What should I keep?

[kartish]

So I am attempting to purge my house of un-needed stuff. The other night I cleared out two trash bags full of clothes from my closet. But now I'm looking at some of the baby stuff that DS doesn't use. We want more than one child, but probably won't TTC for a few years. Or we may adopt. I have packed up his swing and some of his newborn clothes. A bunch of his clothes are going to a friend who is due in September though.

We received a ton of bottles as gifts. But DS only likes one kind of bottle, so we have three of four brands that are not going to receive any use, some still in packaging. IS it worth it/safe to hang on to these for possible future kids?Then there are his soothie pacifiers he doesn't use anymore, can those be saved?

We also have some baby gadgets that we just never have used yet, like the wipe warmer and bottle warmer. I feel like if we didn't use them by now, I should probably pass them on? I can't see using them for future child either, since we didn't with DS.

What are you guys storing or tossing? BTDT moms, what do you suggest hanging on to?

ETA Fixed the title, somehow it got partially deleted?

[misshart00]

I kept everything from my first. But also keep in mind that the second may not like the same things. As long as you have room, I say keep it for now so you don't have to buy it again.

[misshart00]

I sold most of DD's clothes because I had a ton and I have a boy now. I kept what I thought was really cute just in case.

[allonsy221b]

I kept everything from my first and then when I found out B was a boy I went about selling the clothes and girly stuff I wouldn't be able to use. I never had a wipe or bottle warmer. I think the bottles would be safe to use still as long as they are stored in the house and not somewhere super hot. I kept a few sentimental outfits to put in a shadow box.

I also kept the swing and the bouncers/walkers all that, they're totally fine 2 years later

[misshart00]

My kids are also close enough together that I used the same car seat.

And DS uses some of DD's pink stuff too, but I also bought several things with the plan of using them for multiple kids.

[kartish]

The swing is my BIL's swing, so I didn't know if we were going to store that or give it back, but since he and his wife just separated, I think it will stay at our place for now. Most of the clothes are going into the garage, we were team green so most are GN except some hand me downs.

So the used bottles and pacifiers didn't get gross in storage? I washed and sanitized them, but I just picture them being gross in a year for some reason?

[misshart00]

Jul 15, 2015 18:23:44 GMT -5 kartish said:

The swing is my BIL's swing, so I didn't know if we were going to store that or give it back, but since he and his wife just separated, I think it will stay at our place for now. Most of the clothes are going into the garage, we were team green so most are GN except some hand me downs.

So the used bottles and pacifiers didn't get gross in storage? I washed and sanitized them, but I just picture them being gross in a year for some reason?

We just washed ours and put them up in a cabinet. I washed them again when I got them down and had no problems.

[Mom2Ms]

I'm keeping everything that isn't poop stained. DH apparently only produces boy sperm (given that he's had 3 boys....), so I'm keeping all the non poop stained clothing. He wants to try for a girl, so I may go for it. I'm 39, so the train needs to leave the station and soon. Everything else we have bought is gender neutral, so we'll hold on to that stuff too..... Save anything that's nice. That's my vote.

[emilyz320]

Also vote for keep everything. I would hate to buy it all again.

[hollydfromtn]

We're planning on trying for number 2 around DS' first birthday so we're keeping everything. DS never really took any bottles so we've given all of those away except one. As for pacis I'll probably toss those and get new ones.

[junebugjam]

I'm keeping everything. We have an empty bedroom that will likely turn into baby #2's room, so I've been putting bigger things in there as we're done with them.

I thought about getting rid of bottles and stuff that he doesn't/never used, but like someone above said, the next baby might not like the same things, so I figure I'll just keep them. They're not taking up a ton of space.

[misshart00]

Also related to pacifiers: you will lose 500 of them before needing to store them (if you were to store them) so don't worry about it.

[somebirdswalk]

Keeping nearly everything, if the DH or I actively dislike something we will 86 it, but otherwise we tuck it away when LO outgrows it. I don't know how many times I told DH "DO NOT THROW OUT THE MAMAROO BOX," he was gunning for that thing like he recycle fever...

[kartish]

Jul 15, 2015 21:40:12 GMT -5 misshart00 said:

Also related to pacifiers: you will lose 500 of them before needing to store them (if you were to store them) so don't worry about it.

I'm just putting away the soothies, he won't keep them in his mouth any more. But the other kinds that we used to have a thousand of! One is all I could find for like three weeks, so when I found two under his dresser, two in the dice box and one in my closet, I got a little excited.
I'm sure they will all be missing again in a day or so.

