As quickly as our children grow it is really hard to keep their clothing organized and not sprawled all over the floor or half hanging out of broken down dresser drawers. A dresser can only handle so much abuse and overloading them is never a good thing to do. With everything we have to do in our daily lives as parents, organizing our kids clothes can be an overwhelming task.
To start the organization process you will first need to block out a few hours from your busy schedule. What? I know it’s hard but just think of the time you will save on a daily basis if everything is organized and in its correct place. No more rummaging through your child’s drawers looking for that favorite dog shirt that they must have. No more digging through clothes that no longer fit or are out of season. Once you have blocked off a chunk of time where in the world do you begin? These tips on How to Organize Your Child’s Clothing will get you started and help keep drawers and closets in order.
How to Organize Your Child’s Clothing
Now don’t let me scare you off with this crazy idea: take everything out of the dresser and dump it in the middle of the floor. I know it can sound a little scary and look very overwhelming but it will be worth it in the end. Once you have everything dumped out, check to make sure all drawers are in working order. If not, you will need to make the necessary repairs so that everything will run smoothly when you are done. You will also want to remove all clothing from your child’s closet and throw them on the floor also. If this seems a little much for your time frame, you can do the closet on day 2.
Begin by weeding out clothes. You will want to start sorting through the clothing and putting them in piles. I often find it works out better to have cardboard boxes next to you and to sort that way. Label the piles or boxes with the following:
- Keep: This one is pretty obvious. If it fits and is in season, then it’s a keeper!
- Donate/Sell: You may want to make two piles for this one. There are plenty of places to donate your used clothing like churches, women’s shelters, Goodwill, or Salvation Army stores. If you prefer to sell your gently used clothing you can have a garage sale or try selling them in online groups or consignment shops. At the local consignment shop in our town you can either get a check at the end of the month or just use it as an in-store credit. This works very well for me when we change seasons and all of a sudden my child needs a new wardrobe!
- Toss/re-purpose: Sometimes clothing are in such bad shape that you cannot sell or donate them. These can often be used for something else. T-shirts make great dusting rags and old blue jeans can often be made into cute throw pillows or to make a scarecrow around Halloween time.
- Hand-me-downs: Often times parents re-use their child’s clothing for a younger sibling. These need to be stored in containers with lids and must be labeled according to size and season. This system will only work if you can find the clothing when you need it.
- Put away the clothing that fits and is in season. Hang all dress clothing in the closet and either sort by color or type of clothing. When it comes to dresser drawers, having a label on the outside often helps your child when it comes time to put them away. For older children, just the name of the item on the drawer works well. For younger children, you may need to attach a picture system.
Use drawer dividers with infant and baby clothes. Often times you may find that with younger children the clothing is so small that it’s hard to keep them neat and tidy. Drawer dividers work well and will help you keep everything in its place. If you’re working with a tight budget you can make your own drawer dividers using cardboard and pretty wrapping paper. Both items can be picked up free or for next to nothing at the local Dollar Store.
If a piece of clothing starts getting a little tight on your child, do something with it immediately. Once you have everything organized and neatly in its place, you will need to do a little maintenance or you will end up with utter chaos in a month or two. Once a week I like to do a quick check of my child’s clothing and straighten it up a bit. Keep a couple of boxes aside to either donate or save for consignment. When something is outgrown, you can put them immediately in the corresponding box.
Every 6 months you will want to have an ‘organizing your kid’s clothing festival’ to keep things in order. A change in seasons is the perfect time to do this. I tend to do this twice a year and it’s usually in the spring and fall.
Do you have any tips to share on how you organize your child’s clothing??
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Genevieve Parker Hill - Minimalist Living Author says
Great stuff! I love the idea of keeping a box aside so as you come across things that no longer fit, you can just throw it into your giveaway box. We are having a baby soon so I’m always looking for ways to keep the baby stuff in check 🙂 thanks!