kept a small box of things that made me want to cry to give up. My mom kept one pair of baby shoes for each of us and we loved to look at them as kids to comprehend how tiny we once were. So I did that for my kids as well. My saved clothes also included the first shirt my daughter chose for herself from the store, an outfit my grandmother gave my first child, a couple dresses that seem timeless in style that I would love to pass on as heirlooms (keeping in mind that my daughter or granddaughter may not like them and that will have to be OK). The rest of the clothes I have been giving to people that I know who need them or posting them on Freecycle. It feels good to have more closet space. When I worry that I will never see the clothes again I remember that I may see some of them on my friends' beautiful children from time to time. Going through my first child's baby clothes was the hardest. And I did it with the friend sitting there. I wish that I had gone through them on my own to save her from patiently waiting while I severed my emotional ties from every article of clothing. You can do it!

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I have a friend with three boys. It was hard for her to let go. She invited select friends to take what they wanted from her tubs, having them return them after they had a look.

Then, she donated.

This is what I did: gave away some good stuff to friends, other stuff to a teen pregnancy group, and I am going to sell the good, expensive stuff.

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You should keep some for your girls when they get older. They will love to have the first outfit they came home from the hospital in.

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E. Find someone who needs them.

Blessing others blesses you and the reward of freeing yourself of 7 boxes from your home will be greater than holding onto memories or keeping them until you get the yard sale ready or wait for a buyer on Craigs list.

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I donate all of my kids old cloths to the homeless shelter here that is the one for woman and children, that way I know that who ever gets them REALLY needs them. But if it is too hard to part with them, you could use them to make a memory quilt by taking a piece of each outfit and sewing them all together.

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Hi
I would drop them to the local women's refuge. I used to work in one and sometimes a woman would arrive with her children taking v.little clothes as she had to get out quickly.They have a press of donated clothes which were greatly appreciated by the mother.

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I you already no someone that needs them, then just let them have them. Once they are out of your hands, there isn't much you can say or do, if they do end up at good will. But I always liked the hand me downs because then I didn't have to buy as much with our money situation. I have now started to hand my things off for someone in need. For me, it makes me feel good to help others. So like I said, if you know someone who would be happy to take them, just let them hav them. Good luck.

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I have 3 kids my son is 7 I held all his clothes till this summer,my daughter is 3 handed some off to sister who is 1 ok now she is set till next summer.This summer I went through them all had too many totes to count I picked my favs picked out donation clothes sent them to a pregnancy outreach center had 2 garage sales made around $400.00 I only sold my clothes @ 50 cents the 2nd time around they need to go.Then went through them again put all in a plastic bag put FREE with a smiley face set it out by my garage someone picked them up.Now i'm down to 4 bins will have another sale soon...

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The only piece of clothing I was sentimental over was the outfit they wore first. So I have saved them just for my benefit from both my boys, and then I gave some to friends and sold the rest on craigslist. I would bag them into smaller age ranges, say 0-6 months, 6-12 months, 12-18months,then the 2t, 3t etc and sell them as a lot of usually 30-50 pieces.
I say get rid of most of it, maybe save some of the really sentimental ones. They are just clothes and you will always have the memories :)

1 mom found this helpful

Okay you made me smile :) this morning :)....so what I did was find someone who would appreciate them. I did not sit with them and go through the clothes, because then I would want to take something back. So I handed them off to someone who truly needed them. For my boys clothes at first it was our past pastor's wife...who used and loved the clothes and now I am giving them to a friend of the family who is in need. For the girl clothes I gave them to a neighbor and now am passing them on to one of my dad's coworkers who really needed the clothes and is so over appreciative. I do not charge for the clothes...honestly you can take more off your taxes at the end of the year, than you can get selling on craigslist or a yardsale.

Good luck and have fun helping someone else :)

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I think you need to go through them and save several of your very favorite, most memorable outfits. I saved coming home from hospital, first Christmas dress, any favorites I had pictures taken in. The plan is to hold onto those and hand them down to my daughter or son when they have a child of that gender. My mother-in-law's first gift to me when I found out the gender of my baby was an outfit she had saved from her kids. She had saved one her son had a picture taken in and then I had my son's picture taken in the same outfit. Now we have a picture of father and son in the same outfit. It is a neat idea. The style may have changed, but it was a meaningful gift. I just say save your favorites and then try Craigslist. If you don't have luck on Craigslist, donate them to someone/somewhere. Best of luck. I still had a hard time parting with everything, but it made it a little easier knowing I had some of my favorites tucked away.

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I would say to keep them forever! Okay, so maybe just a few. There are maybe a few outfits that mean so much that you just would like to keep them forever. I remember seeing an episode of Home Improvement where the mom pulled out one little special outfit from each of her sons from the trunk at the foot of her bed. The boys were very interested in seeing how tiny they used to be. I have the outfit that each of my boys wore home from the hospital, and will not be giving them away, ever!

And since you have girls, you can keep a few more newborn sized clothes for their dolls (if they fit). I think my Cabbage Patch Kids wore a bigger size of real baby clothes. I LOVED that they had real clothes!

For everything else, well, that's tough. If you have a relative who will be having a little girl, give them to her. Tell her to take out what she wants and hand the rest on to a friend or someone she knows who is in need.

