Do you save your 1st child's clothing or donate ?

Stephanie - posted on 12/10/2012

I have 3 totes of my sons clothes and 4 years later now gonna have another boy but going through the stuff and I kind of don't want my second baby to have them. A part of me wanted to save them for my oldest children or let him decide when he got older but it would be less expensive to just use them. All nice name brand clothes and barely used. Any opinions on this?

Jane - posted on 09/05/2011

We took a lot of it to Once Upon a Child (a resale shop) and sold it. Then we used the money to buy bigger clothing. The rest we gave to a co-worker who had been seeing a married man and who ended up pregnant and jobless (he was also her boss).

Melissa - posted on 09/05/2011

i saved, sold and donated, a bit of each!

Blaire - posted on 09/05/2011

I also am not planning on having another child for quite a while. I try to give what I can to people I know, but if no one I know can use them, I donate them. I think bringing themto Peru would be a great idea, especially if you know of an orphanage or hospital that can use them!

Kylie - posted on 09/05/2011

I did save all the clothes from my first child but that was because we knew that we were planning on having a second child. I have since donated a lot of their clothes (mainly because we just don't have the room to store them) but I have kept a few choice items that were my favourites when they wore them. It was hard at first to start but once I started I was fine. Hope you are able to decide what you will do with them.

LORI - posted on 09/04/2011

I saved everything from my son from birth to age 3. then I moved from Ny to TN and gave it all to friend who was about to have a little boy. If I didnt move i would probly still save it in hope to have another child one day. or end up donating it to someone years later.

Mary - posted on 09/04/2011

I saved clothes knowing I was having a few kids right after each other... I started at 31 and have have kids born in 02,04,06,08. When I was done.. I donated stuff. I also saved some of the really nice expensive stuff for when I had nieces or nephews. My new niece was the recipient of some really nice stuff. :)

I did save the coming home outfit.. the hat, blanket..etc for each child. :)

Mary
http://www.SkinnyFiber411.com

IsabElla - posted on 08/30/2011

check around for a consignment store alot of them will go thru it and buy out right there what they want.. also try selling them in lots on ebay this way you get some extra needed money for clothes or your trip..

Danielle - posted on 08/30/2011

I saved some special stuff. My son is nine now and I got rid of the baby stuff a couple years ago. There was an apartment fire in my area and there was a pregnant couple that lost everything. I ended up donating most of the clothes and baby stuff to them.

Tresha - posted on 02/01/2010

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS TAKE THE CLOTHES TO LIMA PERU! Here is my strategy (we are Divas, so we have a ROOM of clothing! We dress up daily!)...here is what I do:

I have a few plastic bins, I mark them and place in the bottom of her closet: I have ONE "Heirloom" bin. I only keep NICE clothing - the expensive stuff that I buy; monogrammed clothing, etc. I keep milestone clothing - the outfit she wore home from the hospital, her first birthday tshirt, her first tutu, etc.

The REST of the clothing I give to many people - I spread the love around:

a) give some to cousins (50%)

b) give some to charity (about 10%) - I usually give outfits that I mistakenly poured bleach on; sometimes we make those Mommy errors; so typically most charties just want stuff the kid can wear that's clean, so let's say 'two or three bleach dots", then it goes to charity.

c) give the rest to friends (40%) - I have friends with girls Chloe's age, so I give them clothing.

You have to be careful, some people get offended when you give them used clothing, even if its NEW and in great condition. So, I typically make sure I know who I'm giving it to. I have a shelter nearby with women who are in bad condition, so I always give stuff to them; I give my Walmart, Target brands, to them. My more expensive brands, like Macys, Dillards, etc - I give those to my family members.

I had to get to a point of being honest with myself - NOT all clothing is worth keeping. I can't KEEP everything. So, you can't get attached to the 'money' part of what you bought. I have seen some Moms try to see the stuff on Ebay or Craigslist. I don't personally ahve the patience, and I don't believe you get your money from it because with the economy most people are looking for deals.

Try to do a garage sale, but be reaslitic. NO one is going to pay $20 for your used clothing, even if you paid $50. I saw one lady nearby, she had a garage sale and sold NOTHING! She wanted $10 for a used polo. Sorry lady! Maybe $3 to $5...so who cares that its Polo. If you are STUCK on the money part of what you paid for the clothing, then give it to a shelter or a real non-profit, so you can get a TAX DEDUCTION SHEET.
I love dressing my daughter. She looks like a rockstar everyday, but we can't keep all the rockstar stuff, so I keep some and give the rest. I usually keep all her tutus. I keep some stuff to put her on dolls. Then I give the rest. I don't want to become a pack rat!

I want to be a BLESSING to someone else. If you are blessed to have purchaesd it, then take it your people in Peru and share it with them. You can now be a blessing to someone else! BLESS someone. Don't let it sit at your home just because it's YOURS...share it, give it, and spread the love. You'd be amazed how many Moms have nothing and they'd love your clean used clothing. I always wash everything I give away before I give it. I don't necessarily PRESS IT, BUT I always neatly wash and fold! I never treat people any less than I'd want to be treated, even if they are poor!

