When I was expecting Poppet, there was no end of generosity from friends and family. I was overwhelmed by the love and excitement of those around us for this new addition in our lives. I was also struck by how unbelievably expensive it is to buy all the baby things you may need. I soon found out that other parents are more than happy to part with their gently used baby items! It helped us enormously, but also we ended up with a lot of duplicate items that we couldn’t use simply because we didn’t say “no thank you, we don’t need a 3rd baby bath!”
When you are adding a baby to your life, it can be stressful and joyful all at the same time. So it is imperative to keep clutter to a minimum, and organization as high as possible just to be able to keep your sanity! Your friends will understand if you can’t use an item. They are offering it just in case you can, but if you truly know you do not need it, don’t be afraid to politely decline the offer. As you raise your child, you will also begin to know what items you specifically can live without. We, for example, never used the baby bath. Poppet either was in the bath with one of us, or propped up on one of the bathtub cloth baby positioners. When you find out what these items are that you won’t be using, feel free to re-gift them to another expectant mum, or to donate them to a local charity. You’ll be teaching your child a lesson in generosity as well as in organization!
Warmest regards,
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Congrats on your baby! I guess, its just so hard to say “no” sometimes because you think that they might interpret it in the wrong way and think that you are refusing their help. Anyhow, you’re lucky to have good friends around. :)