I wouldn't Craigslist them, although you could certainly try. The problem is that no one will likely want ALL of them, and what are the chances that they'll fit in the right season? I have three boys, and I still have huge gaps in their wardrobes where one box has no shorts and the next has no long sleeves. In August, I opened a box for my baby and they're all winter clothes. They're coming in handy for this cold snap we're having right now, but he'll be too big for that adorable Christmas sweater before Thanksgiving!

If you don't have anyone to give them to, try a yard sale. Or put them on Criagslist, but say that they're 50 cents each piece, $1 per outfit, come take what you want. That way, people won't get stuck with a bunch of clothes that won't fit in the right season, or in styles they don't love.

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F. Pick out some very special items to squirrel away (like 5 per child)

then

E. Find a person who could really use them and let go!

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Make a memory quilt (or two)!
http://www.ticcheandbea.com/how-to-make-a-baby-clothes-qu...
http://www.babyquiltsbyliz.com/babyquilts.htm

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I get where you are coming from and think I have a solution for you. With all three of my kids, I took one outfit that gave me the fondest memory and put it in their memory box. With the rest I went to church and donated them to the wish program that helps out needy families or you can run by the battered women's shelter where these women are in such need.

You will never find a family that loves the clothes like you do. You will never find satisfaction in selling them because there is no price tag on sentiment and last but not least you will be so disappointed if you just drop them to an icky old 2nd hand store. So do some good for someone with them. You will certainly get the most appreciative families to care for your clothes.

One other thought is to put them in a consignment store. It is like selling your clothes new to a new family so they can start their new memories with them.

Good luck and remember, they really are just clothes, the memories don't go away with the item. You have your three girls there to remind you of great times.

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Donate them and take the tax credit. But, keep a few special ones. When I had my daughter, my mom sent me the clothes that she saved from me. Some of the elastic is shot, and I don't put her in them everyday (haven't in a while anyway), but it is fun to take pictures with her in the outfits I wore, and compare those pictures.

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You can try for A but be ready to move on to E. Whatever is left you can try the yardsales method (or consignment shop) and when you are done, go straight to B without hesitation. I say this because A is win-win...you get to fulfil your fantasy and get rid of clothes you don't need while someone else gets clothes they need. If that can't be accomplished others still need clothes and you still need to get rid of them so go for E (almost win-win). The next options (yardsale or conignment) means you may not get your fantasy but may get some cash and others still get clothes they need (still almost a win-win) and lastly you get rid of unneeded clothes while someone else gets what they need (not so bad after all).

Don't forget to keep the outfit you brought them home in and/or were baptized in.

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I haven't read any of the other responses, so here's my $.02. If you're crafty, take your favorites and make a quilt for yourself (or 3...one for each girl to have when they're older) and then option E. No one is going to love them the way you do because they are you're memories...just like you wouldn't love my hand-me-downs because they're my memories :) But if you make a quilt or something, then you have something to cherish (and use!) with those memories in them. Good luck!

I vote E.
Let the clothing bless somebody elses life. You can't expect anyones reaction to be as you envision it, although it would be ideal and great. Find someone that needs them and will be so appreciative and you keep a couple outfits that mean the very most to you with memories. Then whatever the person doesn't want, let them pass on to someone else. Good luck

I always thought it woul cute, when the time comes, to make a shadow box display, pillow case, or quilt out of them to give my daughter / keep one for myself for the memories some day. That would be my vote.

Chrissy

I too, don't have time to read all of the messages before mine. I would hold onto a special few for memory sakes. Go to creat-a bear, and use it as a model for one of the outfits for each of your girls. I did that with one of the outfits my 6-year old wore home from the hospital. She loves the bear and I love seeing those precious little clothes getting use, secretly fulfilling my inner memory of my daughter fitting those clothes. Her bear is not a toy, it sits on her shelf and she takes good care of it. With the others, I vote "A". It is satisfying to see your neice/neighbor's child/ friend's child wear clothes that your little ones wore. With the select few, which I found I had that no one wanted, because of style/stains/tares, take pictures of them and either donate or have a ritual to send those clothes to the garbage. It's hard, I know, I had to hire an organizing specialist to tell me all this information about getting rid of lots of various memory items, even my own baby blanket, where it was taring and not much of a blanket anymore. I took a picture and sent it to garbage heaven. After a few days of wondering and crying, why I did that, I looked at the picture and said, "I am ok." Good Luck, it is tearful and hard to let go of those things that we hold dear.

Sorry if I duplicate answers, no time to read them all.
I have had a hard time giving up my kids clothes, for a number of reasons. Does every piece have special meaning to you? Can you weed through them and set aside the pieces that mean the world to you? Then with those ones make a quilt or something. Then you can look at each square on that quilt and remember the reasons you saved it. The others, just give to someone who needs them.
Also, consider taking pictures of the outfits you love the best, it is easier to store pictures than outfits. You could even make a photo book of these pictures.
I love hand me downs. I may not gush, but they save me so much. I don't have a ton of money, so any help I get is so appreciated. It might cost you a little getting rid of things, but I truly think the recipient would be so greatful. I say give to a friend rather than a thrift store, but that decision is yours.
Personally, I have been flirting with the quilt idea myself.