Getting rid of baby gear when you plan to have more kids?

[crunchy_mommy]

We have an 18-mo and plan to have more kids (hopefully soon!)

I sold the crib & some 'extra' exersaucers, bouncy seats, etc. that people had given us & we never used. But having a tough time figuring out if we should keep everything else or sell it while it's still worth something. We're trying to simplify & create more of the 'vision' we want for our home... but I'm having a hard time figuring out how having 2+ kids would change what we "need"...

What's left:

-changing table - thinking it's useful because we don't have to bend to change baby, but we only used it when DS was 4mos - 10mos old & now we're just used to changing elsewhere so would we really use it at all with the next kid?

-2-way swing - my gut's saying keep it, it was the only way I could put high-needs DS down for more than a minute, but for some reason I'm still wondering if it's really necessary?

-bouncy seat - I pretty much never used it, DS sometimes put him in it but more 'for fun' than out of any necessity

-jumperoo - DS really enjoyed this for a couple months but I don't think it's something we or future baby would miss if we didn't have it

-large stroller (snap-in car seat kind) - we probably only used this about 10 or 20 times to get DS to sleep. The small stroller works just as well and, well, it's SMALL. But we've only used the small stroller about 10 times ever as well, for fun not out of need... and would I really push a stroller with a toddler to chase after too?

-pack & play - used it as a changing table for the first 3 months before we set up the 'real' one. It's been sitting in the basement ever since.

I guess we got all these things thinking we 'needed' them because we didn't know we'd want to hold baby all the time... and had never heard of anyone NOT getting these things!! We just do things differently than I had expected. But maybe with 2+ kids some of these things would become more necessary?

[lifeguard]

I personally would (& have) get rid of anything used less than a dozen times. We moved when ds was 6 months & so gave away a lot of the baby items. I have my doubts I will regret it when we have another.

Plus, if you do get rid of, say, the stroller & then discover you do want it - they're pretty easy to find second hand again.

[echospiritwarrior]

I've found that I seem to downsize and need less and less with each kiddo.

I don't plan to buy anything for this baby and this is all I'm left with:

baby carriers (probably too many but they pretty much fit in a reusable grocery bag).

a clip on high chair (that's sitting in the closet)

turned my DD1s carseat back into infant using the inserts (and got her a booster)

one folding stroller, which I mainly use for DD2 now that it's getting a little too uncomfortable for me to carry her and too hot for me to wear her at the moment

I do have a crib, but I never used it with DD2 and it's been at a friends house since she was a couple of months old

That's me and my family. I'm not sure what works for you. I got more frustrated stepping around all the baby stuff I just gave it away. For us beds work as changing tables and siblings work as entertainment. I think it's a lot different than having just one.

[onyxravnos]

if you didn't use it or don't want to use it with the next kid go ahead and give it away / sell it. if you like it though keep it.

With ds2 i had to buy almost nothing as I kept everything from ds1 and as ds1 grows his outgrown clothing go into the box and ds2 will wear those too.
In fact my mother kept almost all of my clothing so ds1 and ds2 have worn overalls from my own baby days.

Everytime i tell people how this or that outfit was actually mine when i was a baby everyone always says they wish their parents had kept some stuff like mine did. I plan on saving all the baby clothing throughout my baby having days and then i will go through and keep the really good stuff which i hope i can see it on a third generation of babies.

Storage: i have 1 REALLY large plastic tote that stores all baby stuff up to 18months. then i have 1 other tote slightly smaller that holds the rest up to 2 years. it keeps it safe, dry, movable, and out of the way.

[StrawberryFields]

We have a tiny house and I got rid of a lot and used less and less with each baby. With one exception--I did actually use the swing and the exersaucer more. In fact, I didn't even have them at all with my first baby. Once I had more than one kid to attend to, I needed something to soothe and/or entertain the baby sometimes while I attended to my older kids needs.

[Delicateflower]

I would keep the swing, the bouncy seat, both strollers and the pack and play.

It's different with an older sibling rampaging around, you will probably use the pack and play for safe floor time for the next baby. Same for the bouncy seat. Having a stroller lets you carry the older child if they're kicking and screaming about something (or put the older one in the stroller). And your next baby might prefer a stroller, or a bouncy seat or swing.

[minta]

I got rid of most of my baby stuff after #2 as I didn't want to store. We've just had #4. I use: a crib, a bouncer (not during the day as older kids get it; it's for after the others go to bed), a double pram, a chest of drawers with a change pad on top, a clip-on highchair, a sling. That's about it. Exersaucer went, walker went, pack 'n' play went, playgym went etc... The fact of the matter is I can't put my little one down too many places where he's safe from the others, so most of the things I liked with a first baby are useless this time around. Plus, I have a hard enough time keeping my toddler out of the bouncer and he already broke the side off the crib from standing on it to see the baby.

[happysmileylady]

I think part of the factor in keeping it should also be when you plan to have more kids. Are you thinking in the next year or two, or are you thinking 5 years down the road? The length of storage makes a difference.

As far as usefulness...I think it varies by kid, because different kids are....different

My oldest practically lived in the bouncy seat when she was a baby, she LOVED to sit in it. And she was a baby who actually bounced in the bouncy seat. Her first solids feedings were in it also, rather than the high chair. My second, now almost 2, HATED the bouncy. Absolutely hated it. We used it all of 3 times.

The playpen...we have a full sized one, I can't imagine I would use a pack n play much either, because they are small and aren't really useful for containing an older baby...they don't give the baby anyplace to move around or crawl around. But, with the full size, I can still put my almost 2 year old in it and if she doesn't climb out (she climbs everything) she can still sit and play with plent of room, and does at at times when I need to run the vacuum or whatever without her following me around destructing everything I just cleaned And, like another poster said, when you have a toddler running around, you have to have a safe place to keep the baby contained...or vice versa.