Hugs!

Char - posted on 01/31/2010

I saved a few of my favourite things my son wore that he looked adorable in or 1st england kit... but other things I donated some to Welcare x

Judith - posted on 01/30/2010

I''ve saved 5 or less items per size (there's always that favorite outfit or two that you loved seeing your little one in per size!). The rest I gave to friends or donated. My son is almost 3 now and I've actually gone back and pulled a few of the outfits that I had saved and gave them to close friends for their children. I love seeing their kids in the outfits I liked so much on my little one.

Mary Fe - posted on 01/29/2010

i kept all of his clothes.i just him to those all things when he grows much older.haha!

Nathalie - posted on 01/28/2010

If you don't have the space, then donate it. I have kept my first one's clothes because I know I was going to have more kids. I ended up with 3 girls and that sure helped me out financially to already have some clothes. 5 to 10 years is a long time from now so I might do the same if I were in your shoes.

Jennifer - posted on 01/27/2010

I save special clothing...like the babies first shoes, socks and Baptismal outfit. Im 10 wks pregnant too..And it sucks because I donated most of my kids baby clothing. So if nobody wants them..send them to me : )

Charlene - posted on 01/26/2010

Try having a garage sale. See if there is a consignment shop in your area. Donate to a womans shelter.

Barbara - posted on 01/25/2010

That is a wonderful idea. Maybe you could save the most special outfits, or take pictures of them to keep. Foster kids rarely get nice clothes unless the foster parents are rich, which never happens.

Mathilda - posted on 01/23/2010

I personally plan on having another child so at the moment I am holding on to them. But I can say that most of our clothes were hand me downs and I appreciate them and if I do have a girl what ever clothes I can't use I will give them to someone who needs them. I considered donating them but I will probably post an add to give them away for free.

Erin - posted on 01/22/2010

I too saved a few of my favorite things, just for the purpose of a keepsake. So one day I can say to my kids, awww, look how little you were!

Dena - posted on 01/22/2010

I think we sometimes take for granted that we will get new stuff. There are many who are not so lucky - single or not.

Rachelle - posted on 01/22/2010

i keep cause i wanna have another child....if i dont have a girl i will either donate them or sell them to a consignment shop...or do both...you have great ideas of what to do with yours...you will do the right thing...keeping them for 5-10 years is too long...the styles wont be the same then and you will end up with so much new stuff anyway...

Dena - posted on 01/22/2010

I saved a couple of items, then sold, passed on to friends or donated the rest. Something else, I'm really glad to have done - I made a hand & foot print out of crayola model magic (forget the plaster!) at both the infant stage and two years.

Brandy - posted on 01/21/2010

i kept the bring me home outfit the first toy and that special blanket..things like that ..the rest i eaither donated or took to consignment shops

Lisa - posted on 01/21/2010

I saved the outfit each child came home in and were baptized in. Everything else has either been passed on to friends or donated. If you don't want to pack them for a trip, there are plenty of immigrants here or other charities like the ones you mentioned in Peru. For those outfits that I was particularly fond of, I made sure I had a picture, either of my boys wearing them or simply laid out on a flat surface if they had already been outgrown.

Amanda - posted on 01/20/2010

I save things that I really LOVE or that have a sentimental value to them - birthday shirts, halloween costumes, etc. I donate the rest to either friends or the Salvation Army. My plan is to eventually make a quilt with scraps of the saved clothing. Of course if I have another boy, he'll wear some of it first. :-)

Janice - posted on 01/19/2010

I love to hand down my clothes to family/friends especially since I am done after two kids. My son's clothes are going to a friend's son (she in turn has been giving me clothes for my daughter) while my daughters clothes are going to my brother and sister in law's new baby. If you have no one to donate them to, I would definitely donate to someone who is in need. I have kept a few items that have special meaning to me!

Elizabeth - posted on 01/17/2010

I had MANY arguments w/ my kids fathers. I've saved my kids baby clothes. I've done a cost analysis and it was actually cheaper for me to get bins and store my kids out gown clothes, then to replace all of them when I had more kids. When the other kids came money was not always available and it has been a HUGE help already having the clothes and toys then having to come up with the money to replace them all. Some times I would loan the clothes and toys to friends who had kids, they would make sure they took good care of them and then give them back to me (also a cheap way to store them at someone else's place). If you find that your not going to have ANY more is for sure, then the best thing to do is donate them, to a non-profit organization, there are good wills, salvation army's, Homeless Shelters, many places like that where people who can't afford to buy them and who really need them can have them. plus as long as it is a non-profit organization you can write it off on your taxes. Make sure your not UNDERvaluing the items when you donate them. WWW.CUSTOMTAXSERVICES.COM

Jennifer - posted on 01/17/2010

i saved a few outfits each kid. no way i could keep it all. just some milestone outfits like christmas pictures and the outfit they wore home. And when i had Rebekah she wore alot of the clothes i saved of Kalynnes so i dont have alot of extra clothes of hers.

