You Asked: Storing Kids Clothes?

You ask it, IHeart answering!  Welcome to the first question and answer post!

I received a question from one of my very loyal readers, Heather, and it said:

I got 2 Jumbo space bags for Christmas and took 14 diaper boxes of baby clothes plus assorted bedding of Con's and filled them up. takes up much less space, but not the most organized thing.

What do you do with all your baby's clothing that doesn't fit?

Great question!!

Baby clothes can definitely get out of control, and fast!  Especially when you have generous friends and family, multiple kiddos, or can't resist that great sale!

Here is a couple of ways to keep your baby clothes in line:

Each season, sort through current clothing for each child.  Determine the quality.  Ask yourself, "Do I love this piece?  Do I have someone that can benefit from this piece?"  If the quality is poor (rips, holes, permanent stains), don't feel oh so guilty to toss it.  I like to keep a couple of articles of not so favorite clothing for messy project days and hard play dates, but other than that, don't keep what you don't foresee being worn again.

The next step requires more decision making.  All of the clothes that are in good shape, should then be placed into two new piles.  Clothes that can be handed down to other kids in your clan, or to a friend/family member.  The other pile, is the donate pile.  How do I determine between the two?  I look at the quality, the current styles, etc.... it's all a matter of personal decision.

Now, determining HOW much to keep for the next child in line, is always a difficult thing to do as well.  Too many clothes can be overwhelming, and most often, from my experience, only the favorites get worn over and over, and many others are forgotten and just take up unnecessary space.  I personally try not to save any more than 10 pieces of each clothing type (pants, shorts, long sleeves, short sleeves, pajama sets, etc...)  I find ten to be plenty to keep the kiddos drawers full, but not to the point that they are over-flowing and impossible to close and manage.

Once a donate pile is done, make sure you note what you are donating for tax purposes, and then put it right into the vehicle to be taken to a consignment shop.  Letting that box(es) of clothes sit, will cause unnecessary temptations!

Now, storing hand me downs for the next in line or other family members.  Here is the system I have found to be most effective:

In my storage/utility room, I keep a set of 4 large plastic drawers, that I purchased in singles from Target, for around $10 bucks a pop.  Then I stacked them:

Next I created labels for each drawer, one for shoes, and one for each kid that I plan to hand clothes down to, which was determined by the size of the clothing:

 

Now, you may be thinking, how many clothes can you really fit into one of those storage drawers?  To show you, I have laid out all of the clothing from ONE drawer, it consisted of:

9 Pairs of Shorts

7 Pairs of Pants
9 Shirts (Including 2 Fleece Pullovers)
6 sets of PJ's
2 Pairs of Swimming Trunks

A total of 33 Pieces of Clothing!

 

As you can see, it all fits nice and neat into one drawer!!

Other options that could work, are a standard bin(s):

 

Or an under-bed storage bin(s):

 

Or even hanging them on a clothing rod and sorting them with clothing tags:

 

I personally prefer the drawer method because I found I was struggling with bins being stacked, they were much more difficult to get in and out of.  The drawers can stack to save space, and then when I need something, I just have to open the drawer, nice and easy!

I hope that helps some!  Sounds like you may have some extra paring down to do!?  Don't feel guilty about donating, it's hard to do at first, but it's a great reward for all in the end!