Organizing Tips for Children’s Clothes

Set a Spot for Dirty Clothes

Routine is important for kids to learn good habits. Maybe you already have a spot for dirty clothes, like a hamper in the bedroom or bathroom, but do your kids know where it is? Do they know to use it every time they take clothes off?

It may seem simple, but the more streamlined you can make this process, the better. Try keeping the hamper near the closet, dresser, or bed. This way, your child sees it and knows to put clothes there, rather than all over the floor, bed, or furniture.

You could also talk to your kids about taking clothes out of the bathroom or mud room and putting them in the hamper. It may take a few tries, but eventually, it will become a habit.

Sort and Cull Clothing

Whether you have a fast-growing kid or a big family with a lot of hand-me-downs, your kids’ clothing collection can get out of control in no time. If your drawers are overstuffed, the closet is overflowing, and it seems like you always have children’s laundry, it’s time for some culling.

Take out all of your kids’ clothes and go through each article. Don’t spend a ton of time deciding what to cull and what to keep. If clothes are too small or too big, stained, worn, ripped, or otherwise in poor condition, toss them.

Also, if clothes are too high maintenance, consider getting rid of them. Sure, your child may need some dry-clean-only or hand-wash-only clothing for special occasions, but not a bunch of different pieces.

After your cull, consider what you’re going to do with the clothes you’re not keeping. You can take them to Goodwill, donate them to a friend or family member, or simply toss them in the trash if they’re in bad shape. But whatever you do, don’t leave bags of clothes sitting for too long – get rid of them after the cull.

Make a Plan for Future Clothing

If you’re planning to have more kids, or people in your family are, it makes sense to hang on to some clothing. Still, you don’t want these articles of clothing taking up space and messing up your organization.

Adopt a storage method for these articles of clothing that makes sense for your situation. You can try vacuum bags, storage totes, or other storage methods. You may also want to keep these clothes away from your children’s other clothing, like in your own closet or in your home’s storage area.

Encourage Laundry Skills

While your child shouldn’t be tasked with doing their own laundry at a young age, you can start developing laundry skills early to have a teenager prepared to do their own laundry.

Consider age-appropriate laundry skills that they can handle, such as putting their own clothes in the hamper, gathering up clothes left around the house, and helping to sort laundry. As your child gets older, you can add tasks like emptying the lint filter, folding, matching socks, and putting some clothes away.