Erin - posted on 01/16/2010

I ended up getting rid of my 2 oldest childrens baby clothes. But with my 10 month old daughter, I made a quilt out of her 0- 6 months size clothes and gave away the rest (Except the extra special things)

Christina - posted on 01/15/2010

Hi there, I have three boys and with each of them I kept one to two things from when they were just tiny! I dont think you should keep every thing, unless your going ot be having another child with in the next two years. I gave alot of the kids clothing to poeple who needed them!

Theresa - posted on 01/15/2010

I picked out a few favorite or special outfits for each of my children and put them in a keepsake box, the rest I would give to someone I knew was going to be having a baby. I think if you have room it would be wonderful it you donated what you don't want or really need to a foster home or childrens hospital. Wish I had thought to do something like that when my children we that little.

Michele - posted on 01/14/2010

Sending her clothing to Lima (or Haiti) would be generous. One idea is to save a couple of your favorite outfits for baby dolls. My daughter dressed her bunnies, bears, and dolls in clothes she had as an infant when she was about 4 years old.
Follow your heart... I have a handful of special outfits from birth to age 16 in one little box... that's enough to make a quilt from her youth to carry forward. (Have one made if you're not a quilter).
Happy New Year and Safe Travels...

Maribel - posted on 01/14/2010

I have a 4 year old son and I have been saving his baby clothes for the last 4 years. Many bags that I just didn't want to get rid of. Now I am pregnant with baby # 2 and it's a girl. I am also not planning on having any more kids so I donated the clothing that I couldn't use for a girl to a friend of mine that has a baby boy at the moment. If it wasn't for her I probably would have just donated to a church or charity.

Dawn - posted on 01/13/2010

thank u so much but my girls are all grown up now so they give away their own things!!

Carrie - posted on 01/12/2010

Yes, I donate to a single mothers organization we have in my area. That may be an idea for you. Singles always need things for their babies.

Dawn - posted on 01/12/2010

but one thing it feels so good to be able to help someone else!! because when the lord blesses u it's nice to share that blessing with others,

Dawn - posted on 01/12/2010

u are so right!! after thinking about it u can give them to someone who can really use them once i went to a daycare center and gave some of her toys to them then i gave the clothes to a school for babies who could use them for parents who didn't have much!!

Kristin - posted on 01/12/2010

I know how you feel, my little girl is now 6 months and the clothes I went through with her seemed so unreal. You might keep one or two outfits to show her later on, and save some for her in case she might have a daughter. The remainder of the hats, socks, bibs, and the rest donate to Quigley or the Salvation Army. It will make you feel good to know some one in need will use it.
Good Luck

Ann - posted on 01/11/2010

I saved a few of my childrens first pieces of clothing, like the outfit they wore home from the hospital, their first halloween costumes, and their first Christmas outfits. The rest I gave to some one that I knew needed them and would appriciate them.

Ashley - posted on 01/11/2010

I did i keep pretty much everything of his its crazy but u really never no wat might happen or come up

Dawn - posted on 01/11/2010

i would do the same thing with their toys!!

Dawn - posted on 01/11/2010

yes i know it seems funny but when u keep your kids clothes so neat i just feel like i would like someone to do the same but i know once u give them up that may not happen lol but that's my feelings!!!

Dawn - posted on 01/11/2010

Quoting Dawn:

so really u want someone to take care of the clothes like u did.

Ashley - posted on 01/10/2010

I saved all my sons baby stuff just incase you never know wat will happened and i gav my sister the stuff that i had second and thirds of. O and if u hav little space 2 store of have a lot to store i sugguested space bag the work magic.

Daphne - posted on 01/10/2010

save, 1st outfit thar she wore at the hospital, the outfit she came home with. any special outfits you think are special and your heart cant let go

Dawn - posted on 01/10/2010

so really u want someone to take care of the clothes like u did.

Dawn - posted on 01/10/2010

that is good to donate them to where u said u know when my last one was big i had real nice clothes and i always kept her things so nice so i didn't want any body messing them up so i had to find someone who would treat them nice like i did i know that seems strange but that is how i was and i'm still like that with her clothes!! smile

Faith - posted on 01/10/2010

I kept the 1st outfit my boy wore after being born, and presents. The others I gave to friends and family. If you think you know any family with or expecting a baby, give it to them (if they want it). No doubt when you're ready, there should be some hand me downs somewhere in the family (or friends) for you to use..

Dawn - posted on 01/10/2010

i know we like to hold on to those lil memories but we need to let someone share them smile!!!

Dawn - posted on 01/10/2010

the only thing i kept from both of my girls were their school uniforms from when they were 3yrs old now one is 33yrs and19yrs so u know i'm not having any more !