[toadandbuggie]

I bought things or put them on my registry with the intention of using them for more than one kid. I'm definitely saving all my bottles and probably the pacis too.

Unfortunately I have a wipe warmer I never used and also a bottle warmer. Seems to be the trend. I'll probably try to sell those.

[toadandbuggie]

I have a ton of boy clothes I'm saving in case of another boy. We plan to have 3 so there's a good chance! I don't want to get rid of anything yet because everything's so god darn expensive and I don't want to step foot in buybuybaby again.

[mands1125]

So our situation is this. Husband is a fence sitter on #2 and I want to try to TTCFAS next spring so they would be about 2 years apart. We are in the process of moving to a bigger house but I also want to start off with minimal clutter and stuff.

After much debate, we are going to try and sell her swing and bouncy seat (bought used on an online yard sale site) once our condo sells (hopefully soon). We agreed if there is #2, we will get new used stuff again. I didn't love the swing and bouncy seat anyhow so I think I'd get a different kind for #2 anyhow.

Everything else is being saved for now. If we have #2 and we will find out the sex, if it is a girl, then great we have clothes. If it is a boy, then the girl clothes will be purged right away.

Just about everything else is sex neutral so we will keep those things for now.

[lilyelayne]

If it's a gadget that's supposed to make your life easier but you never used, I'd get rid of it (wipe warmer, etc). If it's a gadget that's supposed to entertain your baby but LO didn't like it, I'd store based on how much storage you have v how long you think it'll be before you use it again - example: DS didn't love the rock n play, but many babies do, and it's not difficult to store, so even tho theoretical LO2 is 3-4 years down the road, that's going to live in my storage building. Batteries removed, of course.

[hollydfromtn]

Jul 16, 2015 8:03:23 GMT -5 lilyelayne said:

If it's a gadget that's supposed to make your life easier but you never used, I'd get rid of it (wipe warmer, etc). If it's a gadget that's supposed to entertain your baby but LO didn't like it, I'd store based on how much storage you have v how long you think it'll be before you use it again - example: DS didn't love the rock n play, but many babies do, and it's not difficult to store, so even tho theoretical LO2 is 3-4 years down the road, that's going to live in my storage building. Batteries removed, of course.

I'm glad you mentioned batteries. It hadn't even crossed my mind to remove them. Mom brain is kicking my butt.

[michelle142]

man, this thread makes me feel like a horder. We have 6 totes of boy clothes that my ds has outgrown, plus 1 from dd. I'm too lazy to go through it all...

[aggiebug]

I am team keep it. Actually I am in team share with my friends so they store it in between babies;)

The bottles still in packages I would probably return for store credit if I could. I know I can use store credit now and don't know if future kid would like the bottles either.

[taberbtb]

We are keeping everything hopefully for LO #2, but probably half of everything we own is hand me downs from a friend with really good taste so I feel obligated to pay it forward and will likely give it away to other friends/family who would appreciate it after we are done.

[cloe111479]

We got all the main things (swing, bouncer, etc) in the gender neutral colors to use for a 2nd too. ive been boxing her clothes be size (using diaper boxes) so if it's another girl we have clothes. If not, I'll sell/trade them for boy stuff.

We always planned that her furniture was hers forever -- move go toddler bed, then reg bed. If we have another, we would get a new crib, dresser, etc for him/her.

[AppropriateChocolate]

I'm team pay it forward. I can't stand not used stuff sitting and taking up space. I go through DDs clothes once a month and put them in a box I have a cousin with a baby due in late August and it's a girl so I've been boxing stuff and giving it to them. DD hated the swing so that and her Fisher price sit me up went to once upon a child. We will only have another one if I get pregnant on my own(did natural cycle IVF transfer to get DD) and if that happens we pray it's a boy. I did save her coming home outfits and a few other outfits that have sentimental value.. but I'm a little weird, I also saved one diaper of each size that she's outgrown (FTM issues lol)

[krispy83]

We kept pretty much everything from DS. Bigger stuff (bouncer, jumperoo, swing, etc) we put in the rafters in the garage. Smaller stuff (clothes, infant toys, etc) I boxed up by size in diaper boxes and stored them in the spare room, which is now DD's room. When we found out we were having a girl, I pulled out any neutral clothes from DS to reuse, saved some of my favorite items to pass on to family or close friends and packed up other stuff for a friend who has a little boy. We were given a lot of gently used items when DS was born and I wanted to pay it forward as much as possible. But anything I could save to reuse, I did.