This November, I’m taking some time to catch up on my incredibly patient ideas for keeping safe our baby memories. Now that we have renovated every space and are building more closets, it’s time to sort, streamline, and cherish life. I had the clothing stored pretty well, but as the months go by, items get tucked in when outgrown, and it’s time to smooth it all out. Layering favourite baby & child clothes from each stage in acid-free, lignin-free, breathable cloth bags is my first To Do. Then, I’ll collect up each birthday’s notes and a few key pictures to add to individual Birthday Journals. As children age, they can take over their special book and input their favourite moments and pictures. It is their journal after all!
*My readers may notice that many of these clothes are in my original children’s books! Soon, I’ll be adding in a growth spurt-worth more to another box. These moments are ones to savour.
Step One: Wash and fully dry clothes.
Step Two: Layer in clothes with paper like a visually delicious cream-pastel lasagna. (Acid-free, lignin-free paper and fabric boxes.)
I also have other specific journal ideas that are so fun to look back on. We do have the ‘holding hands’ family album. I’ll gather up every picture from the first organic cotton bootie to the boots by the door for a ‘shoes throughout the ages’ album. We have a winter holiday journal-album, but we want a little 4×6 Halloween-only album, too. It’s fun to see the costumes, and it’s easier to have a reference library when kiddies ask, ‘What did I go as when I was…?’ Scouring the usual albums to find one special picture takes a while. These littles are a breeze to use. There are lots of singular focus ideas like this that are special to us, such as annual birthday balloon colours, sitting at homeschool desk photos, artwork from each age, and many more. I love transitions. As we grow, it’s fun to organise and preserve our family’s evolution.
Anyone can do this simple tradition for anything they like. I used to keep a tiny journal full of movie stubs, included were notes about the day. What beautiful life inspiration may be found in a tumbling stack of old photographs? Happy excavating!
The first baby shopping days weren’t as easy as it would be now with so many more organic cotton options available. I found some organic infant garments from various European shops, but the general early organic basics were not pretty or easy to find. By the toddler years, I was thrilled to come across Jamie Kay (New Zealand), and then a few years later, Konges Sloejd (Sweden). These were a joy to shop, but Jamie Kay’s shipping prices and return policies were the best. We are struggling now to find “big kid” organic shops, so send me a note if you know of any healthy companies! I cannot find teen ones either. I’ve even collected some extra small adult organic sweaters, which are huge but cosy as dresses (Quince, for now as organic adult shops are hard to find) to go with Hanna Andersson pants and holiday pajama sets.
(Shopping Tip: One must check every item on their site to make sure it’s organic cotton. I’m not updated on where these companies make their items these days, so research first. As mentioned below, we sell most of our children’s clothes, and this is very handy for you as many shops outside of the US have stopped selling to the US due to tariffs. Konges Sloejd is one, I’ve just noticed. We discount items, and we also don’t charge for the immense shipping we had to initially pay, so it’s a very good value.)
Why are there no non-toxic companies for the next age group? I had planned on some organic collections for my company’s line, but we’ve been busy building, so that will be an upcoming section of my shop. I do have a few organic toddler graphic tees from my first handmade silkscreen run years ago. My plans include all ages and sizes, as well as maternity. That was impossible to find organic clothes then, so I found rare organic cotton and made wrap dresses. Now, it’s still exhausting to scour the internet looking for organic, non-toxic clothes, so I still make as much as I can. I wish for whole companies to only sell organic clothes (non-toxic dye) with fair, safe employers.
The fashion industry has a long way to go towards being pro-customer and pro-environment. Start the babies out well and then stay healthy the whole life through. Most clothing is soaked in harmful chemicals and made of unnatural fibers which perpetually poison those using the laundry machines. It’s important to prevent illness as there is no cure for most, like cancer. Run off in water and soil are major issues. Healthy fashion needs to take over. Most of our clothes are made from cream/natural organic cotton. It feels softer in all ways. Look for natural non-toxic vegetable dyes for colours.
We separated the items into two groups. The majority of the clothes went into this fabric box. The few items that are not cotton, like swim suits, went into a watertight tote.
This little cotton velvet holiday dress made many appearances during the past five years, no matter the season. Buy clothes big to wear for a long time! This dress is featured in one of my winter holiday stories. It was always worn over light layers. We do a lot of layers, not just as it’s the European custom to self-regulate for temperature changes, but because we find it comfortable in a Holly Hobby/Little Women/petticoat kind of way. Some of us run cold…so we layer it up! Others, hardly wear a coat and hardly a hat. How, Husband? How?
The dolls got to learn how to button and zip with many of these infant styles. Most of our smallest favourites are still being worn by the doll family, so I’ll add those in here later.
I remember this day…so many smiles. They put ears on everything then. Bears, lambs, bunnies…very cute’ but not easy for layering with hats and coat hoods.
The bonnets and bloomers…I still see the sparkling eyes peeking up at me and ruffly skirts twirling round and round our first house’s new floors and waterfall park lawns. First steps, first everything…great love.
Each of these dresses were affectionately named, like the Lady Dress, the Angel Dress, and the ultimate baby favourite, Blue, which had to be washed very often. “No. Bue.”
Here is the Lady Dress. Angel’s above.
Sadly, the only places the first coat and sweaters got to venture to were the doctors’… Still pretty though.
When I see these, I replay the first giggles, so of course we’re keeping them. I wish I had kept more.
All tuckered out, we sit with Winnie and remember the first time we met. Those books are worn out, in the best sense.
Until we build our main storage closets, these go in with my wardrobe. After taking care to clean the tiny clothes, they will be stored somewhere safe.
Tip: Don’t store clothes in attic or basement (or in plastic unless items are plastic). No extreme temperatures or moisture. Research archival methods for optimal preservation.
*We sell all of the other clothes, though I wish we could keep them all, but there is no room. If you’re interested in buying our organic cotton children’s wardrobes from various ages, please message me for the name of our ebay shop. Everything is clean, no stains, from a non-smoking no-pet respectful home. Shipping is fast, and the shipping materials are eco-friendly. These were beloved, but so lightly worn, always using napkins to protect them, you’d think they were new! It’s good for children to learn how to sell their outgrown items and make them all prettily packaged for new babies. It’s recycling at its best.
These need ironing first. How I wish we could put a growing spell on these clothes to extend their wear time. And, how I wish these clothing companies would just make bigger sizes. Jamie Kay even had women’s clothes years ago. Just add more pattern sizes, please!
This was a ‘you’re so cute’ kind of morning. (It is every day.) Now, if I can just get the other outgrown clothes into this box. I’m glad they’re so loved, but the dresses are now shirts, and the pant legs are up to the knees. Time to let go, but not forever. They’re in photographs, memories, my story illustrations, and whenever they need to be revisited, just open the box and admire your corduroy buttons once again! The sense-memory is a wonderful thing!
This infant bib experiment failed to keep germ-giving paw grabbers away at grocery shops… ‘just too cute!’ But, seriously, ask first. Don’t stress out the parents when the answer is no. Babies, and parents, are usually ill. Be respectful and aware not to scare everyone. Intentions mean nothing if you end up hurting someone. You can’t know what people are going through. It’s not about you. Admire from afar. We’ll probably always be recovering from those days of severe illness. Personal space is vital for us.
I add in more items that are too snug…
And, it’s snowing! Papa’s vegan pancakes sizzle up the kitchen, a favourite childhood memory detail mentioned in the birthday journals.
A magical November weekend to you! Love, ~Amor Milagre
