Babies go through clothes so fast. We have baby clothes that weren’t even worn because our daughter outgrew them before I could get around to putting her in them! With this reality two things happen:
1. You need access to the next size easily and quickly
2. You need a method to putting away clothes that no longer fit
When Caroline was just a tiny baby, I found myself struggling with what to do with the clothes that no longer fit. My method back then was, if it didn’t fit, I simply put it back in the drawer…only to grab it again a a few days later and realize I’d already determined it didn’t fit! Not really a method, but rather a forgetful, busy, tired, exhausted, mama tactic that had zero benefit!
I realized I needed a place to throw these items so that I could store them later, when I had time. The reality is that I didn’t have time right then to get out my storage bin and truly put it away. So, I came up with a very simple system. I placed a bin in the closet that was a catch all for clothes that didn’t fit. I throw all items in this bin that are too small or out of season. When I have time to store them in the appropriate bins, I then grab this catch all bin and sort/fold/store away for good. This simple idea was HUGE in relieving the stress of clothes that no longer fit!
This brings me to the next topic of long term storage. As parents we need clothes sorted by size. We need to be able to easily find and grab the next size up when we need it, and we need to be able to store away clothes we are no longer using by size as well. Whether we are saving them for the next child, or selling them… it is key to know what size they are, instead of having to sort through piles and piles of clothes. Being proactive and starting out right away with bins that are labeled by size will prevent a lot of work in the future.
I have to say, I really dislike vacuum sealed storage. Maybe I’ve just purchased inexpensive ones that are in fact cheap quality, but I’ve never had good luck with them. If they do manage to not rip as I’m sliding them under the bed for storage, when I open them up the clothes smell musty and I feel like I can never get the smell out.
My bins of choice:
– Cloth under bed storage bins: You can stuff a ton of clothes in these, zip them up, and slide them under a bed or crib for easy, out of the way storage.
– Plastic bins: These are big and bulky, but I can see what’s in them, and they stack easily in closets, the basement or the attic. These keep the clothes ready to go at a moments notice and hold a lot.
Labels:
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| Printable clothing bin labels by size! |
Labels are key! This is another one of those things that prevents the lazy, tired, exhausted mama brain from putting things off. When I don’t have pre-printed labels, I never have a marker near by, and end up waiting until I find that marker days later before I get around to labeling. Pre-printing labels and having bins ready to go is the easiest tactic for me. If it’s ready to go, I just put the clothes in and I’m done. A much less daunting task this way!
Not only do I have bins for each clothing size, I have one for our cloth diapers, one for shoes, blankets and more! There is so much to store since we are planning on having another child at some point. So, in the meantime, we hang on to it all to use again! I can’t wait until the day that I get to pass this all on to someone!
I also really like to have beautiful labels. If it’s pretty, I am way more inclined to take the time to get organized! Check out my Etsy shop for some beautiful labels. I’ve decided to help you organize your beautiful chaos by having a shop full of printable parenting tools! Enjoy and happy labeling!!!
What are some of your organization strategies? Please share in the comments!