Minimalist Kids Clothes Organization

Keeping kids clothes to a minimum is a game-changer! Learn how I recently did a seasonal declutter and minimalist kids clothes organization for our family of 5. When I noticed the kids’ drawers were getting difficult to open and close, half the clothes in their drawers weren’t being worn, and my son was wearing fleece pants in 75 degree weather, I knew it was (past) time for a seasonal clean-out. I fit 3 kids’ clothes into one dresser and one closet with lots of room to spare!

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Why Minimalist Kids Clothes Organization?

FOSTERS CONTENTMENT AND COMBATS MATERIALISM AND WASTE.

LESS STRESS FOR PARENTS AND KIDS. When there are fewer clothes, there is less to tidy up and it makes picking out clothes a lot simpler.

SAVES TIME AND MONEY if you shop for kids’ clothes very infrequently and only buy items to fill in gaps in their wardrobe.

LAUNDRY IS EASIER TO KEEP UNDER CONTROL. It’s kind of like a built-in accountability system to stay on top of the laundry. I know in the back of my mind if I don’t do at least one load of laundry every day, the kids are going to run out of clean undies!

THE CLOTHES WILL ACTUALLY GET WORN. By the end of the season, if the kids’ clothes are plain worn out and I can’t pass them down to the next child, it’s okay! I am satisfied that the clothes were actually used and the kids played hard in them.

How to organize kids clothes | My simple process for decluttering kids clothes

1. PULL ALL THE CLOTHES OUT INTO ONE BIG PILE. I do this one child at a time.
2. SORT ITEMS INTO SEPARATE PILES based on what you plan to keep and not keep. My piles included KEEP (clothes that fit and have minimal to no wear) , SAVE FOR NEXT CHILD (clothes in great shape that I LOVE), DONATE (clothes still in good shape to drop off at thrift store or give to a friend), and DISCARD/REPURPOSE (clothes that are worn out, stained, torn, etc.).
3. INVENTORY ITEMS IN YOUR KEEP PILE, and make a list of items to buy for this season. Also, fold/hang clothes and make sure all the items fit nicely in the closet and/or dresser. If they don’t, go back through and reduce the number of items. My goal was to fit each child’s clothing into one dresser drawer and hang up a few nicer items in their shared closet.
4. STORE CLOTHES TO SAVE FOR NEXT CHILD AND BAG UP DONATE AND DISCARD CLOTHES.
5. SHOP FOR ITEMS ON LIST TO FILL IN GAPS IN CHILD’S WARDROBE.
6. ENJOY THE FRUITS OF YOUR LABOR! It feels so good to complete this task. It’s pleasing to the eye and the kids drawers open with ease!

How many clothes do kids actually need?

In my experience, there is not a cookie cutter, one-size-fits-all answer. It really varies among families and even depending on the child. My goal was to fit each child’s clothes in 1 drawer and shared closet, with a shared PJ drawer and shared sock bin in the closet.

HERE’S WHAT I CAME UP WITH FOR THEIR SPRING/SUMMER WARDROBE:

6-year-old daughter:

Closet: 2 dresses, 1 cardigan, 1 denim jacket, 1 rain jacket

Dresser Drawer: 6 short-sleeve shirts, 2 long-sleeve shirts, 5 shorts/skorts, 3 pants/leggings, 1 bathing suit, 4 PJs, 10 undies, 6 sock pairs

4-year-old son:

Closet: 2 button up shirts, 2 pants, 1 lightweight hoodie, 1 rain jacket

Dresser Drawer: 5 t-shirts, 2 long sleeve shirts, 5 shorts, 2 play pants, 5 PJs, 2 swim trunks, 10 undies, 6 sock pairs

2-year-old daughter:

Closet: 3 dresses, 3 cardigans, 1 light jacket, 1 rain jacket

Dresser Drawer: 8 short sleeve shirts/play dresses, 2 long sleeve shirts, 5 shorts/skirts, 5 leggings, 3 bathing suits, 3 bloomers, 4 PJs

Socks and shoes: I keep one shared sock bin and one shared shoe bin in their closet. For shoes, I make sure they each have 1 pair of play shoes and 1 pair of nice sandals/shoes. The older two also have rain boots they keep in the garage, and my older daughter has accumulated a couple pairs of “fancy” shoes that she plays dress-up in and sometimes wears to church. I’m not super concerned about an exact number of shoes for each child. I’m happy as long as they have 1 play pair and 1 nice pair, and they all fit nicely in their designated bin.

Tips for minimalist kids clothes organization

Try to accomplish this task while the kids are occupied or out of the house. If they see what you’re doing, someone will inevitably form a strong attachment to that old, worn out t-shirt in the discard bag and beg you not to toss it. If they’re otherwise preoccupied, that same someone will likely never notice it missing from their drawer. As the kids get older, I know I will let them be more involved. But while they’re young, I’m going to keep being stealthy.

Complete one child’s clothes at a time. This helps me not get overwhelmed.

Only keep clothes in the drawers/closet that fit NOW and that are in season NOW.

Limit pass-down clothes to ones that are in great condition that you love. I try to remember if it’s going to be a few years before the next child fits in it, someone else could be wearing these clothes. It also means I will have to store them during that waiting period, and we just don’t have a ton of extra storage space.

Only buy clothes a couple times of year to fill in gaps in their wardrobe. I do this after sorting through their clothes and taking inventory of what they have.

Remember as you organize, it’s going to get worse before it gets better. Pulling out all the clothes can be a little overwhelming, but it is the easiest and most effective way I have found to get the job done. And it feels so good when it’s all sorted, pared down and put in its proper place.

Where we get quality kids clothes that won’t break the bank

Hand-me downs. Many of my kids’ clothes come from family and friends. When we are given clothes, I like to ask the giver what to do with unwanted clothes. Sometimes they want them back to give to someone else, but often they are fine with me taking them to the thrift store to donate. I keep only what we like (it has to fit, be in great condition, and be something we need) and I bag up the rest.

Gifts from family. We are happy to receive clothing as gifts at Christmas and birthdays!

Kids Consignment. Especially when it comes to larger or more expensive items, I like to shop second-hand. My favorite way to shop consignment is online through Kidizen (shop their site here). There are so many shops to choose from, and many shops offer discounts for multiple purchases. Kidizen makes it very easy to filter search results and find exactly what you’re looking for. They even sell maternity and women’s clothing.

Looking for More Decluttering and Organization Inspiration?

Check out my Small Space Homeschool Organization Post

I’d Love to Hear from You!

Did you find this helpful? What are your best tips for minimalist kids clothes organization?

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