How to rotate and store kid clothing

Throughout the year, we, as parents, are continually faced with the task of managing our kiddos’ closets. We have to carefully assess what items are needed, take stock of what clothing we already have on hand, and ensure that everything is in good condition by checking for stains, tears, holes, and various other imperfections…all. of. it. In this post, I'm going to share my approach to handling the kid closets in my home, including some practical tips on how I recommend storing clothing for future ‘hand-me-downs’ that can benefit younger siblings or friends.

For some context, my children are currently aged 11, 9, and 7. I have a daughter who is 11 years old and two younger boys. My organizational methods are slightly different for my daughter compared to my sons because I do not have the need to store girl clothing. Much to my daughter’s dismay, she does not have a little sister to pass her clothes down to, so when she grows out of her clothing, they are quickly removed from our home. In contrast, for my boys, I choose to hold on to my 9 year olds clothing with the intention of eventually passing them down to my 7 year old.

First and foremost, organizing kid clothing and hand-me-downs is not nearly as hard as it may sound. Instead of going through everything just once or twice a year, I am going to encourage you to establish a system that you can easily access and use at throughout the year. Having the correct organizational system in place will take a large, daunting task and break it down into smaller, more manageable habits, which will ultimately make it significantly easier for you to maintain and sustain over time.

Let’s talk about my system for managing my daughter's clothing to start with. As I mentioned earlier, I do not have a reason to hold on to her clothes once she is finished with them. Given her age and growing independence, she is also responsible for determining when she is completely done with an item of clothing. She understands that if something is in disrepair—whether it's stained, torn, or otherwise damaged—then we do not donate it; it belongs in the trash. Additionally, she has the autonomy to decide if she no longer likes a particular item of clothing and will not be wearing it any longer. I am not offended if the shirt she picked out just two months ago is no longer to her style. Ultimately, I want her to feel comfortable and confident in what she wears, and as a middle schooler navigating her own tastes, she deserves that. Now, you may be wondering what we do with a piece of clothing that she decides is no longer her style or no longer fits her… that’s a good thought!

In each of my kiddos' closets, there is an empty bin that we call the ‘too small’ bin. It’s nothing fancy—just a straightforward storage container large enough to hold clothing that no longer fits or is needed for a couple months. This empty bin is their responsibility to manage, not mine. They determine what goes in and when it should go in. Are the pants suddenly too short? In the bin they go. Is that shirt now too small for them? Yep, right into the bin. I’m a big fan of promoting not only their independence in making these choices but also teaching them that clothing isn’t a forever possession and that passing it on to another child or sibling is important. There are, of course, moments when I feel an item of clothing is ready for the bin, and I will discreetly toss something in there now and then. However, overall, I really do strive to allow their clothing decisions to be their own choice.

For my kids, I keep the bin conveniently placed on the floor to ensure that they can easily access it whenever they need. They simply toss in clothing as needed, which makes it very easy for them to maintain. I keep an eye on it for when it starts to get full. Once the bin reaches its capacity, I step in to go through everything and organize it properly. This process typically runs about two times a year in my home, and I try to time it with the changing seasons to keep things organized and manageable.

When it is time to go through all of the clothing, I like to pop in my air pods and listen to my favorite true crime podcasts to pass the time. Let’s face it, this is not the most exciting task we all face, so it’s important to find ways to make it as enjoyable for yourself as you can. I take all of the ‘too small’ bins and dump them onto the floor in a pile. As I sift through each item of clothing, I pick it up and ask myself these essential questions:

is it damaged"? stains, holes, etc

does it still have life in it? is it over worn and showing it’s age

is it something another kid will enjoy? this can be a younger sibling or a donation

do I want to give up space in my home to store this item for x number of years?

If an item of clothing passes all of these questions, I will toss it into a corresponding pile. My piles are separated by both gender and size to make the organizing process much more efficient. Unfortunately, we all know too well that sizes can significantly vary amongst different retailers, so do your best to place each item with the size that works best for it. For example, if you have a shirt that fits like a small but has an x-small tag, go ahead and toss it into the pile with the smalls.

I now take a moment to look at the piles of clothing and reassess the total amount of items in each. The biggest question I find myself asking yet again is, "Do I truly want to give up valuable space in my home to store all of these items?" If the answer is no, then it’s time to go through the piles one more time, thoughtfully paring them down and ensuring that I am only keeping the very best of the best.

Once I have carefully worked my way through all of the clothes, I immediately toss the trash, bag up the donations, and place them in the front seat of my car so I remember to drop them off. Once I remove the trash and donations from my workspace, I experience an immediate win, and visually, I can see that I am making significant progress—this sense of accomplishment motivates me to keep going until I complete the entire process.

Let’s chat about the various types of bins for storing the clothing that will be remaining in your home. Think about where you are going to store the bins of clothing, and decide what type of bin is going to be best for the space. For instance, I keep the hand-me-down clothing easily accessible at the top of my 7-year-old's closet in bins with lids that can conveniently stack on top of each other. If you find yourself storing clothing in an attic, garage, basement, or similar locations, I would highly encourage you to use storage bins that are airtight to keep water, bugs, and anything else unwanted out of the bins. If you like the idea of being able to easily see what is inside each bin, I recommend these clear storage bins from the Container Store. Alternatively, if you prefer something that hides the items within the bins, I suggest checking out these options. Try to keep all of your bins the same size; this will make the process of stacking them much easier and more organized overall.

Now that you have carefully sorted all of your clothing into their corresponding bins, it is time to focus on labeling each bin! There are truly no hard and fast rules when it comes to labeling children's clothing, so feel free to do what works best for you and your family. For instance, my bins are labeled with clear descriptions like ‘boy clothes size 5/6, x-small, summer’ or ‘boy clothes size 7/8, medium, winter.’ Ensure that your labels are not only easy to read but also facing outward, so that you can quickly and easily locate the items you need. Even as a professional organizer, I often rely on just simple painter's tape and a sharpie to create my labels. After all, the labels change frequently, and by the time I reach this stage of the process, I am ready to be finished, so I really prefer a quick and efficient method!

And you’re DONE! Take a moment to put the bins away carefully, making sure that your labels are facing outward for easy visibility and access when needed. In all, this entire organizing process typically takes me around 2-3 hours to complete for all three kid. The biggest reason it only takes me 2-3 hours two times a year is because we are continually discarded clothing into the ‘too small’ bins. This simple habit will take what feels like a daunting task and make it manageable for you. It feels SO GOOD when it is all finished and in order.

To summarize:

purchase (if needed) a bin that will be designated as a ‘too small bin’ and make it easily accessible

throughout the year toss clothing that is no longer being used or has been outgrown into the bin

when the bin reaches capacity, it is time to dump it all out

sort through each item and categorize it by size, season, and or gender asking yourself the questions above

once you have sorted through all of the clothing, take another look and decide if there are any piles that need to be looked through again

place the trash in the trash and the donation items in the front of our car so you will remember to drop them off

place remaining piles in to their corresponding bins and label each bin for your needs

put the bins where they will be stored- and you are DONE!

Tell me- Was this helpful? Questions? Let me know!