Oh my god! Organising kids’ clothing can be hectic. Unlike adults, kids have multiple sizes to keep track of. From size 00000 to size 12 or thereabouts… there’s lots to keep and store.
Don’t fret, its not too hard. Follow these steps and you’ll get it under control in no time.
Steps to Organise Kids’ Clothing
Step 1: Sort clothes into size piles
That is, all size 0’s, all size 1’s, all size 2’s for instance.
Step 2: Sort into ‘type’ of clothes
Once they’re in size order, things are much less overwhelming. The amount you have in each size and your available storage will change what you do next. Generally, I recommend separating each size into the type of clothes. For example onesies together, pants together, shirts together. This allows you to then cull items if you have too many of one type.
Step 3: Put them away
If what you’ve sorted is your child’s current size, put them away in the drawers or on hangers. Store them in a way that supports you in getting them ready. If they’re too young to dress themself, then it comes down to storing them in a way that supports you. The basic rules for organising current clothes are:
- Store at eye to waist level on you (or your child if they are dressing themselves)
- Store items they wear most within this area
With drawers, it can be easy to store items in the order they are put on the body. For instance:
- Top drawers – hats, singlets, undies and socks
- Middle drawers – shirts, jumpers
- Bottom drawers – pants, shorts, skirts
To Fold or Not to Fold?
Consider if you’ll fold the clothes too. I don’t fold my daughter’s clothes because her clothes are so little and fiddly. The clothes folded take up a lot of space. She also unpacks the drawers regularly so it seems pointless. As she gets bigger, I will fold, just like I do with all the adult clothes in the house. I can hear some of you think an organiser not folding clothes is blasphemy! All good, do what suits you.
Storing Sizes that are Still Too Big
Organising kids clothing is also about dealing with things that are still too big (or are too small but you want to save them for younger siblings). So, what about all the sizes you have that they’re yet to grow into? Best to group them by sizes. If you have a lot, it can be worthwhile also grouping types of clothes together. That is, all short sleeve shirts, long sleeve shirts, pants together. Separate them into summer and winter if you think this would be helpful to you.
If you have enough clothes per size to fill a box, put them in and label it appropriately. For example, “Size 2, Summer Shirts and Pants”. If you only have one box for all of your Size 2 stuff, “Size 2” is a reasonable label.
If you’re storing the bigger clothes in shelves, drawers or a chest, store the biggest sizes at the bottom (or the least accessible spot). This makes it easier to retrieve the next size up when you need it.
Storing ‘Too Small’ Sizes that are Being Kept for Younger Siblings
Some of us keep clothes for bub number 2, 3 or 4. The best way to approach this is to only keep what’s in good condition.
The principles are the same for storing the larger sized clothing. It’s likely the things that are too small will trickle through so have a basket near the change table (or laundry) for the small items. Once you have a box full, sort them into size order**.
Again, group types of clothes together if there are a lot of clothes. All short sleeve shirts, long sleeve shirts, pants together. Separate them into summer and winter if you think this would be helpful to you.
Appropriately label the boxes or drawers that they are being stored in.
Tip:
**A way to get clothes from the “currently worn” section, to the “keep for the next bub” section can be easy. You might notice something is too small only after you’ve dressed your child in it. In most cases you might leave them in it for the day and vow to give it away or store it once it’s washed. (Or is that just me?) From here, it can be hard to remember which were too small. So, the quick solution is, put a safety pin in the collar. Once it comes out of the wash, the safety pin will remind you that this shirt is too small. Sorted! Pop it in the “Too Small” box you set up.
These tips for organising kids’ clothing should get you sorted. What can you do today to streamline your kid’s clothing? Share your tips and tricks in the WellSorted Facebook group.
