PSA for parents

If there ever comes a time that you consider saving every item of clothing your baby has ever worn. Don’t. Don’t do that. I know it’s easy to get sentimental about each and every tiny little onesie, but do not saddle your kid with boxes full of 30 year old clothes when they have their own kids.

I have spent my day digging through 3 boxes of stained 34 year old baby clothes that my mom has refused to throw out and is so excited for my baby to wear.

I get saving a few special items, but this is not that. This is cloth diapers that I pooped in 34 years ago, stained plain onesies, and baby tights. I feel awful throwing this stuff out because my mom has a story for everything but:

1) it’s not in good condition, most items are covered in stains

2) my mom is a heavy smoker and this stuff has been in her house for 34 years. I’ve washed it all twice and I swear it still smells like smoke so even the special items feel ruined

3) it’s not our style. My mom covered me in pink and ruffles and bows and we are not into gendering babies and we’ve told her this many times.

Also, I hate that she smokes so much! The one special item in there that is very important to me is a bonnet for my baby to wear home from the hospital and it absolutely reeks of cigarette smoke. My family has a tradition of “magic bonnets.” It’s a baby bonnet made out of a handkerchief with just a few stitches. Baby wears it home from the hospital and/or for the baptism. When they grow up and get married you cut the stitches and the handkerchief is the “something old.” My mom made my baby’s magic bonnet out of a handkerchief that was my great aunt’s. I was very close to my great aunt and we’re using her name as our baby’s middle name so it’s very special and it smells so bad.

I can’t just throw it in the washer either because it would fall apart (the stitch are meant to be temporary after all) so I’ve been very gently trying to hand wash it trying to get the smell out and so far it’s not working.