We are just weeks away from our mega garage sale in preparation for our move. I have been finishing up going through the last bit of items in our house, and the focus this week was on decluttering kids clothing.

You know the saying about how socks seem to be eaten by the washing machine? I feel that they magically reappear in the form of extra pants and shirts, in the drawers of children. And for someone who is attempting to become more minimal, this multiplication can be extremely upsetting.

This past winter, I took the leap to create a capsule wardrobe for myself. I ended up paring my entire collection down to fifty total items, excluding a few items such as outerwear and jewelry. I found it so freeing, in fact, that I eventually convinced my husband to declutter his clothing as well. Neither of us have missed a single item and we both find it super easy to make our outfit selections.

WHY KIDS CLOTHING ACCUMULATES

For a variety of reasons, it seems that kids clothing accumulates faster than adults. By understanding the reasons it is easier for these items to enter our houses, we can be more mindful in the future to stop it from happening.

Kids clothing is cheap

For a small amount of money, you can build your child’s wardrobe. A dress here, a pair of pants there. And don’t forget all those cute shoes! There are also plenty of garage sales that feature extremely inexpensive kids clothing. At fifty cents per piece, it isn’t easy to pass up those closet filling bargains!

 

They take up little space

Unlike large toys or furniture pieces that might get in our way and remind us we need to pare down, clothing is relatively small. We know that we can usually fit ‘one more’ shirt in a dresser or one more coat in a closet. It’s when all of these little pieces are added together that we really start to notice a problem at all.

 

There are never ending hand-me-downs

If you have multiple children, or generous friends and family, the accumulation game becomes even more dynamic. You may be suddenly faced with multiple storage totes full of prospective outfits, whether your child is ready to fit into them or not.

 

STORING KIDS CLOTHING

It’s easy enough to get rid of the items that have been outgrown or those that are riddled with holes and stains. But, what if the seasons are shifting and your child has a number of perfectly good clothing items that still fit? Or older brother has grown out of a favorite sweatshirt, and there is another brother just a couple years younger?

I am definitely guilty of keeping clothes around with the thought that ‘someday’ one of the other kids might need it. Though, through my nearly thirteen years of parenting, there have been only a handful of times when that has truly been the case. Styles change, body shapes are different, kid’s preferences might be particular.

Because of the sheer amount of items that can accumulate, dealing with stored clothes can be downright overwhelming.

 

 

HOW MUCH DO THEY REALLY NEED?

In the end, I am left with this very question. How much clothing do the kids really need? Probably every family’s scenario is a bit different. I can only speak for our family. And I know that our kids have way more clothing than they actually need.

I will admit that this is probably going to take me a series of edits before we get to the magic amount. And yes, it will most likely be left up to me to decide, since not one of my kids care much at all about clothing.

There are a variety of guides online that discuss how to create a capsule wardrobe for kids. They even go so far to indicate the number of each type of item (shirts, pants, etc) that it should include. This blog post, for example, gives some great tips on how to pare down.

Generally speaking, the rule of thumb has to do with how many days you want to go without needing to do laundry. Ideally, for our family, the kids clothing supply would last, at a bare minimum, a week to week and a half.

Potentially, our kids clothing capsule might look a little something like this:

BOYS

16 short sleeved shirts (shared)

18 long sleeved shirts (our youngest would need 6 of his own, and his brothers could share the remaining 12)

4 sweatshirts/hoodies (each)

5 pairs of shorts (each)

5 pairs of comfortable pants (each)

2 pairs of dress pants/jeans (each)

 

GIRLS

8 dresses (shared)

16 short sleeved shirts (shared)

16 long sleeved shirts (shared)

2 sweatshirts/hoodies (each)

2 pairs of shorts/capris (each)

7 pairs of pants (each)

 

 

After the move, I will plan to go through my kids closets and dressers again. At that time, I think I will attempt this capsule scenario. Perhaps keeping a few additional ‘backup’ items, in case the inventory seems too low.

The great thing about having a minimal wardrobe is that if something becomes stained or worn you can replace it with something new, guilt free. Another benefit to a smaller wardrobe is being able to customize it for each child’s comfort and style preferences, without breaking the bank.

And dealing with an item or two, here or there, would definitely be favored over the four hour decluttering session I just went through in their closets! If I look exhausted at the end of the video, it’s because I was!

WATCH ME DECLUTTER

 

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