You may have thought you had a bunch of stuff before you had kids, but nothing can prepare you for the overwhelming amount of STUFF you get once you have kids.

For tiny little things, babies sure need a lot of stuff.

You have medical stuff (nose suckers, thermometers, medicine dispensers), clothes, toys, books, and all the other assorted stuff that collects.

And as you have more kids, the stuff just grows!

But there comes a time when you have to start getting rid of the stuff.

As a mom to older kiddos, I know this all too well. Getting rid of that stuff is incredibly hard to do. Whyyyyyy?

Well, if you do decide to get rid of all the baby stuff it means you’re admitting that you’re done.

Your last baby will really be the last one.

That’s a huge decision! It’s ok to have mixed feelings about it. Been there, done (doing) THAT!!

Once you’ve made the decision, it’s time to face the excruciating process of getting rid of the stuff.

Of course you don’t have to get rid of everything.

I love what Joanna Gaines did for her kids. 

She sorted through her four kid’s baby clothes and old pictures and packed them into vacuum sealed bags, along with a handwritten note to each kid.

I’m sure she didn’t pack all the clothes away. She carefully chose which outfit to pack away.

There will be some items that have meaning for you.

The going home outfit or first pair of shoes.

The pjs your daughter wanted to wear every. Single. Night.

The first Easter suit your son wore.

Choose the items that you will want to remember, and pack them away.

After you’ve pulled out the meaningful items, you’ll probably still be facing a mountain of stuff. Now’s the time to decide what to do with all of it.

1. Sell it

It’s never been easier to sell your kid’s old baby stuff.

There’s the gold standard of selling old stuff: garage sales.

I had a garage sale last year to get rid of so much baby stuff! The problem with garage sales is that you can’t really predict the weather – especially here in Oklahoma. The weekend we had our garage sale we had torrential rain. That doesn’t really bring in the garage sale crowd! But garage sales are usually the first step for people. Make sure you also go to this website to know what needs to be done to fix your garage door in case it needs to be made sturdier and safer.

If you’re up for it, you could post your items online.

Facebook garage sale groups are amazing for this.

You’ll make some money, the other mom will save some money by buying from you instead of going to a store.

Using Facebook instead of Craigslist also feels safer.

You can see who the person’s personal details, which makes them feel less scary than meeting a stranger from Craigslist!

There are also websites like ThredUp that you could use.

ThredUp sends you bags to fill, and once they’ve received your bags they sort through it.

They pay you for the items they keep to sell, and what they don’t use they donate for you. Which brings us to your second option….

2. Donate it

Maybe you’re looking at a pile of stuff that didn’t sell at your last garage sale.

Or you’re just fed up with all the stuff and you want to get rid of it as soon as possible.

Whatever the reason, you’re looking to hand off your stuff ASAP. Donating it is a great option!

There are tons of places to donate your baby stuff.

Most women’s shelters or crisis centers are in need of baby items.

Many churches also accept donations.

And, of course, there are the standbys – Goodwill and Salvation Army.

If you don’t want to go through an organization, you could always ask around to see if anyone you know is in need. You might be surprised by how many people in your town could use the stuff you’re trying to get rid of!

3. Store it

Ok, so what if you’ve gone through everything and you just can’t bear to part with it?

It’s ok, mama.

No one is making you say goodbye to the baby things.

Pack it all up in storage and try again another day.

Remember that it doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing process.

Getting rid of a few things here or there might make it easier on you.

Start with the big toys that your kids don’t use any more, like that Exersaucer taking up space in the corner of the living room.

As you get rid of things, it will get easier each time.

Take your time.

It’s ok to treasure a few things, but just remember that as your kids get bigger they’ll keep bringing in more stuff.

At some point you have to start letting go!