Here's my two cents.

Since you are considering having another one soon I think you should keep it around if you have the space. Victoria's room looks the same right now as the day she was born - the only thing not done is putting a few pictures on the walls.

It helped me that everything was all neutral because we didn't know what we were having. But economically it makes sense to keep it around if it will not bother you to have it there or if you don't know of someone else's baby that might be able to use it.

The only thing that's been weird for me is how I refer to it. EVERYTIME I say "Victoria's room" I feel strange because in reality it's our childrens' room because they were going to have to share it for a few years.

We keep the door shut too, but that's mostly because the vent in there is closed and it's freezing in there. But I go in there quite frequently and dust at least once a month now. For those 1st couple of months I obsessed and dusted it every single week.

Also you might want to consider what it's going to be like to break it all back out if you pack it away. That will be a very emotional time. Not that that's a bad thing. Just telling you that it might be a little tough once you reach that point.

I just closed the door to the nursery too. It hurts too much to think about it, so I try not to. It does nag at the back of my mind though. I am leaning toward keeping it all and saving it for the next baby. To me, that is hopeful, not an act toward replacing Brenna. It is, afterall, just stuff. And babies need a lot of stuff. Nothing will replace her. Hugs, Corrine

Today marks the 1 year anniversy to the day I found out that my precious angel was no longer with me in spirit. I was only 18 weeks 5 days so I didnt have any baby things for him but a couple things. I would think for me I would find a family in need and personally donate some of the things to them. I think for me it would be bettre to personally find someone specific rather than donate to a group. Maby ask on the preagnacy after stillbirth board on here as they may need some help. I hope that you will be blessed. It is a hard road that we are all on. For me I had a blessing my rainbow was born 12/17/10 just 11 months after my loss but it has not made today much eiser

Well, if you are planning to have more babies, I would definitely keep it. What I done was I stored all my baby's clothes, blankets, etc... in space saver bags. I still kept his nursery but I took his bedding set down and put just put a plain sheet on the crib mattress, I put his quilt from the hospital in his crib and all his stuffed animals and I put a different curtain topper up as well. I put his rememberance things in there in the room. It really helped me to do that verses taking all his things and putting them up for good. It was hard sometimes to look at his things but it was easier looking at the new transformed nursery, verses the nursery he was supposed to come home to. We have recently moved, and I have had his furniture in storage with all our other stuff, and his clothes and everything else are in a closet at my moms. We are fixing to move into our new house, and I plan on putting all his things right back into what will be our nursery. The only things I gave away were diapers, wipes, creams, medications, bath wash, lotions and powders. Hope this helps.

Would you have used them for Caroline and then her younger siblings? If so, then carry on. There's nothing wrong with hand me downs, even if they technically were not used before ;) Unless you really feel strongly that they should remain Caroline's things only, I would keep them.

I like the idea that my next baby will have some of his/her older brother's stuff. It will remind me of him in a good way. "Hey, remember when grandma bought this for Wyatt..." maybe a little sad, but I know it will make me smile. You know your next baby will get plenty of new stuff too! And obviously your next baby is not a replacement--no one in their right mind would think that was why you kept the stuff.

I think it all depends on how you feel about seeing the things on a daily basis on a different baby. There is no right answer but the one in your heart. You can always keep everything until the last minute and then change your mind!

Hmmm...I had never considered what KLH81 mentioned. I had this cute little red onesie that said Firecracker! on it. It was the cutest ever and I wonder how I'll feel seeing it on the new baby knowing that I never got to see Victoria in it.

what I did was hold on to the things that were special to me like the things that people gave me. the things that I baught I hurt to part with but there is a young ladie at my job that is due in March, I asked her if she would like and of Riileys things ie... diapers, bibs, socks,bottles and she said YES. I told her she didnt have to take them to make me feel better but she said that she really needed them. I know Riley would want me to give her things to someone that really needed them.
many hugs,
Janay

I am keeping everything of Joanna's and using it for the next baby, if there ever is one. At first I didn't want to use it for any baby besides Joanna, but my mother-in-law asked me "If Joanna had lived wouldn't I have used her things for the next baby?". When I said "yes", she told me that if I kept everything I'd be doing just that. So, I am going to keep everything and use it for Joanna's little brother or sister, just like I'd planned to.

