Slightly OT:: how much of your children's baby clothes did you keep

ANewHue · ‎11-21-2011

I saved christening outfits and a few special things. I know some who have containers with many of their children's clothes. I would like hear opinions.

Marsha2003 · ‎03-12-2010

None. I made scrapbooks with pictures of them in favorite outfits, but I saw no reason to keep the actual clothing. I have a friend who made a memory quilt with swatches of her daughter's favorite items. I thought that was a clever way to pass along family stories.

twinny70 · ‎07-03-2012

None. Mom passed away 2 weeks ago & I just found my first pair of white leather baby shoes among the treasures.

ANewHue · ‎11-21-2011

@twinny70 I'm so sorry for your loss.

twinny70 · ‎07-03-2012

@ANewHue wrote:
@twinny70 I'm so sorry for your loss

Thank you. Mom had a wonderful life & was 95. She is now with dad smiling down on us.

RedTop · ‎09-01-2010

My cedar chest holds my daughters crocheted blankets, crocheted sweater sets and capes, plus several of their cutest dresses. I also have a few of the simple cotton dresses I wore as an infant, my first purse, and the Easter dress I wore when I was 5.

homedecor1 · ‎03-09-2010

For both my boys I made queen size quilts out of their fav kids clothes, overalls, blankets, etc. I still have their christening outfits preserved with their first hand made crocheted blankets by my dearest friend of over 40 years.

I did the same for my niece who had it framed into a wall hanging.

Sooner · ‎03-10-2010

I inherited a lot of things from mother and my aunt. Most I had to discard. I don't have enough room to keep these things, and I am trying to discard a lot of my own things too. I have learned that these things don't make loved ones closer to you after they have passed, and are only things after all.

Please don't save lots of stuff for your kids to deal with. It is too hard, leaves you feeling guilty for discarding it, and doesn't make you any closer or nearer to them. Please be very selective. Maybe try to be with them and see what they want and DON'T want while you are alive.

Kids today especially don't put much value in stuff--

Mominohio · ‎08-08-2010

@Sooner wrote:
I inherited a lot of things from mother and my aunt. Most I had to discard. I don't have enough room to keep these things, and I am trying to discard a lot of my own things too. I have learned that these things don't make loved ones closer to you after they have passed, and are only things after all.

Please don't save lots of stuff for your kids to deal with. It is too hard, leaves you feeling guilty for discarding it, and doesn't make you any closer or nearer to them. Please be very selective. Maybe try to be with them and see what they want and DON'T want while you are alive.

Kids today especially don't put much value in stuff--

This isn't bad advice at all.

My only caution to others who are in between their own kids being raised, and no grands yet, is that while the younger generation doesn't seem to value 'stuff' in the same way some older generations do, I believe that as they age, many will indeed, find themselves drawn to certain things from their family heritage, and their own childhood.

So, if holding on to some things isn't a burden, thinning it down is good advice, but completely eliminating things, may be regretted later on. Much of what we have to pass on to our children, be it 'stuff' or wisdom, or advice, is often not accepted when we think it will/should be, but when they are ready. It makes me sad to think that I won't have any of those things to pass down, because I gave up on things too early.

And I know we all see things differently,but I have a number of family heirlooms that do indeed, make me feel closer to those long gone.

Mominohio · ‎08-08-2010

Ooops. In my lengthy post, I realized I didn't address the original question.

I saved several things from my kid's baby clothes. There was a sweater set gifted that he wore home from the hospital, and a few other things. Some receiving blankets that were mine when I was a baby (I think using those for a third generation will be so fun), and a couple of pairs of baby shoes. He also wore denim bib overalls a lot as a young child, so I saved a series of those as well, as they never seem to go out of style, especially for country kids.