Stroller....I wouldn't be pushing a baby in the stroller while chasin a toddler...rather, wearing a baby while pushing the toddler in the stoller. No chasing necessary then...

If you are talking about ttc soon, I would suggest keeping the stuff for a bit, especiallly if you have a basement to store it in in the mean time. If you aren't ttc for a while, then I don't think it's an issue to just dump it and buy new again.

[JudiAU]

I would keep everything. Babies are different and the things we liked and needed and/ or didn't use with the kids were different. I was glad I didn't get rid of basics. The only things I got rid of where a few things that were recalled, soiled, or things that were badly designed. I got rid of a lousy walker toy that was also too noisy and a rocking chair that slid everywhere. I replaced them with better options. Ds always nursed to sleep on ten boppy and the special chair. I never had time for that kind of nursing routine with a second kid so I doubtnshe knows what the boppy is and she never goes to sleep nursing so I had to figure out a whole bouncing ball thing.

We hardly ever used the stroller with the second and we've used the double we bought twice! In her first yes of life

And it is hard to predict your toddlers relationship / personality around the baby. Some babies need more protection from the fray.

YOU will have prefencese of course but the baby will too.

The only big ticket item we bought was an extra good mattress formed so we could sleep better and then another crib/ mattress for naps when she could roll over.

[accountclosed3]

parenting can be done without those things, if you don't want to use them.

here is what we had for DS:

wrap
clothes
EC covers and prefolds
car seat
nursing pillow (rarely used)
cosleeping rail thingy

if we have more children, probably go about it the same way.

[crunchy_mommy]

Hmmm... Everyone has different opinions - can't y'all just agree so I know what to do with this stuff???

I guess it makes sense to hold onto it for the second baby (we are currently TTC but it seems to take me a LOOOONG time to get pregnant)... then whatever I didn't want/need for either baby can go. I'm just on such a roll with purging the attic & basemnet & would prefer NOT to use most of those things but I'd hate to have to replace it all if we ended up wanting/needing it!

[accountclosed3]

i think it's really just a matter of your mind.

if you think/feel that you are going to want these things, then there's no trouble holding onto it until you will use them.

i was rather clear in my mind that i didn't want these sorts of things. i am odd, and i know it, so i was really of the mind that what i wanted to do was not have a lot of baby "stuff." i started to think about how simple i could make it (for myself), how stuff-free it could be. I think i did ok.

And, i would do it again. I was happy without the stuff, and so there it was.

but, there is nothing inherently wrong with stuff, and particularly if you are going to reuse!

also remember that, when you are ready to pass it on, there are a lot of great catholic charities (shelters for women and babies, etc), that would love whatever you don't use. that always makes me feel good about letting go. someone else will feel very blessed by it.

[Oliver's Mama]

here's a different option-
do you have any friends or family with a new baby or currently expecting that would like to borrow the stuff? It's free for them, and free temporary storage for you; once their baby outgrows the stuff, hopefully your second babe will be on the way and then you can take it back and be ready to use it. Or, if you decide at that point that you don't want it, then the other person can just keep it.
I've lucked out that my sister and I seem to "take turns" having babies, so we have 1 baby's worth of gear that we keep sending back and forth.

[bender]

Is there anyone else in your circle of friends who would like to borrow the baby items? Then you could get them back when the are outgrown, and you have a baby. That's the arrangement we have with some friends with the crib we borrowed.

[Logan]

I would hold onto the small stroller just in case, ditch the big one. I would also keep either the bouncy seat or the swing. My kids hated swings and loved the bouncy seat, but you said yours was the other way around so maybe keep the swing instead. If you find out your next one hates it then you can always sell it and get a bouncy seat instead. With two children you will need to set the baby down at least sometimes. Toddlers need cuddles a lot too .

Im also a minority but I would definitely hang onto the change table. That is unless you have some drawers or a large flat surface you can put a mat on top of instead. We tend to use it for the first months and then not after the baby starts crawling/wiggling too much. But for those first months its a lifesaver. I would keep it even if we only used it for the first few weeks because anything which makes the postpartum period easier is worth it to me.

The rest I would get rid of. I have never seen a use for pack'n'plays, but then cots seem totally useless to me too

[mamadelbosque]

If you have the space keep it.. all of it. Its not going to depreciate in value that much over the next year or two (or at least, not much more than they already have), and re-buying stuff really sucks.

If not, definetl eveaulate what you used most and keep those things for sure. I'd keep the change table, and swing for sure.

[crunchy_mommy]

I think I'm leaning towards keeping it, or at least most of it. I think I'd love to *not* use these things next time around but it sure will be nice to have them on hand should we need it. Then I can decide after baby #2. I felt like getting rid of the crib alone was a little risky but we are committed to co-sleeping even with the worst sleeper ever and crib sleeping isn't something I'd ever be comfortable with I don't think. But some of the remaining items, I could envision using if I was desperate even though I'd prefer not to. We do have the attic space to keep everything (no, I don't have friends who are having babies soon to loan the stuff to, though I have given away many of the items we just didn't need because we somehow ended up with TONS of stuff & duplicates etc.)

I guess my 'parenting ideals' have shifted so much since I was pregnant (which is when I accumulated all this stuff!) and I'd like to focus on how I really parent vs. how I *thought* I'd want to parent -- but it doesn't hurt to have some of this stuff just in case.

Thanks for everyone's input