I agree that since you plan to get pregnant soon you should keep it all. I was so hurt that I got rid of everything so when God Blesses us again we have to start all over again.

Hugs, Love & RAINBOWS!!!!
N.

I haven't touched a thing in June's room. We go in there often to grieve. I open the blinds every morning and shut them every night. I sit in the glider and talk to her every day. I don't plan on getting rid of anything since we hope to have more children, but I know that for some people it is too painful to hold on to things that should have belonged to another child.

The room that would have been June's was my 3 1/2 year old son's until we transitioned him to his big brother room two weeks before she was born. So the furniture and a lot of the things in there were once his too.

I like to think that June would want to give her things to a baby brother or sister who may come along someday so that's why we plan on keeping it all as is.

I have kept Andrew's room the exact same way. I plan on using all the stuff for my next child, just like some of the stuff was hand me downs anyways. I know he would want to share it with his brother or sister. There are a few things though that I will put in some kind of keepsake box that was bought just for him. Like a few outfits that I was so excited to see him in those will be set aside. I have donated all the formula that I keep getting to the child crisis center, so it doesn't go to waste and it makes me feel good to give it to people that I know need it. I go in his room everynight and rock in the chair with him. Its my favorite moment of the day.

I agree with most of the comments that others have left. I initially just left the nursery the way it was. I did manage to leave the door open and would go and vent my pain in there at times, but my DH and I were very certain that we were keeping all of the things we had. It really depends on how you feel, but if you're planning on getting pregnant again in the near future, then I think it would be a good idea to keep it. I think that hand-me-downs are something that siblings should share. We're definitely going to use everything we got for Chek when these little sprouts, god-willing, make it into this world.

At around four/five months after losing Chek, I packed everything away in his room. I took the room down to just the large pieces of furniture, and left it like that for a couple of months. Just before I found out I was pregnant again, I went back in and we put the curtains up and rearranged things. I actually put some pictures of DH and I in there, along with a little prayer box. I decided at that point that it was a place of hope; no longer a place of pain. I found out I was pregnant again a couple of weeks later.

I know that my story isn't the same for everyone, and if you find it too painful to think of using your angels things for their sibling, then you should probably think of selling it or giving it away. However, I would take time to make this decision. You may feel a certain way about it one month, and then feel totally different the next.

I know how painful this topic is. Do what you feel is best, but try not to make any snap decisions that you may regret later.

Hugs, Sam.

We were having the exact same thoughts...what do we do? Will the next child feel like they are a substitute?
Then we thought, well if Connor were alive and used the room, we wouldnt change a thing for the next one. We also have to get out of the habit of calling it "Connors room" I thing the stuff can stay but the name has to change to nursery or babies room. What really made me realize I want to keep everything is when my therappist suggested taking it all down..my instant reaction (which I kept to myself) was how dare you, its staying how it is.

Well I had already had children before I lost my baby and both those children were boys so I really didn't buy much except a new crib set which I intend to use to the next baby because I had decided on it before I knew he was a boy and we had already been collecting the Rainforest stuff from Fisher Price. Neutral Jammies I bought also will be used for next baby. There is one outfit I am giving a friend of mine because she loves elephants and she was with my when I bought it. The other 3 outfits bought for Caleb I am not sure what I am going to do with them right now they are in a box with Caleb's box from the Hospital the blanket that was made for him by my mother in law. I think I might give one of them to my cousin if she has a boy. She is pregnant right now. But I myself could not use them for one of my own children. I cried putting the one outfit in the box for my friend and she was really touched by the gesture.

The point is you have to do what you feel is right for you.

It has been almost four months since we lost our angel Savanna. Her nursery is the same as it was before we lost her. I will not get rid of anything in it, one because it is hers and second, I would have reused all the items if she was still her for the next baby we had. everything we got was pretty gender neutral since we did not find out what we were having and I plan to use it for our next baby. I just would not be able to deal with getting rid of any of it.