[epg]

My mum has just given me a pile of the baby clothes she used for me and my sister (so 36 years old!) - and she is so keen to see me using them.
There are a few cute little linen / lace dresses - so I'm happy to handwash these and use them for 'special occasion's but can't imagine them standing up to regular use.
And then there are the hand knitted wool outfits . They're old, they smell musty, they are stained. I can't be bothered handwashing them in cold water and flat drying them once let alone regularly. My inclination is to just bin them, but Mum will be devastated.

Should I suck it up and give them all a wash and then use them once, take a photo and keep Mum happy, or should I just be honest with her and say I hate them and would prefer not to dress bub in 35 year old clothes?

[countrymel]

Can you dress your child's toys in them?

I would suck it up and give them a wool wash - they won't smell then and IMHO handknits are the most delicious thing on a baby.

Take some photos, keep Mum happy and then after baby has vomited on them you might 'accidentally' run them through the machine and ruin them.

That being said my friend washes all her delicate hand knitted stuff in the washing machine, on cold, in a lingerie bag... no calamities thus far... and her eldest is 12!

[epg]

Might just do that (cold wash, in linen bag) - if they survive great, if not then I guess they weren't going to.
Not sure how much use I can get out of woollen jumpers in Perth in summer regardless!

[mantilla]

Another idea is to maybe frame the best/nicest etc - like a memory photo of an outfit

[StudyMummy]

The linen dresses you can place on a really nice coat hanger and hang up in the babies room so it is on show. I have done that with a couple of really nice dresses that my girls wore as babies and it looks really nice.

As for the knitted outfits I would either hand wash them or wash them in a delicates bag and see how they come up. You could always put one or two on a couple of teddy bears in the bedroom.

[causeway]

I'm with countrymel - Im a knitter and always wash DDs hand knits in the machine in a lingerie bag using wool wash.

[BadKitteh]

I washed all my babies hand knitted items in a lingerie bag in my machine. Ere were no issues and all survived well.

[indigo~]

I was given a few old clothes from my G'ma and no matter how many times I soaked, washed and hung the clothes in the sun, they still had that awful musty smell. They weren't heirlooms, just a few items she had picked up years ago and hadn't given away.

[ThreeLittleLambs]

I would put it in a lingerie bag and put it on a gentle cycle.
I wouldn't be throwing them out though that's for sure!

[PatG]

BTW, most things are only considered antique when over 100 years old I doubt you or your baby clothes are antique.

I know you where being tongue in cheek....