Milk and Cookies
with Linda and Kristen
Milk and Cookies is a savory web venue for cool products, useful tips, and idea-sharing, prepared especially for busy moms like you. From the must-haves to avoid-at-all-costs, we're dishing out tools for a delicious life balance.
Visit Linda's fitness site at Bodies in Motivation and check out Kristen's blog at Swistle.blogspot.com
We have two kids and no plans to expand our family any further (with the possible exception of a fainting goat because hot damn, I’d never get sick of seeing this), and now that we’ve completed our childbearing activities I realize I no longer need to hang on to every item of baby clothes I own. I had no problem offloading my maternity wear, but then again, I didn’t find myself waxing nostalgic about a shirt the size of a circus tent.
Our youngest is six months old and he’s already gone through many of the small outfits I had saved after our first boy. I cleaned out the nursery closet the other day and ended up with a few boxes I plan to send to a couple of friends who are expecting their own baby boys, but there were certain items I just couldn’t part with. Like the incomprehensibly tiny striped onesie that both my kids wore during the first weeks after they were born, their coming-home outfits, the weird little yarn-tied hats they wore in the hospital. The first footed pajamas that fit, the hand-knitted cap gifted to us by a friend, even those unattractive teal-and-pink blankets they wrap your baby with at the hospital — I can’t bring myself to get rid of any of that stuff.
Luckily, there are options for indulging my sentimentalism. For those who can’t bear to part with some of your kids’ earliest outfits, here are some ideas for hanging onto them:
Preserving Baby Garments. This is a detailed set of instructions for long-time storage (this site also sells a ‘preservation kit’ that gives you everything you need to follow their suggestions), if you’re planning to maybe give some outfits to your grandchildren someday. A dry cleaner should be able to preserve the clothes, too.
Swatch Books. This website tip from Disney’s Wondertime suggests cutting the outfits into swatches you can attach to a scrapbook, including photos if you like.
Keepsake Boxes. There are lots of options for baby-designed memory boxes, meant to store all sorts of things (photos, outfits, hospital bands, first haircut curls). I like this one, which can be personalized with name and birth date.
Stuffed Plushies. It looks fairly easy (well, if you can sew) to make basic stuffed plushies using old clothes. Here’s a short tutorial, and a cool Flickr set called “Things Made from Outgrown Baby Clothes”.
Memory Quilts. My favorite idea by far is having someone create a quilt from outgrown clothing items. I LOVE the designs here, I can imagine what a wonderful heirloom that would make — I’d hang it on the wall of my bedroom. (If you’re the crafty sort, you could quilt one yourself with this handy kit.) This artist will make a sweet blanket your child can actually use.
Did you hang on to any of your baby’s clothes as keepsakes? What did you do with them?
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I have a memory box. In it I have little curls from my son’s first haircut, the knotted hat from the hospital, his and my hospital bracelets, his umbilical stump (in a plastic baggie of course) and every yes EVERY card I got at my babyshower, why? I don’t know. Readiing your post did make me remember that I didn’t keep his coming home outfit! I didn’t save any of his clothes for that matter, other then the hat from the hospital. This is from someone that feels very guilty when I throw away any of his projects from school.
I love the plushies, they are too cute. That is a really great idea. I also like the quilt too.
Eric's Mommy | August 1st, 2008 at 11:23 am
I love the quilt idea. I kept only my absolute favorites from each kid so I think that one day I will make a wall hanging (like a quilt but smaller) for each child.
I am also collecting all of their sports t-shirts (their team shirts from t-ball, etc.) and plan to do something similiar with those at a later point.
Right now all of this stuff is in a bag in my closet. I probably need to upgrade to a plastic stoage box at least.
Just a quick tip for Eric’s mommy and anyone else who throws away art projects ( and really, who doesn’t??) I have discovered that my scanner is my new best friend. I scan the stuff I really like and then tape it to my kitchen cabinets for a while. Eventually it gets tossed but I have a picture of it in my computer, and it got to be on display for a while. I know of other parents who take photos of favorite projects and then toss them.
Elizabeth | August 1st, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Hi Linda,
My grandmother made me a quilt from all of Henry’s old baby blankets. There is nothing like curling for a nice nap with all of those sweet fabrics and memories.
Jenny | August 1st, 2008 at 2:57 pm
I love the quilt idea
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Eileen123 | August 1st, 2008 at 3:40 pm
Good ideas!! I actually made a similar quilt for my 5-year-old son, using a bunch of toddler T-shirts I couldn’t bear to toss. He loves it and sleeps with it every night. I plan on doing the same for my daughter, and based on this may use swatches from other clothing besides T-shirts. Very cute.
nonsoccermom | August 1st, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Thank you so much for posting this! I need to find a way to declutter more, but I just can’t bear to get rid of certain things. I boxed up and gave away eight bins (huge ones!) of baby and toddler clothes, and I still have plenty more that I couldn’t let go of. I love the quilt idea best, though the swatch book is a close second (and one that I’m more likely to actually be able to do)…
Lylah | August 1st, 2008 at 6:07 pm
I’m actually having my mom make a throw quilt out of my son’s receiving blankets. I cannot just throw them out and I don’t think I want to pass them on either but they cannot just sit taking up space! It’s not going to be anything fancy, just rows of strips from the blankets…
I have no idea what to do with all the clothes though. I don’t know if I can cut them up; I have issues but at least I know it!
I think that fabricating them into a new useful item is one of the best ideas out there
Jennifer | August 2nd, 2008 at 2:04 am
My mom had a huge wodden chest that she kept everything in for myself and each of my five brothers. As we got older, she seperated everything and put it all into large plastic bins for each of us to take with us when we moved out. I have a scrapbook of school artwork, all of my report cards, birthday cards, letters from relatives, pictures, baby clothes and keepsakes, dolls that my grandmother made for me, etc. I rarely get out my bin from the closet where I keep it, but its still nice to have and go through every once and awhile.
For my four boys now, Ive bought large bins that are a little more decorative, but still sturdy enough to last at least until they are adults. In these I have put their baby clothes (coming-home outfit, special handmade items, bibs and booties), report cards from school and swimming, badges or awards, special gifts (like a pocket knife set from an aunt when he participated in her wedding party), baby blankets and their scrapbooks. I have only ever gotten around to doing one year of their lives in those scrap books though. yikes! I try to organize everything as much as possible but with this type of stuff it is hard.I may end up just sticking all of their loose paper items into some sort of book to keep them organized, but I dont know yet.
I love the idea of the quilt but I just dont think I could cut everything up.
Cherish | August 2nd, 2008 at 1:31 pm
A friend of mine initiated a project with her teenagers where she helped them build quilts out of their outgrown t-shirts. Not only was it a great bonding experience, but they each had comfy quilts to take with them to college.
Ellen Hart | August 5th, 2008 at 4:11 am
I love these ideas, especially the quilt.
Seems like you ladies know a lot about motherhood. Maybe you could help my friend Shannon, she’s trying to lose her baby bulge.
She’s decided to document her progress and ask for tips on my blog:
http://www.bethshappyhair.blogspot.com
Please check it out if you have time and offer her some of your expertise.
Thanks.
Beth | August 5th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
I’m always into discussions on anything organic, so this read made me feel at home.
I’ll bookmark the site and subscribe to the feed!
Acai Berry Detox | August 24th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
I made a cute memory quilt out of my sons clothes. Take a look!!
http://vermillionrules.blogspot.com/2008/09/auction-closed-im-astounded.html
Beth | September 3rd, 2008 at 7:04 pm
Thanks to you
NewssyLee | September 5th, 2008 at 9:19 pm