I’m not an overly sentimental person when it comes to things.
My husband and I knew from the time I was pregnant with our second child, he would be our last. So as he outgrew all of the baby supplies, they were passed on to friends or donated to charity. We don’t have a lot of storage in our house, so we were honestly happy to get rid of it.
As soon as possible, items left our home. The Mamaroo, the play mat, the walker, the bouncy seat. When he outgrew the newborn clothes, they were boxed up and sent to my parents’ basement for when my sisters have kids someday. The rest of the sizes soon followed.
It’s gotten to the point where my husband and I are excited to get rid of things. Especially toys. How in the world have we ended up with so many toys?
But recently, I almost teared up letting go of one of our baby items: our hiking backpack.
When I was pregnant with our first, our coworker and friend urged us to purchase a top-of-the-line hiking backpack. We debated for so long before my husband finally ordered it. It’s currently tied with the BOB stroller as the best purchase we’ve made since having kids.
To me, the backpack was so much more than just something used to carry the baby. It holds so many memories, and they all came flooding back when it was time to pass it on to someone new.
Our first son loved the hiking backpack so much; he sat in it many nights as my husband and I ate dinner at the coffee table of our first home. We hiked with him in multiple states. I carried him on numerous trails at Red River Gorge, one of my husband and mine’s favorite places. We hiked in the heat, in the rain, in the snow.
Our second son wasn’t as thrilled riding in the backpack, which is part of the reason it needed a new home. He prefers a different carrier. But despite his lack of enthusiasm, we still took him on many, many hikes. That’s about all we did during the pandemic! There are a few pictures of him smiling, but we had a lot of laughs as he often looked annoyed or bored.
The backpack reminds me of us doing what we love. Spending time together, just our family, getting outside. Traveling to our favorite parks. Enjoying nature.
We just gave our backpack to the friend who actually recommended it. She and her husband just had their first child. They’ll go on much bigger and better adventures than we ever will (example: pre-baby, they camped on a glacier). They’ve promised to send us photos as they make their own memories.
I know it’s just a thing, but it holds so many memories that I will cherish forever.
What have you had trouble letting go of as your babies grow?
