None of our 3 children came to us with any stuff. If they had though, I would have needed to make sure that they went home with everything that came in with them. Even clothes that don't fit anymore or are dirty/torn may have emotional connections with the child because it's from home.
Our kids stayed with us for 8 and 11 months, and it is AMAZING how much stuff they accumulated. Baby 1 went home with 3 Rubbermaid totes of clothes and shoes. I'm finishing up packing Babies 2&3, and they're going home with about the same amount of stuff.
I color coded the totes for Baby 2's clothes and Baby 3's clothes to make it easier for Dad. Those totes are stuffed with clothes for now into summer. Once fall comes, baby 3 will fit into baby 2's clothes.
Then there's the misc bags of toiletries and shoes
Packing a child to leave is very emotional for me. It makes the reality of them leaving hit me. Packing gets me thinking about what they have here that they may not have at home and I get anxiety about if I'm doing/sending enough to ease their transition back to their parents. It's not natural to move a baby out of your house.
I made sure to write notes to Dad about which toys each baby sleeps with and what their favorite games are. This giant box has a piano and drum set, build-a-bears that have our voices singing to the boys, a ride on Kawasaki, puzzles, pillow pets.
I also sent any food that came from WIC. Next month Dad will be getting the boys checks, but there is enough to get through next week until March.
Getting through packing is keeping me busy as we prepare for the boys to go home next weekend. Brandon dropped of everything except 8 outfits for each boy today at Dads house. They're spending the weekend home. Respite 4 is here for 9 days, so she'll preoccupy me for a couple of days after they go home for good. My house feels naked without all the boys stuff everywhere, but as soon as we get the call for baby 4, I'm sure stuff will fill every bare space very quickly.
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