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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Is this a normal mum thing or do I have something deeper going on?

29 replies

Formofnotice · 22/12/2025 20:49

I have trouble giving away/selling my children's clothes that they have grown out of. Today I gave a few bags full to the charity shop and then found myself in a slight panic and going back to get some of the clothes back eg ones from photos that I remember them in or certain times when I remember they wearing that clothing etc.

Does anyone else do this or is this just maybe something deeper that I haven't dealt with or is it just a normal mum thing?

OP posts:
Seasaltchips · 22/12/2025 20:51

I kept a box of special clothes eg first outfit DD ever wore, first birthday dress, a couple of beautiful things my mum sewed.

The rest I have been happy to pass to family / friends / charity.

Overthebow · 22/12/2025 20:53

I have a drawer of clothes from my DCs that I don’t want to get rid of yet. I hand down most of their clothes but if there’s something I’m not sure I want to part with I out it in the drawer and I’ll deal with it later. It helps me be ok with getting rid of the rest of their clothes. I think it’s normal.

Vivi0 · 22/12/2025 20:54

I do this, but I don’t know anyone else who does.

I don’t have any issues with hoarding and I’m a total minimalist.

I’ve rented a storage unit to hold all their clothes. I’ve got no idea what I’m going to do with all of it.

blankcanvas3 · 22/12/2025 20:55

I make sure I keep the special things and I would be upset to get rid of those, but not just a random vest or whatever

FuzzyWolf · 22/12/2025 20:56

I’d recommend bagging up everything that has been outgrown and isn’t in use (and that isn’t so important that you must keep), then leave the bag for as long as you need until you just think of it as a bag of clothes. Then without going through it, donate to charity.

Mrsclausemunchingonamincepie · 22/12/2025 20:56

My youngest dc is 11. Still have 4 buggies and a pram here...

HappyAsASandboy · 22/12/2025 20:58

I struggled with giving away baby clothes for years.

Eventually I realised getting rid of 80% was better than 0% and have found donating the clothes a lot easier since then.

If I’m not sure about letting it go then it stays a little longer. Maybe forever, or maybe only until the next declutter, but there’s no need to donate it until you’re ready.

ColinOfficeTrolley · 22/12/2025 20:59

I feel as though I am missing the sentimental gene.

I can easily get rid of stuff.

I think keeping lost teeth is bloody weird.

I have a few videos of DD from when she was little singing and stuff and maybe a couple of school pictures, but that's it.

What do you do with all the stuff? I'm sure the kids won't want it, so what are you keeping it for?

DrPrunesqualer · 22/12/2025 21:01

I agree OP

but then I also dressed mine in clothes my mum dressed us in
so
I guess I’m just carrying that on

I have boxes and boxes of their clothes, I have the roof space to store them so why not

I also have my 1970 Brownie uniform, my purple hot pants 🤣and white shiny knee high boots from the 70s. My mum kept so much 😃

Endofyear · 22/12/2025 21:02

I'm not sentimental about 'stuff' and the rest of my family think I'm a bit weird 😂 I do have photos and memories and a few cards & drawings but not clothes. DH is more sentimental than me and has kept some baby clothes and hospital wristbands etc.

DrPrunesqualer · 22/12/2025 21:05

ColinOfficeTrolley · 22/12/2025 20:59

I feel as though I am missing the sentimental gene.

I can easily get rid of stuff.

I think keeping lost teeth is bloody weird.

I have a few videos of DD from when she was little singing and stuff and maybe a couple of school pictures, but that's it.

What do you do with all the stuff? I'm sure the kids won't want it, so what are you keeping it for?

I have all the teeth 😂 and even my own baby teeth ( I’m 50s )

Maybe I’ll make a bracelet 😳

I really have no idea why I kept my sons teeth but they always wrote a note on the envelope to the tooth fairy so it’s more the note than the tooth really
I think

Diversion · 22/12/2025 21:06

I kept special outfits, coming home from hospital outifts, christening outfits, one of my girls was a hat girl so some of her hats, tiny socks, a beautiful snow suit, my sons first trainers, a pair of size 2 wellingtons. I kept them in their keepsake boxes in the loft and gave them all to them earlier this year when we had a massive declutter. I dont think they cared much or that much has been kept. These clothes are our memories and not theirs. they all got their baby books too and their red medical books, birthday cards, newspapers from the day they were born, school reports etc etc. I did my bit, it is up to them if they choose to keep or dispose of.

