Baby clothes- did you keep/ get rid of/ something in between?

[lizardqueenie]

Dd is nearly 2 & I seem to have built up quote a collection of her baby clothes so far.
Some things that are stained/ we're too poo caked at the time I obviously got rid of but everything g else is bagged/ boxed up in a disorganised fashion in the spare room.

Hoping to have a dc2 at some point in the future, what's worth keeping & how is it best to store it? We don't have a loft as that's where our bedroom is! Thank you :)

I've kept pretty much all of DD's baby clothes in the hope we have another baby one day, but keep them all in those vacuum-pack bags so they don't take much space. I have one bag per size (1-3 months, 3-6 months etc).

I sorted through and had 3 piles

1. Keepers - things that I remember the older DC wearing, that washed well/didn't need ironing, that looked nice or worked well in an outfit (striped long sleeved vests etc)

1. Losers - things that that my SIL got in the sale never got clean first time, that were itchy, that looked terrible, that always needed ironing, that were stained or worn through. Also anything like vests/sleepsuits that were cheap to buy in Tescos but bulky to store (people also have loads of vests/sleepsuits to pass on)

1. Doers - things that I felt I ought to keep like party dresses, or Boden/Next that I didn't esp like but could sell on later. Not anything 'memorable' but things that were bomb proof like leggings/jeans etc.

And sorted by age, or at least age the DC actually wore them - we used cloth nappies so the trousers sizing could be dodgy.

Did big clear outs periodically when DD1 outgrew things. Threw out anything that was worn out/poo or food stained etc.

Washed, folded and put away occasionally a few things that were special to her (PJs she had for her first Xmas morning etc.) in the box that I keep special 'memory' things in for her.

Anything I didn't really like that much, I gave to charity collection.

Boxed up (by size, well same as Trellis, by age really because some sizes vary) anything decent, making sure it was clean. Used Ikea clear plastic boxes with a big label on and stored them in the loft.

Even now with DD2 I take down a box of stuff every 3 months and really enjoy finding back all the nice things that DD1 used to have.

What makes it easier (and cheaper) in our case is we have same sex DCs, exactly 2 years apart, so the ages and seasons match IYSWIM (6mth swimming costume, 1 yr winter coat..)

It has saved us a bomb, and especially in the early days when they grow out of things so fast, they have barely been worn.

Thanks for the advice & tips everyone. I guess I have some sorting to do. But then I think once I'm on top of it I need to do it as a regular thing rather than just heap stuff together

Only keep things you love - people will pass loads on/buy you things like vests and bibs, and you might be like me and have a dc2 who is opposite sex and other end of the centiles to dc1 therefore rendering most of what you've kept totally useless! I do still have a lot of it in vac bags though (you never know )...

Sorry just to add for poo stains I found that Mothercare Nappy Wash works a treat

Thanks mrsmangels (great name btw!) I fogey that people buy you lots anyway.

Thanks smeared- ill keep that in mind for anything I want to keep/ donate.

I've made a start, given away some of dd's early baby stuff that wasn't worn & wasn't to my taste but a friends baby is probably going to be a good few weeks early so she could definitely do with it.

We have thrown out anything that is bobbly, stained, out of shape and generally worn. Mostly pjs, tshirts etc. have kept good stuff like mamas and papas nice snow suits, cardigans etc and oshkosh dungarees, coats etc. Everything else has gone, sold some on eBay in bundles (bought new ds clothes with the proceeds) and threw out tatty things. Have kept shoes / wellies that havent died.

Vac packed and in the loft. Haven't been through them since I did it and am a bit excited about having a look

We get rid of everything.

I save nothing for memories, I save nothing for future children.

Clothes are cheap as chips and usually don't store well anyway.

I use those huge stacking tubs with the interlocking lid. I disagree that clothing doesn't store well I've been doing it for 9 years & handed down loads from ds1 to ds2.

I found some stuff looked dated from a fashion point of view, ie jeans so I just gave stuff to charity if they didn't seem suitable for ds2 but I have saved loads of money handing down.

The main thing is labelling storage properly so you can get your hands on it when you need to. Mine is stored in the loft.