wtt #3, may be a few years into the future. Should I keep baby stuff?

[hello_kitty]

Hi ladies,

Dh and I may not be having another one anytime in the near future =(. We have other plans that will require a few years worth of time. So next year, when the time rolls around and we decide to skip ttc, its going into the back burner for at least 5 years.

I know a lot of ladies in here are not waiting that long. If you were though, would you keep baby stuff from last pregnancy? I have a stockpile of stuff leftover from last baby. Tons of clothing in excellent condition, shoes, bouncer, mother's milk tea, etc. For the supplements to increase milk supply, if we decide to wait I can easily donate since they have a shelf life til 2019.

I'm more concerned about the baby items such as clothing. Should I save all of them? Deep down I am torn on whether to have baby no 3 or focus on my future goals and seeing those bags of clothing when I walk in childrens room always make me have baby fever. I want to be rational and not have anything interfer with my decision.

On the otherhand, if I get rid of it we'd have to buy from scratch. Is 5 years a really long time though and not worth storing? Thanks for all the advises.

 

[CashmereSocks]

If any of it is worth money I would consider selling it now.
I would assume it wouldn't hold the same value 5 years from now. If you decided you didnt like it later, or you change your mind about #3 then you have all this stuff with no value left.
If you decide in 5 years to go ahead with #3 then you can see if friends have anything and you dont always have to buy new. If you do want to buy new then yay! Shopping for new baby would be fun

 

[loulabell]

Personally in my house the main factor would be storage. If you can put it in a far corner of the loft and forget about it, it may be worth keeping but if not personally I would sell it for a few reasons
1) space
2) it does play with your emotions
3) styles/fashion will change in 5 years
4) you can always buy new
5) if you did have another baby you get to shop again which is so much fun
6) if you don't you don't have to cut the final string the stuff would already be gone

but you have to do what is right for you and your family. Either way baby or no baby I hope you are truly happy with the decision you make and I hope you reach your goals xx

 

[Buttercup84]

Personally I wouldn't want to store stuff for that long as i'd worry it may get damaged in storage somehow and i'd prefer it was getting used rather than sitting around for years and years. We've had our children fairly close together and have stored things for our baby on the way (DD1 and 2 were 2y9m apart and DD2 and this one will be 17 months apart) but if we'd spaced them more like 5 years apart I don't think I would have kept anything other than some favourite/sentimental items of clothing and such.

 

[MummaBear16]

My son is almost 6 and I've still got his car seat, cot and matress, bouncer, baby blankets, pram and some bay clothes. We are ttc this Jan, but had no idea when we would be ttc when I kept it all! I only kept special clothes, and sold the rest. I personally couldn't let go of it all.. and I may very well buy some things new, but now I have the option to use what we already have if I want to. I did give some things to family, like the baby bath, spare car seat, high chair, stroller, change table, heaps of toys.. but I am glad I kept what I did. None of it is "out of fashion", and it was all in such good condition! If I reuse it all, we will be saving at least 2 grand!

 

[MindUtopia]

Do you have a place to store it all and will you be sad to not have those things for your next baby, whenever he or she comes along? We'll have at least a 4 year age gap between our daughter and baby #2. It never occurred to me not to keep everything for the next baby. But we have space to store it and not loads of money to buy everything again brand new. Plus, there are just things I really loved using with her, certain clothes, and certain books that bring back a lot of memories, so I'd be sad not to have them for the next baby.

 

[Catalyst]

Fellow long time waiter for #3 here.

Well my youngest is almost 4 years old and might be about 7 if we stick to the plan. We will not get rid of anything. We will keep it, unless it i something I realy know I wont use, will expire and so on. It is 11 years between me and my younger brother and mom kept loads of stuff to use again that time. Also my SIL had a son in previus relationship. When that boy was 9 he got a little brother and she had loads of cloths that she could use and loaned me some. Yes they were some aged, and not the fashion today but loads were justfine and it spared me loads in cost of buying new cloths (baby cloths here where I live cost so mutch!).

SO if you are determined to have #3 then keep it, or at least keep the favorite outfits (we all have them!) and sell/give the rest.