What once carried delicious snacks, meat, cookies, and wine - is now full of thoughtfully selected and folded toddler girl dresses and shoes. Ahhh, the wonder of passed down treasures!
My children have very few new-from-the-store items of clothing. Before you pity them or call me cheap - consider this: I have a community of friends who are also young moms with lots of little girls. It is such a gift and honestly so fun to pass around our gently used and well cared for baby gear, toddler clothes & shoes, and toys. Believe me, our closets and dressers are FULL. Now, this is not to say that I don’t ever make an intentional special purchase for a fun new dress, or cute pajama set - of course I do. As my girls have grown, I have also become aware of the reality that these little kiddos grow FAST and all of the sudden the cute little bubble onesie I was obsessed with, is barely snapping. All of the sudden matching sets and itty bitty rompers are replaced by twirly dresses and Paw Patrol t-shirts. I also find it super meaningful to reflect on all the experiences, messes, tantrums, adventures, and mundane moments that an item of clothing has clothed my children (in addition to my friends kids, and my nieces, and neighbors).
We make these clothes work hard! Another fun part of the hand-me-down situation is going through and opening the bag of surprises. If there aren’t folks in your circle you could practice this cycle of sharing with, there are plenty of Facebook groups you could participate in or you could always donate your gently used kid clothes and shoes to nonprofits serving families in need in our community. It doesn’t have to be complicated - simply find a mama friend in a season ahead of you and one behind you, and voila! your little sharing circle can begin.
Now that I’m feeling sentimental, I’ll share a little about what this looks like for me…
What once was Annie or Emma’s, is now Natalie’s and Millie’s, soon it’ll be Wylie’s, then Lou Lou’s, and after that Kate will wear… and who knows how many more lifetimes these little pieces of clothing have in them.
There are a few items I personally purchase new (with the intent and hope of the items lasting a long time and being passed down through our gaggle of girl cousins) - Hanna Andersson pajamas and special occasion outfits like birthday or Christmas dress. A few things that I have somehow never had to buy - dress up clothes, Halloween costumes, swim suits, and jackets!
So here’s my challenge to you (and myself): only purchase what you have to, take care of your kids clothes and thoughtfully share with other families as your kids grow. When you hand down clothing, you are handing another family some of the gear they needs for the ever evolving job of nurturing growing kiddos. In our culture of consumption and unnecessary waste, sharing (both receiving and giving) is an act of generosity and defiance against excess and consumerism. So as you pull out items that no longer fit your little ones, instead of packing them away to sit in a storage bin or dropping them off at a thrift store… consider who you might personally bestow these treasures on.
Another great option for no longer needed children’s clothes is consignment! A few places to check out: The Adorable Child, Once Upon a Child, and events like Picky Chick and Jack & Jules.
Happy sharing!
Disclaimer: Of course you can use any sort of bag to pass items down, we just always happen to have Trader Joe’s bags on hand 😊
Challenge: Pick a bag/container that you intentionally fill with items that your littles have grown out of. When it’s full, pass it on to a friend.
