Keeping baby clothes

[Gemma273]

Hi, looking for a bit of advice about the amount of baby clothes to keep, I hate waste, frankly don't have the money to buy everything new for a new baby nor would I want to. I've kept loads of everything from my first child but now realise I've kept far too much as I've been sorting out for my 2nd child.
My question is.....What's a reasonable amount of clothing to keep to allow for wear and tear, stains etc. Can anyone shed any light, I'd be interested in the amount of vests, sleepsuits, outfits etc that people have kept for each size or anything else you felt was beneficial to keep.

Thanks v much in advance.

I kept all of it after my first (except for useless impratical outfits). Then after my second, I am sorting and donating things as she grows out of them.

Me too, kept everything unless it had holes in or stained! We ended up having another so are working out way through the clothes, I do not get a few new bits too.
I've been giving the stuff away too s she grows out of it.

If you have the room to store it, I don't know why you wouldn't keep it all to reuse!

I got some big bags from JoJo Maman Bebe and kept a bag in each size, including accessories like sleeping bags. It's about right to fit in a chest of drawers. Otherwise you're just keeping it to sort later.

I kept everything after DS1, now DS2 is 2 and I really should have started sorting things but I know DBro and his partner want a baby next year so I might as well save everything for them (I think she'll be grateful as she is the most environmentally friendly person I know, and tries not to but anything new)

I haven’t kept everyone after Ds. I donated the clothing gifts he wore but I didn’t particularly like, and apart from in tinniest sizes I have got rid of most basics like the packs of 5 plain white vests.

I figure someone else can make use of those things already, and they are pretty cheap to replace. I know I would buy a few more things anyway if we had another as seasons probably different, maybe a girl, or just I see the odd thing.

We didn’t buy much tbh though 0-12 month I would say we aimed at 6 outfits. But things like cardigans age 0-3 months I only bought 2 anyway.

Everything from 0-2 years so far fits in x3 medium sized really useful plastic boxes in the loft. That also includes washable nappies, the newborn car seat inserts, Moses basket size bedding, and other bits as well as clothing.

My DS is 2 and I've probably got less than 10 items total that I've kept. Including the outfit he wore home from the hospital.

Most of it was second hand to start with and in my mind it seemed silly to keep it all for some hypothetical second child when a child already here could be using it.

I bundled items up by size and sold them on fb marketplace. For the stuff that wasn't in super good condition but still wearable I just listed it in a bag for free so it didn't go to waste.

My DD turned 21 a couple of weeks ago.
I had only planned to have one so as soon as she outgrew anything, it was donated. She didn’t really have too many clothes, she was born in the Middle East and consequently only wore vests.
I have the dress she was christened in and her first shoes.

We kept everything and I'm very glad of it as we basically haven't needed to spend a penny for DD2'd arrival next month. It's all sorted into vacuum bags and labelled with ages and the pram/cot has just been brought down from loft.

Are your 2 children born at the same time of year? Surley you'll have to buy things as even if they are born in the same season the second might be bigger/smaller and not fit into their siblings clothes at the appropriate times?

I kept nearly everything and luckily ds and dd were born at the same time of year. Even if they hadn't been the basic set of vests babygros etc are always useful. Although we had far too many!

I did get rid of clothes that we never used once ds grew out of that size, assuming I wouldn't like them with second baby either, and a few things with holes / gone elastic/ immovable stains. I bought lots of second hand bundles but I don't like jeans on babies or tops with big logos that go funny in the wash.

I am also now filtering out some of the too boyish stuff that ds had that dd won't wear. (Agajn second hand bundle purchased. . . ) I don't object to girls in boys clothes but reusing "daddy's little man", "this boy is 2" etc is going a little far!

@Beees Yes, pretty much. A couple of months difference but we never really heavily seasonalised clothing anyway.

I got rid of all the silly impractical things people bought DC1 immediately as she grew out of them. Kept a few items of each size that I liked/we're useful and donated everything else to the local baby charity. Couldn't see the point in cluttering up my house with loads of bags of stuff for a second baby I might never have and would likely be born at a different time of year anyway

Thanks for replies everyone, I'm going to streamline all the clothes whilst organising the stuff for babies arrival as I literally have about 40 vests per size, same as sleepsuits and outfits I have loads of, we were so lucky I was donated some stuff but we also have a very large and very generous family so that also meant we've got way more than we need and someone else could use the stuff too, times are incredibly hard and I'd hate for anyone to be worrying about how they are going to clothe their new arrival when I've got excessive amounts of stuff. I have kept all the big stuff and will after this baby as you just never know.

My 2 were born in the same month (4 years apart) and even tho the youngest is bit smaller we haven't found this an issue really. I've had to buy her a few little shorts and anything she doesn't use will go to charity, so I don't regret hanging onto it.

I guess it depends how much storage people have too, we have a very large loft!

I kept all of it.

I also try to buy as much gender neutral as possible.

I've got a boy and girl and nearly all my daughter's socks, pants, vests, jeans and pjs were her brothers.

Also mine were born 2 years and 10 days apart so are same season.

Actually all her coats are her brother's old ones too.

She's quite happy to wear his things, but has some more 'girlie' things as well.

All her branded uniform will be his old stuff.