Storage and organizing tips for hand-me-down kids clothes

 

Alt-tag: a pretty girl dressed in all white hand-me-down kids clothes.

Organizing your kiddos' clothing can be immense pain in the neck. It can even be more difficult than taking care of your closet. Especially when you factor in hand-me-downs. That is why having a system in place and being well organized is a must. As a mom, you have a lot on your plate that you must juggle, and your kids' clothing is no exception. However, if you manage to master our tips, organizing hand-me-down kids' clothes might not be such a hassle.

Why is organizing and storing hand-me-downs that important?

There are many benefits of transferring clothing from one generation to another. However, these are the most valuable:

• It saves you a ton of money - Don’t let the size fool you. Children’s clothing is very expensive. Even baby clothes can burn a hole in your pocket.

• Go green – By passing along outgrown or extra clothes and saving them so somebody can reuse them, you recycle them. There is no better way to be environmentally-conscious than to recycle everything we possibly can.

• You will teach your kids valuable lessons – your kids will learn to be responsible in more than one way. They will be environmentally friendly, money-conscious, and willing to share with others around them. 

Supplies that you will need 

Before you dive into this challenging project, make sure you have all the needed storage and organization supplies. You only need a few simple items to be a champ at the clothing-storage game. Make sure you have bins. Size depends on the number of clothes that you have. If you can choose the color of your containers, you should opt for the clear ones. In case you don't have any extras at home, visit capitalcitybins.us and stock up. Also, you will need markers and a sticky paper for labeling. And in the end, if you wish to be extra meticulous, you can prepare files or other sturdy items that you can use as dividers.

The first order of business is decluttering 

Kid's clothing accumulates in a blink of an eye. That is why you will need to get rid of certain items. Surely, you will not need everything. The same goes for the reverse direction of the hand-me-down circle. So, even when receiving children's clothing, keep only the things you need. For starters, get rid of everything ripped, stained, or worn out. Similarly, get rid of items that aren’t practical. Things that are hard to put on or that slide down will need to go. Only keep the best of the best, because you will have neither extra space nor the spare time to deal with the things you don't want or need.

Have a storing system in place 

Now that you decluttered and got rid of the things you don't need, it is time to start packing and storing. If you do this correctly, you might save a nice bundle of cash on kids' clothing. You will be reaching your savings goals in no time. Here are a few ideas on how you can save money by managing outgrown kids' clothing. 

All moms want their kids to be best-dressed. Even when using hand-me-down clothing, your baby can be fashionable and cute. Alt-tag: a beautiful little girl sitting on stacked suitcases wearing a pink ballerina skirt.

Store items by size, gender, and season 

If you have a lot of things, which usually is the case with hand-me-downs, there is a serious chance that you will overlook the items when you need them. Kids grow extremely fast. Particularly when they are very young. Therefore, kids might outgrow certain clothing items without you even noticing it. On the other hand, you might not be able to find them, although you know you have them somewhere. Here is how you can avoid these undesirable scenarios.

Categories by size 

If you sort items by their size, you will eliminate the chance that something will be forgotten or misplaced. Consequently, all clothing will be usable at the age when needed. Also, you will have a specific idea of how much stuff you have for a certain age. The last thing you want is to get into online shopping for things you already have and waste money that you might need for something else.

Sort by gender and season 

You shouldn't sort hand-me-down children's clothing only by size. While you are at it, be as thorough as possible. Go on and sort everything by season and gender. Since you only need to divide everything into summer and winter clothing and boys' and girls' stuff, it shouldn't be too difficult to manage. This way, you will be 100% certain that you will use everything you have. This bulletproof system for sorting will guarantee that you will not waste any money on clothing that you or somebody else already has.

Find a storage spot that is out of the way 

Basements, attics, and garages are perfect out of the way spots for clothing storage. However, be careful because these spots often tend to be moist and can ruin your clothing. So, make sure you pack everything properly if conditions in the storage space are less than perfect. If you aren’t certain if these places in your home are suitable for storing kid’s clothing, you can always use the space under the bad, in the back of your closet and anywhere you feel it won’t be a bother.

You can always help those less fortunate

Gathering hand-me-down kids' clothes is very common for all mothers. Usually, all clothes would circulate from older kids to younger ones or family members or friends with children. However, there is one more option. Keep in mind that there are always those that are less fortunate than you are. So, you can always donate your kiddos clothes and other items you want to boot.

Now that you know how beneficial storing and organizing hand-me-down kids' clothes is, you will be glad to do it. Putting in the effort will be well worth it. No matter how time-consuming or difficult it might be. Therefore, next time your kids outgrow their clothes, you'll know exactly what to do. Keep the cycle going and support all moms in their efforts to share and reuse hand-me-down children's clothing.