There are 2 things that make organizing with babies difficult:
1. They require a lot of (often expensive) stuff, and
2. They change sizes/abilities quickly…
So, keeping up with ALL the baby stuff can seem like a never ending task. If you are still in the thick of it, you can prevent the pile up, but remember that this is a phase and one day you will look back and miss that massive double jogging stroller in your dining room (actually maybe not) However, if like many, you are already getting behind, here are some tips to tackle that mountain.
My first tip for saving items for hand-me-downs is to designate a space for them,
whatever is reasonable for your home, could be a closet, a couple bins in the attic, or an
under-bed box. Make sure that you limit the amount you save to that space. If you
have kids close in age it is possible things never officially get put away in between uses,
but if you are past the baby phase with all babies currently in your house, it is a good
idea to go through what you are saving with a critical eye. It can be a habit to just stash
away everything that is outgrown or no longer used, but once you are a little removed
from them being in the active rotation, it is time to think about whether what you saved
is something worth passing on.
So where do you get started? If an item is broken, stained or has holes, there is very
little reason to keep it, you probably wouldn’t use it for a new baby and you wouldn’t
pass it on to anyone else either. For anything monogrammed or child specific in some
way, you can keep it if it is important to you, but it should be stored with sentimental
items and not in the general hand me downs. Don’t worry about limiting how much you
keep for sentimental reasons YET, sorting through those items is a whole different
project. Same goes with baby blankets or other keepsakes. If there is something you
didn’t like, completely button onesies for instance, or something you never used with
previous kids (wipe warmer maybe?), these items can go to someone who may like or
actually use them right now. There are many local organizations that are always in
search of baby clothes and supplies.
For anything left, sort by size and keep what you feel is a reasonable amount per
season/size for the space you have designated. If you absolutely need more space,
you will need to assess what other storage you are giving up to fit more baby stuff.
Once you have things in a properly sized bin or box be sure to label what is in it in a
way that will be easy to find when it is needed. I have had families that bought all new
items for a certain size for baby number 2 because they couldn’t find the right box of
hand me downs in time. Most people keep baby stuff to save money, but if you can’t
find it when needed you not only don’t save any money, but you also waste time and
energy searching for and repurchasing unnecessary items.
Finally, if you are finished having kids and realistically don’t have anyone to hand down
to, then it is time to get rid of the baby stuff once and for all. I know it is hard to say
goodbye to all those cute little, teeny socks and shoes, but if they are in good condition,
why not sell them and use the money to buy the next size up for your kids? The newer
the items, especially in the non-clothing categories, the more likely you are to get
money back for them. Technologies change quickly for things including baby monitors
and strollers, and if you hold on to it for your future niece/nephew that isn’t coming in the
foreseeable future, their parents will more than likely want the latest and greatest
instead of your ten-year-old walkie-talkie baby monitor.
To keep on top of the process going forward, keep a container in baby’s closet to add
outgrown items as soon as you realize they are too small. When it is full, it is time to
incorporate these items into your storage space. This may mean getting rid of items to
fit the new keepers or once again determining what other items in storage to relocate (at
least temporarily) to be able to keep the next size up.
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