I mentioned in a previous post that I gave away a lot of my daughter’s old clothes to the Salvation Army. I didn’t just give them an old onesie or two. I gave them bags and bags of clothes. And several more bags after that. My daughter had an alarming number of clothes and over 90% of them were gifts. Gifts of clothes that she couldn’t possibly wear even if she wore a new outfit everyday for a month.
My baby shower was everything a first time mom’s baby shower should be. Lots of friends and loved ones. Lots of laughter. Lots of cake (ummm, hello? The most important part 🙂 ) But I did receive a lot of baby clothes. Thankful because as a new mom, anything that you do receive really goes a long way. But also overwhelmed at the sheer volume of clothing, accessories, and shoes. People meant well, but there were items that were simply never used.
My daughter was born over Memorial Day weekend. But she received winter items for 0-3 months. She never wore any of it. I also received sundresses for 6 months. Although I live in an area where our winters are milder than some, it wouldn’t ever be warm enough in November and December to put a six month old in a sundress.
I also received a record 10 pairs of shoes for 0-3 months. I am not kidding. Ten pairs of shoes for a baby. Who can’t walk, let alone focus on an object for more than a few seconds. These super cute, absolutely adorable shoes, were placed in a bag ready to be given away.
Yes, I suppose I could have returned the plethora of clothing and shoes to the store from which they were purchased. But many of these well-meant gifts did not come with a gift receipt, so I didn’t know where to return them. Also as a new mom, this was my first rodeo. I honestly didn’t know what I needed, what I should need, and what I really didn’t need. You know what they say about hindsight…
My daughter’s wardrobe is infinitely smaller than it was even a year ago. Babies grow so fast. She has just enough clothing to get through the winter and I will soon be scouting sales for the upcoming Spring and Summer seasons. Not having so much clothing to wash is less stressful on Mommy which is good 🙂
I am thankful for all the learning experiences that I have as a mother. I look at the well-meant gifts as a lesson in pared down wardrobes. I know how to get by on less. Paring down my daughter’s wardrobe caused me to pare down my own wardrobe and the Salvation Army received some clothing of mine as well. And for anyone looking for baby shower gift ideas…keep walking past the shoes for newborns!
It’s interesting the things we learn as parents. Especially after my second kiddo I realized there was even more we could live without.
I too received a lot of baby shoes that were never worn, and cute fuzzy stuffed animals and blankets that were tossed aside within a year. Now when I go to baby showers I think of all the boring things I had to go to the store and buy myself as a new mom, and I give those.
Yeah, new moms need practical things for the baby; I too had to go buy things I really needed 🙂