Now that we have toddlers, there is quite the collection of stuff Sam and Anna have grown out of growing in our basement. Just this weekend, I retired our jumperoo and exersaucer from our living room. Now our living room seems huge! We were only really using them to contain babies for a minute or two and Sam and Anna have been so over them for a while now. We have baby clothes from preemie to 9 months boxed up in our basement (both boy and girl wardrobes; from summer to winter clothing), all our bottle paraphernalia (two drying racks, oodles of bottles, nipples, formula pitcher, etc.) and baby food making stuff, my extra large pregnancy pillow is taking up residence in the corner along with the infant car seats and 4 bases, bags of infant toys, and a play mat the size of Texas. I have pregnancy books, Bella bands, maternity bras and a few leftover maternity clothes. We have Bumbos, bouncers, swings, mobiles, car seat covers and snowsuits among other things I am sure I am forgetting. After hauling the jumperoo downstairs, I remarked to my husband that it's starting to look a little like a mini Babies R Us down there.
Because we are not planning on trying to have any other children, I don't foresee any of the stuff being used by us again. Because it took 4 years for us to become parents, most of our friends are past the first baby stage. I also don't foresee anyone we know having a first child in the near future to give some of our stuff to. Since the possibility of relocating to another state because of a job offer is very real right now, it seems like this is the right time to start purging the unused stuff out of our basement. Plus, as Sam and Anna get older, I know they will grow out of more and more things and the pile in our basement will grow and change with them.
I started posting a few things on craigs.list yesterday evening... and already got 6 emails about our rainforest jumperoo. (side note: I got the thing for $20 off of the same place in excellent condition. The same thing was listed for $40-$50 multiple times when I checked, so I posted the price as $30. It looks like we'll be making money off of that used rainforest jumperoo!) Almost everything I had started posting had at least one interested person. Whatever doesn't get sold there can go to the local consignment shop just a few blocks from our house.
My mother is a pack rat and so I usually have the opposite problem and have a hard time holding onto stuff unless it has a very clear purpose. So it surprised me when I hesitated in replying to the emails. I'm thinking that this is probably because I have so many memories tied to the things in our basement. Maybe I'm beginning to understand my mother's need to keep almost everything, just a little bit more.
7 comments:
If we lived closer, I'd totally buy some of that from you!!!
I can see how that would be really bittersweet. On the one hand, it's nice to clear everything out and have space again. On the other hand, it's always a little sad to say goodbye to all of the different phases of babyhood as they pass. We have all of our stuff stashed in the attic right now since (God willing) we are planning on having another child one day. I think it will be fun to sort through all of the little outfits again one day, remembering when Camden was tiny enough to wear them.
Good luck with your mini Babies R Us sale. Craigs List is such a great tool for things like that. Oh, and we have that rainforest jumperoo too-- Camden used to LOVE that thing. It'll make some other baby really happy.
I totally understand your hesitation. I would have a hard time getting rid of baby things even if I wasn't having any more children.
I'm having a hard time putting away the jumperoo and exersaucer, and Noah hasn't gone in EITHER of them in about 5 months! He does play along the outside of them, though. And we don't much unfinished space in our house that is dedicated to storage. Our crawl space under the stairs is the only unfinished spot in our house. So it seems stupid to me to pack something that is mildly useful into a small spot where it will then have NO use.
Sigh. Children growing up is happy, but sad.
We just sold one of our swings, our two infants carseats and the double strollerr that went with it. I haven't gotten the courage up for the jumperaroo or exersaucer. But I agree the memories make it much harder!
Very good insight at the end of your post! Take the time to honor the memories associated with the baby stuff--maybe tuck away an item or two that have big significance and you can show it to Sam and Anna when they are older.
I hope things sell well for you! I can imagine it's bittersweet.
I just LOVE me some Craigslist! :) Great way to find stuff, and great way to purge stuff!
And - I've been surprised to find I'm so much more sentimental since Davie was born! ;)
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