New parents get SO much “stuff” and have to quickly figure out what to do with it all before they get buried in it.
Clothing, toys, bedding, paraphernalia…there’s so much of it all. Luckily, I’m addicted to organizing and my label maker is my favourite toy so I kind of get off on it all. I’m often asked (a) How I have time to be so organized and (b) Can I come to x’s house and do it there. First of all, I find that if you take a little time each week, you’ll never get totally overwhelmed by it and it’s a lot easier. And, no. Unless you pay really well, or you’re my mom, I’m not organizing your stuff for you.
However, I will share my ideas with you and appeal to the parents of the internet to do the same!
How do you organize your kids’ clothing? Other stuff. Here’s my method. Or some of it anyway. Please share yours in comments.
When I see a great sale on something I really like, I buy several sizes.
In the boy’s dresser, I keep his current size and a few things that are one size up just in case I’m desperate and haven’t done laundry. It happens more than I’d like to admit.
In his closet, I have three lovely large taupe Rubbermaid bins labelled “Neutral Baby Clothes,” “Boy Baby Clothes,” and “Boy - Grow In To.” They stack neatly in the corner of his closet.
As he grows out of items, I sort them into 3 piles.
Consignment, Neutral and Boy.
Of course, I’ve already thrown anything with permanent poop stains or tears in the garbage.
Anything that I really like that’s appropriate for a baby of either gender (usually only up to 3 or 6 months because from there he was pretty obviously dressed boy-ish) goes in the “Neutral Baby Clothes” bin.
Anything that I’d definitely want to use for another baby boy goes into the “Boy Baby Clothes” bin.
The ‘consignment pile’ is tricky for some parents. Here’s my rule: If I don’t love> it, I don’t keep it. If it doesn’t snap in the crotch, it’s gone. If it has no neck snaps, it’s gone. Just not really my style? Gone. Funny fit? Gone. Stretched out? Gone. Pilling or showing signs of wear? Gone. Cheap piece of crap? Gone. From Walmart? Gone. Since I know they’ll be used by someone else, it’s easier to get rid of things I don’t love. The best thing about this pile? When I take them to the store, I get a store credit to get things that I do love. Our favourite local consignment store has both used and new items. I take in stuff I don’t want anyway and come out with brand new items that I really like. They have clothing, toys, gadgets…pretty much everything. It’s a great feeling to get something for ‘nothing.’
Because I’m picky about what I keep, I have only one full large 31 gallon bin up to 9 months for a boy, and one full of the same size for either gender. The neutral one also contains things that I only needed for the newborn phase but are appropriate for either gender. Things like white hats/booties/blankets, a newborn bath support that only fits for a few months, nursing pads, a newborn journal to track latches, poops, sleep, vitamins, mama drugs and all those other things that placenta brain prevented me from remembering (I just tore out the used pages and there’s enough left for another baby for at least 6 weeks), small swaddlers etc.
I have one additional bin in the closet that is simply labeled “Baby Stuff.” That’s where I’ve put items like our front carrier, the blow up tub he grew out of, small packaging for things I may want to resell at a garage sale like cloth diapers, small but pricey toys etc. Stuff I’ll want in the first months no matter the gender.
Speaking of garage sales (or e-bay/consignment…whatever floats your boat), I have one more tip. Things sell better with their original packaging. We have a 9 inch space between our washing machine and the wall in the basement. I’ve collapsed all of the boxes for things like the Intellitainer, exersaucer, high chair, carseat, stroller etc and stuck them in there. When I re-sell them, they’ll be in a lovely new-ish looking box and hopefully much more appealing to customers.
What about the manuals? Some can obviously be tossed. Believe it or not, we got a manual with a ball. That one was immediately recycled, but there are many we’d like to keep. I especially recommend keeping anything requiring assembly. We kept manuals for the crib, ride on toys, play centres, Intellitainer, high chair and some of the more complicated toys.
