Material Memories

This week I am going to be sorting out our storage. Our spare bedroom is currently being used as a storage area for Christmas decorations, old computer leads, yellowing paperwork and boxes and boxes of baby stuff.

Teeny tiny babygros, scratch mits and newborn hats are encased tightly in clear zipped bags. My daughter’s discarded stuffed toys nestle silently amongst baby blankets and sleeping bags. Her wooden rocking crib, which sat sturdy by my bedside, holding her in safe slumber for the first eight months of life, now is half-forgotton, deep in the corner of the room.

This stuff is just stuff. Unused, unnecessary clutter in a room heaving with junk.

And yet, to my husband and I, it is so much more than that. It is the visible evidence of our daughter’s life. Material memories. Tangible and emotional.  A history that seems like a lifetime ago, but began only 29 months back. The clothes, toys and equipment tell more stories than we can remember – was she ever really that small? Is that really what she wore? How many nights did we spend creeping around that crib, wrapping that blanket in a tight swaddle, gently undoing the sleeping bag to check for her sweet regular breaths? How quickly did she change and grow before our eyes?!

My intentions were to pass on outgrown clothing to friends and family as we could, but the pull on my heart allowed me only to pack them, not fully relinquished, into the next room. This baulks not only against my hopes for a clutter-free, streamlined home but also my intent on sharing and using “pre-loved” baby clothes and equipment for both eco and moral purposes.

And so, time and practicalities of family life mean I will be clearing out some of these material memories. But rest assured it will make plenty of room for new ones.

Coming this week: My tips for decluttering and storing your old baby stuff