Let’s be honest, before I had kids I imagined myself dressing them in perfectly coordinated outfits sporting the latest styles. I pictured myself going shopping to find only the cutest of clothes. In reality, we were in no financial position to go out and buy a whole wardrobe for a baby when I got pregnant with our first. A new baby can require so much “stuff” and making sure my son had trendy clothes quickly went to the bottom of our list of needs.
Luckily, my sister-in-law asked if I wanted my nephew’s hand-me-downs for our baby boy on the way.
Free clothes? Sure!
I gladly began taking anything anyone was willing to give. From toys my cousin with growing children was ready to part with to maternity clothes from my friend who was no longer in need, hand-me-downs have become our favorite when it comes to having kids! I quickly realized that so many kids toys and clothes are worn for such a short time that they are practically like brand new. Why spend money on new ones when these already loved items do the same job?
Little did I know that these clothes would in time be worn by my oldest nephew, my oldest son, my other nephew, and my younger son. These clothes have seen it all. These clothes have watched our family grow. They are by no means in style anymore and many have stained or torn along the way. But they tell a story for us. These clothes hold meaning. Some have been trashed over the years from wear. The wide leg sweatpants that actually fit chunky thighs will always make me laugh. I remember the moments when I saw my nephews wear some of these outfits and I remember when my oldest wore them too. Now I get to watch my little one grow and create more memories in these same clothes.
I’ve snapped photos along the way of my boys each wearing the same outfit. We laugh because sometimes they don’t even look related; one with big brown eyes and stick straight hair, the other petit blue eyes and curly dirty blonde hair. But as soon as they wear the same outfit, they look the same to me.
We love hand-me-downs and will continue to pass ours along (once we’re done having kids, of course, we might just squeeze some more use out of these nearly a decade old clothes) to whoever could use them. Maybe they will be back in style by then! There will come a day I will be ready to pass along my maternity clothes to another excited and expecting mama. The toys will continue to make their new owners delight just like ours did.
We are so happy to be able to keep this little circle of giving going and we know we couldn’t have done it without family and friends who have been so generous to us.
