Fed up with storing and organizing kids clothes? It’s easy to get overwhelmed. Our kids grow so fast, and with hand-me-downs and clothing gifted from others, plus anything we purchase ourselves, kids clothes can quickly get out of control. Today’s post shares the process I’ve used when storing and organizing kids clothes in our home.
Kids Clothes Organization
We have two kiddos, a baby and a toddler, who share a bedroom. They each get three drawers in the dresser (top drawer is pajamas, middle drawer is shirts, bottom drawer is pants), and then they share a closet. I don’t fold any of their clean clothes before I put them away in their drawers. In my opinion, it takes too much time and my kids are constantly pulling clothes out of their drawers anyway, so it’s really a pointless exercise.
“Grown Out Of” Tub
I have a blue tub I keep under the crib and anytime either of the kids grow out of something, I toss it into this “grown out of” tub. This is a quick way to keep their drawers and closet current and clear of things that no longer fit. When this bin gets full, I pull it out of the bedroom, grab a Dollar Tree plastic storage bag, masking tape and permanent pen and move on to the storage step.
Storing Kids Clothes
Similar to when I’m putting their clothes in their drawers, I do not fold my kids’ clothes before I put them in a plastic storage bag. I’ll run them through the washer and dryer, stuff them into a bag until it’s full, then suck the air out with my vacuum cleaner. I use the masking tape and sharpie to label the outside of the bag. I mark gender and clothing size on the tape, but I do not specify season. This isn’t a bad idea, but I’m just lazy and interested in getting this task done as quickly and easily as possible.
“Grow Into” Tub
I have a single large tub in the garage where I keep incoming clothes, shoes and coats for the kids to grow into. I will check this tub before I go shopping for the kids to make sure I’m not double-buying things, and to make sure I’m not missing anything they could be currently wearing.
Where to Store Plastic Storage Bags
Everyone’s storage situation is different, but in our current home, we have a bit of attic space above our single-car garage, so I store the kids clothes up there. If you don’t have attic space available, you could also get creative storing them in boxes under the bed or on the top shelf of a closet or on a storage rack in the garage.
Should I Even Keep Kids Clothes?
Some people opt to have a very minimal wardrobe for their kids and do not keep hand-me-downs to pass on to the next child. This definitely keeps things simple and keeps the amount of clothes you’re dealing with to a minimum, which has its perks. However, I’ve found that in our current living situation, we have space to store the clothes and we do save money by using hand-me-downs. If we were living in home where storage space was at a premium, I would likely think twice about saving clothes. If I was having to jam things in closets or worse, leave things piled out in the open, I’d likely take the minimalist approach.
Conclusion
So, how to approach storing and organizing kids clothes? For me, it has worked best to develop a system which keeps broad categories and does not require a lot of detail-oriented effort. I don’t fold clothes, I throw them in a big bin when the kids outgrow them, and I empty that bin into plastic storage bags I label with tape and a sharpie. That’s really the entire system. Super simple and easy to sustain over the long haul.
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