Get Rid of It

I have a hard time believing my children are growing up.  They're starting to speak now, and every time I'm shocked because I feel like I should still be burping them and putting them down for two naps.  They're pulling off expertly choreographed twirls, and I'm worried I should still be holding their hands up the stairs.  And where did their newborn onesies go? Time flies.

As kids grow, they grow out of things.  Objects that were once a part of everyday life soon become obsolete items, crowding your house - an odd sort of decoration.  But I doubt anyone truly wants to decorate their house with walkers, or high chairs, or Johnny Jumpers, or changing tables.  We're just holding onto them because we're used to them.  They have become part of us.  Even as our babies move on, we find ourselves clinging to their pasts, out of nostalgia and sometimes pure laziness.

It's okay to get rid of these things.  Put them up on Craigslist or Freecycle if they're still in good condition.  Callously toss them in the dumpster if you've ruined them beyond repair.  Thinking you might someday have another baby?  Put the items in storage.  There is a long time between when your toddler last used her Jumper to when you'll have another baby big enough to enjoy it.  It doesn't need to hang from your doorway until then.

Some of these things need to go because they're just too big.  My high chairs, for instance.  We haven't used the high chairs in about two months.  Still, they sit in a stately fashion on the one side of my dining room table, just "in case" we ever need them again.  When your babies start using their eating tools as jungle gyms, it's time to say goodbye.

Some items need to go because they're actually becoming dangerous.  The cheap changing table I bought two and a half years ago falls under this category.  I change my babies on the floor or on their bed now because it's less messy, and they're helpful during changing times.  Of course, the goal is not to be changing them at all, but that's a battle we're attacking slowly right now.  By leaving their changing table in their room, I'm doing myself no favors.  It's one of the only things in there that they can push around and play on, and it's simply not safe.

Sure, this makes for a cute picture, but look at the way the corkboard is bowing under her weight.  Her foot could easily get stuck between the board and the holding structure.  Worse yet, she could fall right through.

Our kids are growing up.  It's time to change our decor, and, bit by bit, retrieve out lives from the pastel color scheme of baby necessities.