Kindredspirit, as for your dilemma I would tell your son something along the lines of "While we're waiting for a baby we have to pack up the baby stuff because it's getting dirty laying around and we want to keep it nice for the baby". Then invite him to help pack things up. If he throws a fit simply tell him he can either help you pack up, or go do something else (but the stuff IS getting packed up!). Remember, you're the mom so YOU decide how things are run
Good luck