I have to admit that my daughter’s closet wasn’t always so organized. In fact, there were times when it became a “catch all” of just about everything she owned. Clutter and mess makes me pretty stressed out, but with a crazy busy schedule, I needed to find a way that was simple and easy to manage. With the weather so cold and dreary in January, it’s always a good month to work on some indoor projects! I took to Pinterest and began my de-cluttering and organization mission. These are the few tricks that helped me to get (and stay) organized!
Sizing Mish Mosh: One of the biggest challenges in my daughter’s closet is that she wears quite a few different sizes at any given time. Her clothing ranges from size 18-24 months all the way to 3T, so a hard and fast rule of looking at sizes doesn’t work. I was constantly looking at labels and wondering whether or not the item fit her, which was no help at all. Enter the “Wrong Size” box. This is a basket that I keep on the floor of her closet which allows me to toss in any item of clothing that is either too big or too small. The best thing about this basket is that it’s just a heap of clothing, but it doesn’t really look messy because it’s contained in one place and it’s located out of sight. Each time I come across an item of clothing that doesn’t fit, I simply toss it into the bin and forget about it. Before this wonderful bin, I would have a pile of clothing that was too small and clothing hung up in her closet that she would grow into. The biggest issue I had with this was that I was constantly picking up clothing that was too big time and time again, never remembering when the last time I tried it on her for size. With the basket, I simply check on all of the clothing about once a month. It allows me time to accumulate enough to donate or sell, give away, or bring into the rotation if my daughter has finally grown into it. This saves me tons of time and space!
Color Coordinate: I have always organized my closet this way, so I have no idea why it took me so long to organize my daughter’s closet in the same manner. I organize all of her shirts in rainbow order. I know, I’m a little OCD. The great thing about this organization technique is that it easily allows me to select an outfit based on what color I might want her to wear. Headed out for an art class? Definitely a dark colored top. Ready for some time at the trampoline gym? Something nice and bright will help me keep an eye on her. It also allows me to eyeball her closet before a shopping trip to determine what colors I have too much of already. Except red. There is never enough red in her wardrobe. If rainbow organization isn’t your thing, you can simply go from light to dark, or divide by yellow/red/orange/pinks and blue/green/purples. The possibilities are endless.
Weekly Outfit Planning (almost): This little six-drawer unit is a life saver! I bought it at Target (I think I should buy some stock in that company) and it has six drawers where I can place each outfit for each day of the week. Since we are usually out of the house fairly early, picking an outfit for her and for me is far too time consuming. I had decided I would plan the outfits the night before, but I kept getting busy in the evening and forgetting to do it before she went to bed. #FAIL. It doesn’t have seven drawers just because I found this one in the perfect size for her closet and didn’t mind choosing her clothing on a Sunday morning. Of course, if you are missing that seventh drawer, by all means get it! I labeled each of the drawers with the day of the week and planned the outfits a week in advance, typically on a Sunday afternoon. Usually, I have a pretty good idea of the activities for the upcoming week so that I can plan the right outfit for the job! I can even put in the matching socks and hair bows as well. The only thing I don’t include are the shoes, since we have only a few pairs that get use on multiple days of the week. If your child has a fabulous shoe collection then certainly include those as well.
Every Outfit Gets a Turn: What I have learned is that my daughter DEFINITELY has enough clothing, but some of my personal favorites were getting a few more turns than the others. With this system, it’s pretty easy to get more clothing in the rotation, to check out which items aren’t getting enough wear, and to decide about whether you want to get rid of/donate some of the outfits that really aren’t your style. I can’t tell you how many times I went to the store and bought a shirt in the exact same shade and similar style as one I had in the closet already. Now I can visually see which color families are bursting at the seams and which could use a few more items.
Box O’ Shoes: Have you ever tried to organize toddler shoes on the floor of a closet? Well it didn’t work out too well for me, since my daughter would spend at least a few minutes each day trying on random shoes and creating a pile of mismatched shoes all over the floor. Enter the “Box O’ Shoes” which is exactly as it sounds. I used a basket the same size as the basket with the wrong size clothing and simply put in a bunch of shoes. Because my daughter doesn’t really have the visual of all the shoes while she is sitting down, it usually remains untouched. It also has the added ability to keep the shoes in one area even if my daughter makes it into the closet to play. I do keep some other shoes in a large drawer in her dresser, but you could easily use additional baskets.
My goal is always speed and efficiency, so it’s important for me to find ways to keep things organized in a manner that doesn’t require too much additional time for upkeep. Definitely check out the needs of your child or children and use what works best for you. There are lots of great ideas on Pinterest that are really genius, so if this particular system doesn’t work, there are lots more where these came from.
What are some ways that you organize your child’s clothing and shoes?
