My husband and I recently decided we are done having kids so I realized I had to do something about the 987 bins of maternity, baby, and kid’s clothes. I am just not a person who is going to list all these items on Facebook marketplace and I also didn’t have anyone to pass them on to. I also have strong feelings about donating them to goodwill as much of those clothes do end up in the landfill. Last year I shopped at Whale of a Sale and had a great time getting some clothes and toys for my kids. I thought consigning my kid’s clothes would be a great way to get rid of all the clothes and make a little money in the process. So, this year I signed up to consign my children’s clothes and what started as something to make money slowly turned into a process of letting go.
Have you heard of the Kon Mari Method? There are many different aspects of the Kon Mari method of organizing and tidying up, but one powerful aspect is letting go of clutter or unused items. It is a practice in minimalism but also making sure your space is functional. Marie Kondo suggests holding an item close to you to see if it sparks joy and it doesn’t you thank it for the purpose it served in your life and sell/give it away. I stain treated, laundered, and beautifully hung each little outfit from my kids. This process took a lot of time, but it was very cathartic for me! I priced all of the clothes pretty low and whatever didn’t sell I chose to donate to a charity.
I’ve always had a hard time getting rid of sentimental items. I’m not a hoarder by any means but I love to hold onto things that hold emotional value. Staring at the bin of baby girls clothes was hard at first. I remembered when I first found out I was having a baby girl; I bought a little eyelet cardigan and yellow polka dot footed pants from a boutique in my neighborhood. In fact, I brought my sweet girl home from the hospital in that outfit. I spent time with the clothes as I pinned it to the hanger and got ready to sell it as a newborn baby girl set. I started to think about the next baby girl that would get to wear that outfit and wonder what the story would be about the arrival of that girl.
I dutifully hung up the dinosaur pajamas my son wore when he took his first steps. I spent time holding the tiny shoes that trotted all over the park near our house. I smelled some of those newborn clothes that still smelled a little like that fragrant dreft detergent. It seemed as though each little outfit held some kind of memory or story. I closed my eyes, hugged those little baby items, thanked them for serving us so well, and then wished them well on their new journey. I hope that the next mama can enjoy these little outfits as much as I did.
