Baby Clothes and Storage

Passitonsale.com is a local consignment sale that happens every 6 months in Albany... perfect for getting a little extra spending cash as well as picking up new clothes. Watch their website as the next sale will probably happen in February!

THe storage bags which you vacuum seal - they make very compartmentalized storage space for keeping such items which you want to hold onto. Or consign at a nearby consignment shop - very popular for kids stuff.

Try a site called GumdropSwap (http://gumdropswap.com). No need to hold onto all of that stuff. Save a few fave outfits to pass on if next is same sex but get some return value on that money and free up space in your home and your parent's. You can swap from anywhere in the US by sending the clothes your kids outgrow to this kids boutique in CT. It's instant gratification. As long your things are in good condition they don't turn down anything because of brand, size or season. They take everything unlike resale store like Once Upon a Child! They give you points to shop on the website and send the clothes that fit your kids. It's great if you don't have time, patience or know how to do consignment, Ebay, craigslist, tag sale, etc.

A.,
I have a son, going on 6 years old, and I still have all of his clothes! They are in bins or boxes or bags... and take up a good amount of room in my basement. I had every intention of bringing them to Once Upon a Child, a consignment shop in Milford, a little bit at a time, but I kept forgetting. You can separate the clothes by season and bring them into the store just before that season begins. Most pieces of clothing are sold for about $5, and they'll give you about $2.50 on the spot. You can then use the money to buy some clothes for your daughter. They also have kid toys, books, videos, and shoes.

I currently have all of my son's clothes stored by size, not by season. If you know of anyone who would like to take entire totes, really cheap, then send them my way. :-)
S.

P.S. You and I share a lot of the same interrests. I have been married for ten years, love karaoke, the aquarium, boating (although we do not own one), and animals (we have no pets, though). I am a special education teacher and I have a home based business. Perhaps we and our husbands could get together some time? ;-)

Hi A.!

I am storing all of the baby clothes that I have also.. I use the space bags that you can buy at Bed Bath and Beyond or Target I think...Anyway, you put all the clothes in and then use your vacuum to suck all the air out. I even stand on the bags to squish it down even more. Then I put them in storage bins and label the outside what the size is. This has been great for us so far. It is a bit of an expense to buy them, but they are reusable and keep out moisture.

Good luck!
J.

Hi A.,
I always bought diapers in bulk - so they came in a cardboard case. I saved those and just put the clothes away in them as my dtgr outgrew them and labeled the boxes. But - I agree w/ your first poster - try the space saver bags! My husband and I were just watching a commercial on them. We have them and I mentioned that they did work, but were annoying if you were going to use whatever was in them on a repeated basis. He responded - they'd be great for all those baby clothes though! (We are moving and just cleared out the attic and moved boxes and boxes of clothes!). He is so right - try the space saver bags and just label them. Although you only have one child - I would still label the gender on them too. You never know what the next one may be and if you have a boy and girl and have multiple 'newborn' clothes - you won't know which they are!

Just be sure that if you store them in plastic, there is airflow through the plastic containers. Otherwise baby spit up, invisible now, will leave brown stains that are really tricky to remove.

I use the space saver bags and then put them into bins for extra protection. They're sorted by months and easily labeled and since they're see through I can see exactly what I'm looking for! Good luck!

We waited 6 years for my second child. I kept saving and saving my daughter's clothes in hope of getting pregnant, and never did. When I finally did get pregnant, it was a boy! LOL. I learned a long time ago to keep ONE tote of clothes that had sentimental value and sell the rest.

I shop consignment sales and I've never spent money on my kids clothes since they were 2. I sell last years clothes, buy this years clothes, and still make a profit of $600-1,000+. Check out: http://www.consignmentsalequeen.com/2010/01/where-did-i-p... for my tried and true method of how we store our kids clothes ;) GL!

I got rid of nothing until I knew we were done having kids. As others, just stored them by size until we'd had baby #2, then kept a few sentimental pieces and gave away the rest to either my cousin (for the girl clothes) or my best friend (for boy clothes).

Hi A.. Congratulations on your first little one. I have two kids of my own, and them very quickly. I was bless with boys, so as the clothes go I have a lot of them. I am just beginning to give away most of the clothes that now do not only fit my 19mo old but also my 5mo old.(Holding onto my Favorite items for sentimental reasons=one bin) My advice to anyone is hold on to things that have no stains. I found I never used them on the second one even though I thought I would. Then begin storing them according to size (this takes awhile because you will find yourself remembering when your peanut fit in that outfit. I went to Walmart and got bins that slid under the bed, so when the kids got old enough to sleep in a real bed we could store seasonal clothes in them, or whatever they want
I will warn you that putting the clothes away may really get you thinking of having anotherbaby, especially when you come across the newborn clothes...how tiny and new.

At first, I was hanging onto everything, but then soon realized that was WAY too much. So, now I just hang onto the nice pieces I know that I will use again. I know that once I have another baby (girl or boy) that I am going to want to buy some new stuff, so no reason to hang onto everything. Good luck!

Hi A.,

If you are keeping them, you got lots of great ideas from other moms -

If you are looking to get rid of them, try www.freecycle.org. This site is AMAZING. It was originally started to prevent unwanted items from going to a landfill. You post items you are looking to get rid of, and others in need of those items can pick them up. OR if you are in need of something, you can pick up something from someone else! We have found WONDERFUL toys, etc for our daughter, and clothes as well. Most things are in excellent condition.

You help to save the environment while saving some money too.

Check it out,
L.

You've gotten lots of great ideas! I just wanted to add that you might consider throwing a used dryer sheet in each container. The clothes won't smell musty when you reopen them later. :)
Also, if it looks like you won't be using them after about 3 years, go through and donate anything with elastic. It will dry rot over time and be no good later.

As the mother of three (oldest 12 years), I kept my baby clothes forever, storing them in labeled bins in the basement. My sister just adopted her first, and I've had the clothes all this time. My advice is to donate them immediately. New mothers get plenty of gifts...often clothing. Make your life simple. Donate to a charity every six months or so. Wash them, bag them, and send them off to those less fortunate. You will have less clutter, and you will help someone else in the meantime.

First, do you have an attic or a basement to store them in? If yes, pack them in either boxes (free at most supermarkets for the asking) if your storage is dry or double bagged in plastic if your storage area is damp. Use a black marker and mark for example - girls 0 - 9 months etc. I found it easier when my 2nd daughter was born to just unpack and wash some at a time and having the clothes in size order was helpful.

Newborns in Need is a great organization where you can donate your baby items to babies who really need them:
www.newbornsinneed.org

Hi A.,
I bag mine. Tubs don't seal well enough to keep moisture/must out.

Wait until spring and put them on a freecycle or list them on Craig's list, if you're going to donate them make sure they are free of spit up & holes, etc. You know all that anyway, I'm sure.

Good luck,
M.

store in rubbermaid storage or plastic storage containers and throw in some cedar balls to keep the moths away.
don't be surprised if when you open them back up in a few years that stains that weren't there, suddenly appear. it's the strangest thing, but not unusual. i've been doing this for year. my kids are 5 yrs apart. now 15 and 10 yr old girls and it's a real money saver.
good luck