Are you saving stuff for grandchildren you may not even receive?

**krbshappy71** · 01-13-2011, 03:14 PM

I have two daughters. I'm young, turning 40 this year. One has left the nest, one is graduating high school this year.

I have been catching myself saving items around the house for grandchildren. There's not even a guarantee that I'll ever have any and I keep my mouth very tightly shut about it as my girls are young and I want them to go out and live life for awhile first.

But....this stuff....I can't seem to let go of it. What do you save for grandchildren that aren't even here yet?

Here's what I have so far: Entire bookshelf of children's books that I absolutely loved reading to my own girls, stuffed animals from my own girls and also myself, jewelry, (can you tell I apparently think I'm having girl-grandchildren?) and even some pictures of the girls when they were young that ordinarily I wouldn't keep to frame or anything but want to show them to grandchildren.

Am I crazy???? I've already "replaced" my own children with dogs (see "Do you use pets to fill your empty nest? thread) and now this!

**Momto5RN** · 01-13-2011, 03:40 PM

i have a small bin of books-- lincoln logs that use to be mine - and a few dolls-/ stuffed animals that use to be my kids favs when theywere little thats it
and really also because my neices ad nephews are having kids and in case i get asked to babysit one day or night i have things they can play with .

**ms.mel.who** · 01-13-2011, 03:42 PM

I have a few things I am keeping. I am keeping the wooden trains, lincoln logs, a play kitchen, etc. Mostly it is all the classic high quality stuff that I remember playing with. BTW, my kids are only 13, 10 and 7, and I am already planning for grandchildren, LOL!

**Darlene** · 01-13-2011, 03:45 PM

I have toys & books ready & waiting. They are accessible too so if others come over with younger children and they need to be amused I'm ready. Yeah, yeah that's it.
I'm not pressuring my kids(dd 25 ds 24) either but they know I'll be ready when the time comes.
We too have the pets now, lol.

**newstudent** · 01-13-2011, 05:47 PM

I'm soooo with you all.
I have many of the toys, like Lego stuff and books and
even some of the clothes I made for them when they were small.
I figure for the clothes, even when they don't want to dress their children in it, the kids ( grandkids) might find it fun to see what the mom or dad was wearing when little.
Coming to think of it ---maybe I'm the craziest one. Lol

No, I'm not a hoarder. Lol
It's all stored nice and neat ,with pieces of soap to keep moth
away, in our storage area.

**Momto5RN** · 01-13-2011, 09:54 PM

i had alot more than i posted until i realized by the time they could use them they would possibly be deemed unsafe due to type of paint etc

IE i had alot of hand me down thomas trains from my older boys to my youngest ds that probably were not considered safe due to paint used but he didnt put them in his house they werent chipping so i wasnt real concerned but i just recently gave the,m all away on freecycle ( with the warning they may want to check to make sure their werent any recalled ones in the lot ) because i would feel awful if my grandchild got sick from chewing etc on one .

**madhen** · 01-13-2011, 10:01 PM

I don't have any kids, so I tend to give anything that I think would have sentimental value to my aunt (to dispense to one of my several cousins) or to my sister. I don't even have family photographs anymore, because I gave them all to my aunt to scan about five years ago and never asked for them back. I live alone, and I figure I may as well pass them along now, rather than have them all sitting in a box somewhere when I die, and risk them not making it back to family. All my cousins have kids, so I expect someone somewhere will appreciate having those types of things.

**krbshappy71** · 01-14-2011, 08:04 AM

Originally Posted by Momto5RN

i had alot more than i posted until i realized by the time they could use them they would possibly be deemed unsafe due to type of paint etc

IE i had alot of hand me down thomas trains from my older boys to my youngest ds that probably were not considered safe due to paint used but he didnt put them in his house they werent chipping so i wasnt real concerned but i just recently gave the,m all away on freecycle ( with the warning they may want to check to make sure their werent any recalled ones in the lot ) because i would feel awful if my grandchild got sick from chewing etc on one .

Good point. Maybe some of the books that are ratty I can let myself let go of.

I've read somewhere that if something is sentimental but ruined and not imperative family heirloom, just hard to let go of, take a picture of it before donating/disposing of it. That way you always have the memory of it.

Also, I know I would be able to find the title of many of these books again and as long as they aren't "dedicated to.." on the front cover, maybe I could replace them over the years as gifts of a new one to the grandchild. I have a real difficult time letting go of books, particularly.

**cab54** · 01-16-2011, 12:04 PM

Yup. I'm saving stuff. I'm 56 and don't have any yet, but WTH?

I have this gorgeous handmade cradle that my BIL made for my first son, and that's going to son's family someday. I have a really nice buggy (not stroller) that was given to me for DS#2, and it will be HIS kid's. And many toys, games, and cute outfits I made them. Just the special stuff.

**craftypam** · 01-16-2011, 05:42 PM

I have saved toys and am very glad I did. I now do have a grandson and when he comes over there are things for him to play with. Imo the things to save are the toys that were made well because they hold up. I have little tykes toys and I will always save legos and knex. There are also certain books that I will not get rid of.

**Lady_V** · 01-17-2011, 07:27 AM

I am saving certain things to pass on (Diva is 10) that either belonged to MY grandmother or mother... some things of mine...

There are a few things of Diva's I am setting aside. Mostly things I wished MY mother had saved of mine. Mostly books. I love books. I think by the time Diva is the head of her own family paper books would be a thing of the past and I am afraid certain books will be forgotten.

Bernstein Bear books... they are ratty looking, but that proves how much they were loved.

Stuffed animals... most were passed on to other people, but there are some that I just can't part with... the bear I bought when I found out our adoption papers were approved... the ragbear I had sitting on her bed while I was waiting to go get her... her ferret that she took everywhere (and we had to replace 4 times

)

We also have a doll house kit that we bought to make for Diva... but she was never a dolls kind of girl.

**krbshappy71** · 01-17-2011, 10:07 AM

I sorted through the books and I was able to let go of some of them. Then I packed the rest into a tote and labeled it all over the tote so at a glance I could see what it was.

I put the tote in my bedroom for now, it might make its way to the basement eventually (we don't have a moisture issue here with basements). I feel better that they are packed than out where the dogs could POSSIBLY get to them.

I don't think I have any of their toys, as they grew out of them I would donate them. I guess I put more value into the books instead, whoops.

**stinkbug** · 01-17-2011, 10:33 AM

The only thing I have are legos that belonged to dd. Now the grandkids do play with those, but have almost outgrown them. My mom still has my legos that she keeps for great grandkids when visiting....
I have a friend who insists on keeping all her VHS movies for her *grandkids*.....her girls are 16 and 19. I keep remindning her she no longer has a VHS player and they are obsolete, but she insists they are valuable??? She does have hoarding tendensies though....I've finally given up helping her clean and sort. She just goes and buys more *stuff* to fill on the space.

**forHISglory** · 01-17-2011, 11:05 AM

I began saving things for grandkids when my son was young. I could visualize in my mind the future grands playing with the toys and enjoying the books.

Now I have the grands, but they don't visit as much as I would like. Nevertheless, when they are in the area, they have enjoyed the books and games and toys. We saved lots of books, and each time a grand visits, he/she gets to pick out a book to take home. They receive books from the stash for Christmas and birthdays. They especially love seeing their daddy's name written in the books in his childish hand.

They also love the games: pick up sticks, Old Maid, Bozo, etc. And they really love it when their daddy plays those games with them. In fact, he loves it, too.

We saved the Fisher-Price village toys, along with the Peebles, and tinker toys, lincoln logs, legos. Those get a lot of use when the grands are here.