When my daughter grew out of her indoor blow up activity ball pit she got for her first birthday I had a hard time taking it down, it stay up till she was almost 3. I realized that the only use it got any more was when my best friend's son was over. So I let it go. I gave it to my best friend knowing her son would get much more enjoyment out of it then Allyson was. It's easier for me to part with Allyson's stuff if I'm giving it to someone I care about. It took me 2 1/2 years before I could allow myself to take Allyson's things to a consignment shop and I still have a hard time with them.
I've always done a lot of donations to thrift shops for the small unimportant toys or clothes that I didn't care for, but with certain items, even though she never plays with them I feel like I'm giving away a special memory of her childhood. It's just easier for me to let go if I know where Allyson's toys or clothes are going.
Maybe that is weird. I don't know. What do you think?
Sharing kids toys and clothes with friends is a great way to revive the life in some toys that had been long forgotten in the bottom of the toy box. It also saves them from the trash. To a young child a new toy is a new toy no matter where it comes from. I am sure that there has to be some mom's and dad's that have similar separation anxiety about their child's things like I do. But giving it to someone you care about has an easier transition process then just donating it or selling it. I know I have some friends who prefer to give their kid's toys to other friends.
We've received some great stuff from friends. One in particular held on to her daughters clothes from her first 2 years until her daughter was 5. She was finally able to part with them when I found out I was pregnant with Allyson. We got great use out of almost all of them. Another friend of my aunt's had this beautiful wicker child's rocking chair and passed it our way. Allyson still uses it today and I will probably keep it as something to pass on to my sister when she has a child.
To those who are like me and have trouble letting go I completely recommend talking to your friends who have kids. They would probably love to share toys, or take some off your hands. With everything getting so expensive it's a good way to save some money for both sides. If you aren't all that picky about who they go to there is a free site called freecycle.org where you can find a group(local area) to post the stuff you would like to give away free. Then other parents in your area call or e-mail you depending on which you prefer and pick them up. Or you can find toys this way too. I've heard of many parents using this to pass on some of their kid's toys or pick up some new ones.
