Except for a handful of items, I got rid of my daughters’ baby clothes long ago. As we’ve been clearing out Laura’s room in preparation for her big move later this year, I found a couple of interesting items. It’s time for another Clutter Tale!

About Clutter Tales

Clutter Tales is a series where we tell the stories of our lives through our clutter. During my decluttering journey, I found a lot of things that took me back to a different place and time. Instead of casually discarding them, I decided to honour them by telling their story. I’ve written Clutter Tales about a high school shorthand textbook, an old airline ticket, a travel diary from my trip to France at age 18, notes from a visit to a fortune teller, and more!

Along with my own reflections, this series has featured posts by some of my favourite bloggers. If you’d like to write a guest post for Clutter Tales, please get in touch. I’d love to give you the opportunity to properly thank your clutter by sharing its story too!

Now, on to today’s Clutter Tale…

Letting go of baby clothes

Our kids grow up so fast, and there’s nothing like baby clothes to bring a tear to the eye and stir up all sorts of sentimental feelings.

When our great niece came over on Easter weekend, she was wearing an outfit that used to belong to her mother. Part of me was impressed that my sister-in-law had hung onto it for over 25 years. But another part of me wondered why!

Other than one small tote box, I’ve long ago said goodbye to the girls’ baby clothes. Every once in a while, though, I uncover something I had forgotten about.

When Laura and Colleen were home on Easter weekend, we spent time time sorting through the boxes on the shelves in their bedroom closets. When Colleen moved to PEI last year, she got rid of a lot of things and took most of the rest of her stuff with her. Laura, on the other hand, still has a lot of stuff in her old room. With her impending move to Australia, it’s decision time for a lot of these things.

So what did we find on those shelves?

The Baptism dress

Tucked away in a box on the top shelf in Laura’s closet was the dress both Laura and Colleen wore for their Baptisms. It was handmade by a lady at the St. Jacob’s farmers’ market, and it really is lovely.

Both girls were surprised I still had the dress. They must have inherited the decluttering gene from me because when I asked if I should keep it, they both gave me “that look” and shook their heads.

While it’s nice to have the dress, it’s an example of something I’ve kept for purely sentimental reasons. The girls’ Baptism days are well documented in photos and in their scrapbooks, so why do I need the dress as a physical reminder?

A couple of days after they went home after Easter, I decided it was time to let it go. Other than a little yellowing on the bonnet and the collar, the dress has held up surprisingly well. I offered it on the Buy Nothing group and someone claimed it for her niece. I love that someone else will get pleasure from the dress.

The Baptism dress wasn’t the only thing we found…

And the “I’m a big sister” t-shirt

We also found the “I’m a big sister” t-shirt given to Laura by her Nanny and Grandpa when Colleen was born.

Laura was so excited to be a big sister. When her Daddy called to tell her she had a baby sister, she excitedly asked “Are you bringing her home tonight?” I’m sure she didn’t sleep a wink that night, but she had to wait until Colleen was about 12 hours old to meet her. Laura very proudly wore that big sister t-shirt when we left the hospital to bring Colleen home.

This t-shirt did bring back happy memories for Laura, so we decided to hang onto it…for now. It’s in a box with some other baby mementos.

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Resisting the “just in case” temptation

Baby clothes are an excellent example of something we’re tempted to hang onto “just in case.” But I have to ask myself, just in case what? Just in case I have a granddaughter one day? Just in case the dress is the right size when that granddaughter is baptized? Or, just in case it’s still in good enough shape for her to wear?

That’s a lot of just-in-cases. Realistically, it’s unlikely anyone in my family will ever wear that Baptism dress, so it’s better to have someone get pleasure out of it now.

I hope you enjoyed this installment of Clutter Tales. If you’d like to write a guest post for Clutter Tales, please get in touch. I’d love to give you the opportunity to properly thank your clutter by sharing its story too!

Do you still have your kids’ baby clothes? Tell me your stories below.