As a busy parent, keeping your children’s wardrobes tidy and organised can feel like an endless battle. However, taking the time to organise their clothes, shoes, and accessories properly will save you time and stress in the long run. Read on for practical tips to make your children’s wardrobes work for your family’s busy lifestyle.
Sorting Through Your Children’s Clothes
The first step is sorting through all the clothes and removing anything that no longer fits or that your child never wears. Be ruthless here – if you’re holding onto too many clothes, it will make it harder to keep things neat. Have your child try on their clothes and put anything too small or worn out into a donate pile. For younger children, sort clothes by size so you can easily find what fits now.
Categorising Clothes
Once you’ve culled the wardrobe, group clothes into categories like t-shirts, trousers, dresses, jumpers, etc. Use dividers or shelves in the wardrobe to separate the categories. Having an organised system makes it easy for children to put clothes away properly. You can also box up out-of-season clothes like winter coats and store them away.
Hanging Vs. Folding
Decide which clothes should be hung up and which are best folded. Items like dresses, shirts and trousers are usually better hung up, while t-shirts, socks and pyjamas can be neatly folded in drawers or on shelves. Drawers with dividers are great for keeping categories of folded clothes separate. Hang delicate items on skirt hangers to maintain their shape.
Shoes and Accessories
Use shoe racks or over-the-door hanging organisers to neatly store shoes. Baskets or small storage containers work well for hats, gloves and other accessories like hair bows and clips. Labelling the containers makes it easy for children to put items away in the right spot.
Getting Children Involved
If you want to ensure your child’s wardrobe stays neat and tidy, make sure you involve them in the process. Here are some tips for getting children involved in organising their wardrobes:
- Have a wardrobe cleaning or organising day together. Make it fun with music and treats to bond.
- Give your child their own section or share of the wardrobe and drawers so they feel ownership.
- Arrange their clothes how they like them best. This is especially important for children fostered with agencies like the Foster Care Associates. Letting your foster child help sort through their clothes and decide how to organise their wardrobe space will help them feel more at home.
Getting your children involved gives them ownership over keeping their wardrobes neat. Make it enjoyable so they are invested in the process.
Organising your children’s wardrobes effectively takes effort up front, but it saves time later by always knowing where to find the right clothes. Set aside time each season to sort, purge and categorise clothes, shoes and accessories. Implementing an organised system allows your children to take responsibility for their wardrobes as well. With a tidy, functional wardrobe, your busy mornings will be calmer and getting the children dressed and out the door will be smoother.