Hankunamatata · 22/12/2025 21:07

I threw mine into box's in the loft. Just cleared them all put when they hit upper primary.

SunnyViper · 22/12/2025 21:08

I don’t keep clothing or much of anything really. We recently moved house and I gave the kids anything I’d kept and they chucked most of it🤷‍♂️.

ItsAWonderfulLifeforMe · 22/12/2025 21:11

I massively struggle with this and have a wardrobe full of clothes my daughters have grown out of but I can’t let go of. I’m waiting for a time when it feels ok for me. I’m not a hoarder at all or with anything else but their clothes and toys is a massive issue. Definitely something to do with me holding on to their younger years (SAHM who hasn’t found her purpose in life yet other than raise children)

Parker231 · 22/12/2025 21:13

We had teddy bears made from the material of DT’s special baby outfits. The bears have been well loved and you can still recognise some of the material (DT’s are now in their mid 20’s)

Darknightsandsparklylights · 22/12/2025 21:13

I think I’m quite sentimental but I only have the hospital wristbands, one pair of first shoes and one babygro from their first festival. Have a quite a lot of primary school books, but not all, and early drawings . I cut out any empty pages in the primary school books to reduce the bulk.

with clothes I had aimed to use pieces of their baby clothes etc to make a quilt but never got round to it so eventually passed them on. I guess it’s good for the environment for things to mostly be passed on and being used. But it is hard to let go of the different stages of them, the babies and children they were.

u3ername · 22/12/2025 21:14

I take my time before giving things away. If it’s hard than I give myself longer.

ItsAWonderfulLifeforMe · 22/12/2025 21:15

Oh god I forgot the drawings too. Can’t throw crafts away either!!

Dliplop · 22/12/2025 21:18

I have 2 bags of to keep clothes. When I sort out a size for donation I often keep one or two things and sometimes am ready to give away something I was previously saving.

Thewhywhybird · 22/12/2025 21:19

I'm not sentimental at all and pass on outgrown clothes as soon as I can. I've only kept a few bits that were hand made / hand knitted. I can't stand having unused stuff hanging about taking up space when someone else could be making good use of it.

BumCheekyBumCheekyCheekyBumBum · 22/12/2025 21:25

ItsAWonderfulLifeforMe · 22/12/2025 21:11

I massively struggle with this and have a wardrobe full of clothes my daughters have grown out of but I can’t let go of. I’m waiting for a time when it feels ok for me. I’m not a hoarder at all or with anything else but their clothes and toys is a massive issue. Definitely something to do with me holding on to their younger years (SAHM who hasn’t found her purpose in life yet other than raise children)

Edited

100% relate to this!!!

Now I put things away until I feel less attached to them, then I feel OK giving them away.

OP years ago I gave away ALL of my eldest's clothes to another mum spontaneously and woke at 3am feeling horrendously guilty. I had pangs of guilt for ages and just told myself I had the photos of her wearing the clothes and didn't need the physical items. Took a while but it helped!

This thread is reassuring! 😊

Keroppi · 22/12/2025 21:35

You gotta get rid of stuff otherwise your kids will be married with their own children and their partners will be pissed off that everytime you visit you bring a box of shite!!!

DMil is lovely but I never appreciated her dumping his childhood possessions with me to now hoard or chuck out on behalf of DH! And yes, I did tell him to sort through it but he also developed the hoarding gene so if he saw it he'd want to keep it...

DrPrunesqualer · 22/12/2025 21:39

ItsAWonderfulLifeforMe · 22/12/2025 21:11

I massively struggle with this and have a wardrobe full of clothes my daughters have grown out of but I can’t let go of. I’m waiting for a time when it feels ok for me. I’m not a hoarder at all or with anything else but their clothes and toys is a massive issue. Definitely something to do with me holding on to their younger years (SAHM who hasn’t found her purpose in life yet other than raise children)

Edited

I’m going to make a patchwork quilt with the clothes theyve grown out of
not the clothes from their very young years
The ones I have from 8 yrs or so up
( they’re now in their 20s) . Including the fabric from school ties and sports shirts, duvet covers theyve had etc

As a keepsake memory piece.

TheNameWasOnceChosen · 22/12/2025 21:56

I've kept my son's winter coat, shoes and blankets... they are 34 and 23!