Any mother of many children knows that you can’t afford to get rid of clothing once a child out grows it. You must store it for the next child in line. You have baby girls and baby boys, and you have boy toddlers and girl toddlers. You also have boys and girls in every size in between. But your pocket book can’t handle buying a new wardrobe for each child, each season. So, you are forced to store children’s clothing in each and every sex and size! And before you know it, the clothing is taking over your storage space. But during this remodel project this summer, I have been blessed beyond anything I ever expected when the project started. You see, my husband decided to make a storage room right off my new laundry area for all of the children’s clothing we must keep for many more years.
Here is a picture of the room filled with tubs –
I use these tubs and the clothing is sorted by sex and then again by size. I try to only have one tub per size. We keep a very small wardrobe out for any season so one tub seems to hold just the right amount of warm and cold weather clothing. All of our jackets and coats and such are kept in one area. So these tubs don’t have to hold those bigger bulkier things.
So, on the brink of the birth of our fifth child, as all the winter clothing has been pulled out yet again and we have packed away another summer of clothing and memories, I am wondering if you have found any good trick or ideas for storing your children’s clothing? Or do you just pass it on and buy new for each child?
Amanda, I only have 1 child but I have nieces and friends who have kids that are close in age. So we all pass clothes back and forth. I shop alot of yard sales so I don’t have to worry about money down the drain…. If there are clothes I want to keep (I plan to have more kids) I use those space bags from Walmart…not too expensive and they really do save space.
I wish I would have saved Aedan’s clothes now I am having another boy. Due only weeks before Aedan’s birthday so seasons would have lined up pretty well. I will save them for sure this time around!
We have a girl. We didn’t find out the sex beforehand, so we have 6 months of gender neutral baby clothes (score!). We literally didn’t have to buy a thing until she moved into 9 month clothes. They are in tubs inside large plastic storage bags. Labelled by season, size, and appx. weight it will fit. We were sure to also ‘mark’ the ones that should have fit, but didn’t, and move them down to the next size, because they were mislabelled or whatever. I buy most of my daughter’s clothes at the end of the season, so I generally pay less than $3 per item, and often stock up on clothes that end up being around $1 on clearance at WalMart. I get some clothes from dept. stores as well, looking in the ultra clearance areas for next sizes up. Right now my girl has slimmed down between year 1 and 2, so she’s just fitting into the 24 month clothes I got for her, and they may fit next year. Kind of hard to tell. I’m hoping at least her summer clothes will also fit next year. She spent a lot of her summer in just a cloth diaper!
This task is my least favorite – I despise going through so many clothes each season! But, you’re right – it is a must and a blessing to keep clothes for the younger kids. I have started using the space saving bags that you can use a vacuum to take the air out of and they shrink. Takes up a lot less space :) Can’t wait to hear about the arrival of Jeremiah on Tuesday!!
I have 2 teenagers and I still keep totes of clothing for them to grown into, or to replace worn items! Clothing becomes even more expensive as children get older and if you shop thrift store like us (I know you do too!) then it can get harder to find certain items too. Try finding decent jeans for teen boys at a thrift store! You must stock up when you find them. Keep the tote habit!!! It will save you even more as they get older. I have thought about space bags, they sound like a great idea. Hubby and I even have a tote = )
I am about to undertake this chore in our home of four littles. We have much to sort and pack and store. Our girls and boys clothes will be stored in thier prospective closets and I am really hoping to have enough room for it all!That storage room is the perfect place and size for this task.
Amanda,
Couldn’t help but notice you need some help storing the in between and off-season clothes. Just wanted to say thanks to Angel for recommending Space Bag products. Space Bag vacuum-seal storage bags would be perfect for making more room in your storage room. Just so you know, Space Bag has an online community dedicated to helping people save space and get organized. Feel free to visit http://www.SpaceSaversCommunity.com to read our articles on home organization. Also, Space Savers Community members get a 20% discount on a Space Bag starter set. Congratulations on the newest little one.
Best,
Space Savers community correspondent
We use tubs like this. I have one girl and one boy so what’s stored in the tubs are clothes I found at garage sales for great prices (fifteen cents for Gap? Load me up! Fifty cents for really nice size 8 pants? Sure! – never mind the fact that he won’t wear them for 4 more years…..) I enjoy the transition times because it’s like free shopping and I never had to leave home! We sell what the kids outgrow to fund my garage sale shopping for the next yr. This means my kids will have been dressed in really nice stuff their entire childhoods but I only will have spent that initial $200.
P.S. I’ll take some time to pray for your sweet babe as soon as I hit publish.