Minimalism Q&A: Kids’ Clothes

When I opened up the question box on Instagram to ask for questions on minimalism and kids, I had so many just on kids’ clothing that I decided to give this it’s own blog post. So let’s get started!

1. How do you organize and minimize baby clothes (6-9 months?) Closet organization for a teen?
   This was a question I got in several ways ranging from a baby to a teen. Let’s just talk about closet organization to start with.
   The only difference in organizing my kid’s clothes from my own is that I do need a section for clothing they are growing into. For myself, everything in my closet should fit me.
   This how I have my daughter’s clothes organized. (See photo above.) She has 3 rods in her closet with a row of shelves in the middle. I do not use the shelves for clothes at all. I also hang up everything than can be hung up. This helps me to see exactly what she has.
   Her top rod has clothes that she hasn’t grown into yet pushed to the back. On the front part of the rack are all of her outerwear pieces: cardigans, jackets, and coats.
   On the rod below this, the only rod that is easily accessible to her, we have all of her play clothes. She likes to get up on Saturday and wear what she wants or change when she gets home from school. She knows that what is on this rod is free game.
   The last rod is on the other side of the closet. This rod is too high for her to currently reach. I keep her church clothes on the back of this rod. She usually has about 6 church dresses for a season (Fall/Winter, Spring/Summer.) I rotate these. When she wears one dress I move it to back. Once they have all been worn I iron them all at the same time.
   Next I have her school clothes. We mix and match these. She goes to school 4 days a week, so the last section of her closet is where I put clothes for that current week. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday. I let her choose on Friday and Saturday since we are usually home on these days.
   I keep her shoes on a shoe organizer on her door. Her pajamas and socks, tights, and leggings are currently in dresser drawers. Once she moved into a larger bed we will eliminate the dresser and utilize baskets in her closet for these.
   My son has the same closet set up. I bought it at Home Depot. (HERE it is.) I have his arranged in these categories:
   - Dress clothes and jackets
   - Pants
   - Shirts
   - Baskets inside the closet for socks, underwear, t-shirts,
   
   

2. How do you minimize your kid’s closets?
   Minimizing kids’ clothes is a lot about only keeping what fits in the forefront. When we first started on this journey I went through my daughters clothes and pulled everything that she never wore or things that didn’t have the full outfit for OR things that she hated to wear (i.e., itchy, tight, etc.) I did get rid of some nice things, but I wanted her closet to be manageable immediately.
   Minimizing is the first step because you really make a difference when you start being really intentional about you buying habits. (See question 5.)
   
   

3. Should I save clothes for the younger child of the same gender or re-buy?
   This is according to how close your children are in age. If they are right behind each other and the seasons line up, save them to keep from purchasing for the younger one. But if it’s more than 2 years, only save the best and favorites and sell the rest to rebuy when the younger child grows. Many times kids do not line up the same seasons and clothing styles change so quickly for kids that you will be able to make a lot more money when you sell them if you do it quickly.
   
   

4. Dress (expensive) outgrown clothes, do you keep, store, donate, or sell?
   It’s according to if you have a child that is younger. My sister has 2 little girls that are 2 years apart, but only about a year apart in clothing size. Because of this, she saves things for the younger child that are still really nice.
   However, unless you have a child that is quickly growing into the clothing, it is super smart to sell things as quickly as possible. There are all kinds of groups on Facebook and also apps like Poshmark that allow you to sell name brand clothing. If they are still in great condition I recommend trying to sell them.
   When I sell clothes I do set a time limit. If it doesn’t sell within a month I give it away or donate it.
   
   

5. Kid’s clothes - how much is too much?
   If you are just getting started with minimizing know that you likely overbought the previous season. Most of us do with kids clothes. So going forward, decide what you need and let it be enough.
   For my son - he has a very small amount of clothes because he does online school and is literally growing so fast I can hardly keep him in clothes.
   For my daughter - she goes to school 4 days a week. For each season I have 8 school outfits. I do mix and match these, so she might only have 2 or 3 skirts, but they have multiple tops. I layer a lot to let clothing pass from one season to the next.
   For church we have 4 to 6 dresses for each season and I rotate them.
   It can be so easy to over buy, especially when kids are small and you see adorable clothes. Making a decision on how many clothes she has before each season has helped me to not over buy. When she has enough I only buy to replace something that has been damaged or that she has outgrown.
   I encourage you to try out a capsule wardrobe. This isn’t a specific list of what you ned to buy for your child, it’s just a method where everything coordinates. Colors are in a similar palette. Her skirts coordinate with multiple tops. Her cardigan will match all of her t-shirts and dresses. It makes picking out her clothes so easy. It also saves a lot of money. She only has a few pairs of shoes because everything coordinates. This is especially great since you never know when they will wake up one morning and have skipped a shoe size. (Yes, this has happened to me!)

6. What to do with outgrown kid’s clothes?
   Sell or donate quickly. Do not keep them, they only take up space. What you do keep, only keep a small amount that is sentimental that you want to pass on. Keep this to a minimal.
   When our son was really young we lived on an extremely tight budget. We were young and had recently transitioned to full time ministry. We were very blessed multiple times by friends that passed down clothes their sons had outgrown. Be a blessing to someone else! I do sell some of my kids’ clothing, but I truly enjoy giving it away too!

I hope some of these were questions you have had! Having less in my daughter’s closet definitely helps add margin to my life.