It's so hard to let go of pieces of the kids babyhood. So, so hard and yet I guess there comes a time when it needs to happen. October 2007 was the date stamped on the bottom of Kelton's car seat. Not the car seat he is in currently but the one that was given to us as a shower gift when we were expecting him. Given to us by a friend who was also my supervisor and had previously been Dakota's supervisor. It was a gift of love from her partner and her for a baby that she was very eager to meet.
I remember looking at the date on the bottom of the seat before we installed it into our vehicle; October 2007. It seemed a lifetime away. Our baby would be five and a half years old. So far into the future given that he was still safely residing inside my body. We moved him from the infant carrier to his car seat when he was four months old. We remarked how teeny tiny he looked in his giant seat. I loved that car seat - it was so easy to install, easy to use and seemed very comfortable for our child. He stayed in that car seat until he was 38lbs which was right around his 3rd birthday. Kaylen was already with us by then but she had been given her own new car seat by Dakota's mom and step-dad. When we replaced Kelton's car seat with his new 40lbs and up seat, we placed the old seat in the garage. It's been there ever since as an emergency backup. We used it in Dakota's mom's car when we needed to borrow her car last winter while mine was in the shop and we took it on the plane with us to Disneyland last summer. Otherwise, it's just been sitting in the garage.
I've been acutely aware that the time was coming that we would have to toss it and it made me so sad. It held so many amazing memories - day after day in the car with my son for three years. I had witnessed him go from a small baby to an on-the-go preschooler. I wasn't sure I'd be able to toss it and wondered whether it would take up residency in the attic alongside the crib that I just can't part with. A car seat in the attic? Seemed a bit crazy even for me.
On Sunday evening, while I was taking the trash out for pickup, I knew it was time to send it on its way. It was raining outside and the thought of putting my baby's car seat in the rain like it hadn't mattered was hard to swallow. Then it dawned on me: I wasn't attached to the shell of the seat. It was the fabric and how it looked all put together. So I set about taking it apart. I removed the cover, and then the straps. Suddenly it no longer looked like the seat I once loved. I put the cover in the trash can and placed the plastic shell next to the trash can.
It still hurt a bit when the garbage truck came through and picked it up but not nearly as much as it would have had I not dismantled it.
I still can't believe the time had come to toss it out. It seems like only yesterday......
9 comments:
It's so hard to let go. Going through thekidsold clothes just kills me becasue I sit adn remember when they wore the outfits. Such is life as a mother.
I thought you were going to say you kept the fabric part. ;) Well, it is easier to throw away pieces of stuff than the whole thing. We have TONS of stuff we should toss/sell, but just can't seem to bring ourselves to do it. We gave our infant seat to someone and it was hard to do that even, even though I knew it was going to a good home.
OMG I didn't know that the car seats had a date on them....mine for my granddaughter was giving to me......so the date is on the bottom? Cris
That is sad... I have a special drawer of "keeper" things but I didn't have a hard time getting rid of the carseat, walker, crib, stroller etc. Am I hard hearted???
Perrin: Indeed. I find the clothes to be really, really difficult to part with.
Kristen: LOL! I thought about it . :) Believe me, I have tons more that should go but it's just so hard.
Mimi/Cris: All car seats expire. I'm not sure when they started putting dates on them (it should be on the shell somewhere. If you can't find one, I would suggest erroring on the side of caution and get a new one.). The pastic shell, being plastic, breaks down over time and can cause the seat to fail. Plus temperature changes stress plastic as well so when the car heats up in the summer and gets extrememly cold in the winter, it takes a toll on the car seat. Some seats are dated for 7 years but I think most are less than that. Here is a link to FAQ: http://www.car-safety.org/faq.html Number 25 deals with how long a carseat should be used. Hope you find it useful.
Patti: No - definitely not hard hearted. Realistic, I would say. Goodness knows I don't have the room to store have the stuff I can't seem to let go of. :)
I know exactly how you feel. I just went through baby clothes again & still didn't seem to do much more than add a few more things to the "keeps." That's also probably why there is a walker still sitting in my garage (LOL)! KUDOS to you for being so brave.
Never knew car seats expired.
Sheri: Thanks!
SassyFemme: Yep, they sure do. Glad I could help teach something important. :)
It's funny that I think the same things right now. I think about how far away it will be before Andrew is walking, then talking, then we'll have to get rid of things he's too big for.
But I've already had that feeling of "omg - where did the time go" as we've packed up his clothes from 0-3, 3-6, 6-9 and lent out his swing, etc.
It goes too fast!
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