I have a file box (on wheels with hanging files kind of like this but clear) with all of our household manuals in it. The files are organized into categories like ‘outdoor appliances’ (lawnmower, weedeater…), ‘large kitchen appliances’ (fridge, stove, dishwasher), ’small kitchen appliances’ (blender, food processor…), ‘permanent’ (air conditioner, furnace, water heater…), ‘furniture’ (assembly for armoire, lazyboy warranty etc), ‘electronics’ (DVD player, stereo equipment…) and a few more.
When I was pregnant and we started to purchase, I added a hanging file called ‘kids.’ Within that I have folders labeled ‘furniture,’ and ‘toys.’ I have the receipts for all items stapled to the manuals in case I need to return something or find out where it came from. This system has worked great for us.
What about you? How do you keep it under control?
Tags: 
parenthacks, 
children’s clothing, 
organization, 
storage
March 7th, 2007
in
good things, handy household hints, house and home, little people, the boy |
March 7th, 2007 at 11:09 am
I think the key is that you HAVE to purge. You can’t keep EVERYTHING! That being said … how do I throw away the fingerpainting made with pudding that my now almost 15 year old made when he was 3?
March 7th, 2007 at 11:13 am
Heh. I tell the parents in my classroom to take digital images of all the art and then toss it. I suggest MAX 1 file box or underbed storage box per division (K-3, upper elem, middle school, high school) but most people can do less if they do the picture thing. Maybe frame one or two special pieces of art. At the end of every school year, I suggest that parents purge everything but the final report card, special awards and a few special projects. Anything 3D - take a pic and toss it. It’s easy on the kids if they have the photos and they help to choose the few things that are kept in the “school box.”
March 7th, 2007 at 1:04 pm
Keeping it under control? Control? Very mildly. Actually, my son’s stuff is better organized than my own closet. But I like your system! I need some of those Rubbermaid bins.
March 7th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
Since we move a lot I have to try to stay on top of things. I use rubber maid containers a lot (and a label maker!) We keep a lot of original boxes because it helps with moving too.
I also keep a file on my computer of things I like and things I hate and keep it updated. There are products I will never sue again and others I must have.
I cannot imagine not being organized! And I do not think I am as organized as you are! hehe!
March 7th, 2007 at 3:51 pm
I need more room is what I need! I have bins and bins in our outside storage of all of Kayla’s old clothes, just in case we have another girl! I got myself in trouble though by not “really” sorting through all of that stuff like I should have. I should have scrutinized for stains and for items I didn’t care for, now I’ll have to do all of that whenever we do have another one, especially if it’s a girl!
March 7th, 2007 at 8:37 pm
My house is organized, but my boy’s room–that’s another story. I swear, on the weekends, I need a rescue dog to help me get out of their room.
March 9th, 2007 at 4:49 pm
I have two boys that are six years apart in age. I store all the inbetween sizes in cardboard boxes labeled with the clothes size, i.e. “4 year old.” I keep one box always open so that the oldest can put any clothes he finds that are too small directly into the box.
March 9th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
I love my label gun too. I am fine with keeping things like clothing organized, and as hard as it is, I’ve been tossing art work unless it looks like alot of effort went into it. My problem is keeping toys organized. I find the kids are too little to put things away ‘the way I like’ and I’m forever organizing toys. I have alot of toys packed away and I rotate them, but we still have so many. Any advice?
March 10th, 2007 at 7:56 am
Buy a big bin, (rubbermaid, wood, or actual toy chest)with a lid and let them throw all their toys in there when they are done playing. Also, if they haven’t played with a toy in a week, get rid of it. There may be some tears at first for not having found some recently remembered item, but kid’s have short memories, and they soon forget.
March 19th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
I keep those clear bags with zippers you get bed linens in and reuse them to store the kid’s toys. Legos, Polly Pocket sets, and toy dinosaurs all get their own bag. The kids can easily see what’s inside without dumping the contents on the floor, and I don’t kill myself stepping on them or sucking them up in the vacuum.
April 4th, 2007 at 8:56 pm
stopping by to say hello. i’m an organizing failure. *sigh*