Decluttering Kids' Items Part 4, Collection vs Clutter

Hello again friends! In my fourth, and FINAL, segment of our Clutter vs Collection series, I want to address how to declutter and organize those sentimental items that were yours as a child or that of your own children. 

Why, oh why are we so attached to these items? Well, if you recall, in my first segment I shared with you my belief that as a Military family, often times, “our HOME is our STUFF”. I can think of only a few other items that I am more personally sentimental about so this makes perfect sense to me! 

Plain and simple, our children’s clothing hold memories! Those baby clothes remind us of a special occasion, an event, a gift, or the gift giver, or just a fond memory of those sweet days when they were much younger. Letting go of those items can feel like you are letting go of that memory. But, you and I both know, that’s just not true right? So let’s get started! 

​For the very most part, I highly recommend culling these items to the very minimum. There are, of course, exceptions. Let’s look at those examples and tips to assist you.

• You’re saving those items for the “next generation”.  I understand that! I have a dear friend, who has a christening gown that has been worn for 10 generations in her family! Obviously, I’m not talking about that kind of extraordinary garment! But, I think you get the idea, right?  It can be such a treat to think about dressing a new little one, in the same outfit, worn previously by their own parent.  If the items do not fall into this category, get busy downsizing!

• You’re saving the items for your own next little one! Those items should remain intact and fall into the “KEEP” column. Only one word of caution, glean through them diligently. Unless it is in great condition, no stains, no tears, and even still stylish, keep it. Otherwise, ditch it.
• Do you know of someone who may be in need of children’s clothing? In the words of a dear friend, “be a generous giver”. The reward feels a thousand times better than looking at a cardboard box of unused items while wondering where to store it.
• SPACE!!! What can you realistically keep? Is it worth the notion that your HHG weight allowance is at risk? $100 worth of baby items just doesn’t seem worth a $500 bill from the Army moving managers.
• Limit yourself to ONE full container. Sit down and go through every item that you have retained and ask yourself what it means to you. On a personal note, I did exactly this prior to moving overseas. It wasn’t as tough as I expected and it satisfied my “ but I LOVE this” notion. You will be surprised at what you will be willing to let go. It was a bit therapeutic in some odd way, knowing that I could keep much of it but was committed to downsizing. TRY IT.
• As usual, I suggest a photograph. Do you already have a picture of your littles wearing those special items? KEEP that and refer to it when you’re feeling nostalgic. 
• Talk to your kiddos about how they feel about you keeping the items and/or whether they care one way or the other? Do THEY want the items? Do THEY have sentimental value attached to any of it? Again, personal disclosure here, I held on to a sweet little outfit of my son’s because it was favorite of mine. Turns out, he has ZERO recollection of it! I was disheartened but now you can see what I mean that maybe it’s not what you thought it was at all.
• This might be harsh. Please don’t judge. But...what would/could you do with the extra storage/space freed up by you discarding a majority of those items? This actually is a huge motivator for me personally. I’m always moving, rearranging, trying new things, replacing old things and that proves really hard to do when my HHG says I have to stay at a particular limit. I use it as a way to be discriminate in my purging and particularly what I choose to bring into the house. Just take some time to think about it.
• One of the reasons I was able to let go of a large amount of unused items before we moved overseas was that there are tons of ideas on how to repurpose and upcycle some of our special pieces. For instance:
• A quilt! That’s right! A quilt made from all, some, or most of those treasured items. I have a storage tote, in storage in the States, that hold the pieces of clothing that will one day, be a cozy keepsake quilt. Whether it is for me, or for my son, is yet to be determined but I love knowing that we have this option in our future.
• Stuffed animals! I’ve seen many ideas on craft sites and tutorials that will help you with turning special clothing items into a stuffed animal or even a doll that you can keep or share later with your child or even grandchild! I have a Christmas teddy bear made from my husband’s baby quilt. To say that I adore it is an understatement! It is so much more meaningful to me that having that torn, worn quilt stored somewhere out of sight and not being used!

​Craft supply stores are full of showcase accessories that will allow you to create a showpiece with a sentimental item. My friend, mentioned earlier, has a large hinged wall frame where the christening gown is stored when not in use! It is so unique and always a conversation piece beyond the sentimental element. 

Lastly, just a gentle reminder that our goal throughout this process is to ultimately eliminate the unnecessary, declutter what you choose to keep, and then organize it all. I attempt to clean out and organize at least one space each week, regardless of what it is and where it is situated. Remember too, that we are working to an end state of “more peace, less chaos” in our individual homes. And, if we end up with a little extra room for a new special item(s), then LUCKY us!  Hang in there, you can do it!

Until next time, Jill