This week I’m knee-deep in piles of laundry from a very fun weekend away. My girls and I jetted to Eindhoven this past weekend for their Swim Team Championship competition. It was a fabulous weekend and I’m exhausted. Exhaustion is proof of fun right?!? I’m so proud of my girls, it’s such a joy to cheer them on in their endeavors.
I’m also really happy to cheer on my kids when they are purging their clothes! Last month my kids were home from school for a five-day weekend, so I jumped on this available time and had them go through and purge their clothes. They did such a good job. I was really proud of them, they really purged! I think they understand that our upcoming move is fast approaching!
So, I’m here today to cheer you on too! If you plan to focus this month on purging, sorting, cleaning or organizing, these five tips surrounding kids’ clothing can also apply to other areas in your home as well. Look them over and let them motivate you to spring forward this month!
5 Tips: Organizing Kids’ Clothes
Tip #1: Determine to Buy Less
This is usually at the root of most organizing challenges. When there is too much to choose from or too much to take care of, more time and energy is always required. Work to buy less clothing for your kids and you’ll have less to organize! Personally I recently went to a capsule wardrobe and have found so much freedom in having less.
Tip #2: Create a “Give Away” Station
Place a give away basket in your child’s closet or perhaps one in your laundry room for all of your children. This basket, bin or sack should be used for all items that your child has outgrown and that you want to give away, either to a charity or to others as hand me downs.
Tip #3: Designate a “Family Hand Me Down” Station
Use another basket (or bin/sack), again either in your child’s closet or in one place for all of your children. This will be the spot where you toss clothes that need to organized and stored as hand me downs for your family.
Tip #4: Organize a “When I Grow Up” System
If you are going to store clothes from an older child in your family for a younger child in your family, you’ll want to organize a simple system. It will be so much easier if you have some clear bins organized to hold the items sized in categories, by gender, and even seasons. (See my system below and here are similar bins like I use Sterilite 18888004 66-Quart See-Through Storage Box with Latching Lid and Blue Aquarium Handle, 4 Pack.) Word of caution – don’t save too much! Styles change, kids are different shapes and sizes, and then there is personal taste too! Only keep the best of the best and make a point to pull out the clothes seasonally and to also go through them before shopping for new clothes, remember tip #1.
Tip #5: Practice Saying No
If well-meaning friends are giving you overstuffed bags of hand me downs and it’s too much, learn to say no! Hand me downs can be a huge blessing, but they can quickly become a burden too. When you have too much to sort through, manage, and organize, you’ll experience more of the burden. The bottom line is that your kids only need so many clothes. Feel free to say no to gifts/donations of clothes. And likewise if you give hand me downs to others, also give them the gift and freedom to simply donate the clothing if they don’t need or want them.
Lastly, the holding spots for donations and family hand me downs can be added to on an ongoing basis, as you wash and fold, or when you realize that something is just too small. Then make a point to either seasonally or during school breaks, do a once over. It’s important to have a schedule around when you organize and sort through all of the clothing, this will allow you to fix it and forget it. (Until the next season or shopping trip!)
Happy organizing, purging, cleaning, or whatever you need to do this month! Remember you can always check in on the MWM Monthly Challenges or take on the Spring Organizing Challenge – at your own pace too. Both are free and fun! 🙂
And…the 21-Day Spring Fitness Challenge is NOW OPEN! Congratulations to Kelly, Diane, and Anna Marie on winning the GIVEAWAY from last week. Join the FC, it starts Monday, and commit to getting more fit this month. One step at a time is all it takes.
Hope you have a fabulous day, I’m cheering for you!!!
