All that baby stuff

All of you parents out there will know this problem fairly well: What do you do with all of that baby stuff? There are a few options, some green and some not so green.

You can store everything for your next baby in hopes that you will be able to reuse everything and save some money. Of course this makes a lot of sense, but there are certain things that you probably shouldn't hang on to for too long. For instance cribs and car seats are constantly getting upgraded to make them safer and safer. If you want to get one crib to keep for future children as well I would suggest going with a very basic crib, in other words one without a drop side (which is often a cause for recalls in cribs) and slats that are fairly close together and preferably one made out of a nice solid wood or some other material that will really hold up. I know my son was very tough on his crib, but I anticipated that and bought him a solid wood crib without a drop side. I will admit the crib wasn't as convenient to use as some of the higher end cribs on the market, but it is still in good shape after he used it for 2 years and then had it as a daybed in his room for another 6 months. Of course saving everything can take a real toll on your storage space and you need to make sure that your possessions are protected from the elements. Also keep in mind that when you pull all of these things out of storage later they will need a really good cleaning before you can use them again. It is possible that not everything you stored will be in good enough shape to be used again either.


You can hand your old baby stuff down to a new mommy who could make good use of your old baby stuff. We were the recipients of some old baby stuff when we were expecting our little man so I can attest to just how helpful this can be to new parents. Of course keep in mind that not every new parent is happy to receive less than new stuff for their baby, but there are plenty of parents who would be more than happy to get their hands on some gently used baby stuff. Probably the best benefit of this method for dealing with all that clutter is that you get to see how happy it makes someone else to have your old things. Of course the downside is that this can be a very time consuming and sometimes frustrating method for clearing out the clutter. You will have to decide if the great feeling you get from helping someone else is worth the added time and effort on your part. That being said I really do think that if something was handed down to you then when you are done using it (if it is in good shape still) you should hand it back to the person or pass it on to another person.

You can sell your old baby stuff to a second-hand store or on Craig's List or eBay or at yard sale, etc. You get the idea that the ideas as to where to sell your gently used baby stuff is seemingly limitless. One advantage to this is that you will make a little extra cash which may help you buy some more gently used stuff that your little one needs as they grow out of their things. Kids always seem to be outgrowing their clothes and always seem to be in need of more stuff. Of course the disadvantage of this method is that it can take time to get rid the stuff since you need to wait for there to be a need for the things you have. It may be worth it to you to try to sell the big ticket items in particular though. Also you may get to see someone get really excited to get their hands on your old stuff for a great price.

You can donate your old baby stuff to a charity like the Goodwill, Salvation Army, or even a women's shelter, or other charity of your choice. The big advantage this option has is that you can probably get rid of everything at once and they may even be able to pick it all up from your place of residence for you. You also get a tax write off on your donations. This is a great way to go if you just have to get rid of a bunch of stuff quickly.

You can reuse some of your old baby stuff. Maybe make a quilt out of baby's old clothes (especially the ones with holes or rips in them that make them no so reusable). You can repurpose those receiving blankets as napkins. Just get creative and you would be surprised with some of the things you can reuse.

Remember that no one option is right for every person and no one option might be the only option that works for one person either, but all of these options are far greener than the last option which is to simply throw it out. Granted I'm sure there are probably times when throwing something out might be the only option you really have, but it should really be a last resort only.