We recently celebrated my third daughter’s 1st Birthday and since we know we won’t be having any more babies, I have been slowly decluttering the cartons of baby clothes and items that we no longer need now that we are out of newborn territory. But before I chuck everything in bags and donate them to charity, I thought I would share some items that I have kept.
I have three daughters and my hope is for them to one day have their own children, so I have made an effort to keep a number of their favourite or sentimental baby items that were specific to them. For each of my girls I have kept their
- Favourite blanket. Each of my girls had a knitted blanket especially for them. My mum and my grandma also passed down my baby blanket and blankets used when they were a baby.
- Hand knit Cardigans, booties, beanies and mitts. Each of my girls had their own knitted set given to them when they were born. It’s my hope that they will be able to use these knits on their own babies.
- First outfit or the outfit they went home in.
- Dedication dress. Two of my daughter’s wore the same dedication dress. My third daughter is yet to be dedicated. Oops.
- Snugly toy. Each of my girls had different snuggly toys that they made an attachment to. My first daughter loved a knit monkey, my second daughter loved two teddy square washer comforters and my third daughter loved her teddy comforters and a Jemima Duck rattle.
- Books like The Hungry Caterpillar with puppet insert and 10 Little Fingers and 10 Little Toes my Mem Fox. I haven’t put these books away as we still read them regularly, but I have made a mental note to put these books away once my girls get older.
Some other items to consider keeping are jewellery, cutlery and crockery – especially the Royal Doulton Peter Rabbit range. Anything that your child has a special attachment to should be kept as a reminder to preserve their childhood.
To store the items, I have bought a large transparent container from my local grocery store and placed an A4 size paper on the top stating the contents of the box. A sticker with DO NOT THROW OUT will also be added to the outside of the container. I will keep the container in my walk in robe to ensure the girls don’t mess around with its contents.
What baby items have you kept after having your children?
