Pass It On

I've learned two useful things the second time around about having a baby.

1. The amount of gear and other "stuff" you actually need when you have a baby is minimal. If you're breastfeeding, you really only need clothes, a car seat, and a few first aid and hygiene items. (Though I definitely put my Ergo baby carrier in the "need" category!)

2. Nothing beats hand-me-downs.

With Elliot, we bought a bunch of brand-new gear and received a lot of gifts. If I had it to do over again, the only thing I'd buy new (unless I could get it from a trusted friend) is a car seat. We had all sorts of gear and gadgets that didn't get much use, though some (like the bouncy seat and stroller) were nice to have around.

However, most of Elliot's clothes were bought from second-hand and consignment shops (though it's much harder to find used clothes for older boys - they wear them out!). It's pretty nice to spend $50 and walk out of a store with a bag full of an entire season's wardrobe instead of one fancy pair of overalls with a matching shirt. It's an even better feeling to pass things on to someone else when you're done with them.

This week, Thomas got an email from a friend with new baby twins thanking us for the co-sleeper. This is the same co-sleeper that belonged to my nephew Grayson when he was born in 1998. Then it was Elliot's in 2003. Then it was Jacob's in 2004. Then it was Japhy's in 2007. And now it's on to family number five. Elliot's clothes have a similar story. Most of them were used to begin with. Then they were loaned to Jacob, who is a year younger than Elliot. When they came back from Jacob they went to Finn, my cousin's youngest. Now, as they come back from Finn, they are passed on to Japhy, and I'm sure they'll be passed on from him to someone else.

Imogen is now the proud recipient of girl clothes hand-me-downs from at least four different families, going from birth all the way up to size 4T. Here is the bounty, stored in the back of her closet.


The clothes are all cute, and nice, and worn for only a few months. And as she is outgrowing them, they are being passed on to our friends' daughter Asa, who was born this past spring. And if there is anything I'm lacking, I head for a consignment shop or our bi-annual Pass It On children's sale.

It's nice to know that your child's unneeded items are going to someone who will love and use them. This past week, we gave some of the larger gear that Imogen is done with (infant car seat, bouncy chair, swing) to friends (to remain unnamed!) who hope to be pregnant soon. Who needs Babies R Us and Gap Kids when you've got good friends with children older than your own?

I'll leave you with this picture of little miss hand-me-down recipient hanging out in her playpen (soon to be passed on to someone else!) with the kittens.


Pass it on!