How do you organize your kids clothes when they have too many? I have wheedled my oldest daughter's clothes down some, but still not enough it seems. My youngest has way too many, but at the same time she is such a mess and always ruining her clothes with stains I can never get out, so I almost need a lot of clothes for her.
I just get so sick of so much laundry all the time. I thought maybe if I wheedled their clothes down to a certain number of tops and bottoms, or a certain number of "outfits", the laundry issue would get better. Really, how many outfits does one child need do you think? Any tips? Thanks.
By Misty from Southcentral VA
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Hi Minnabird,
I had the same problem when my kids were young. One thing that helped was to have the kids sort all their clothes into piles into clothes of I use each week, a pile that doesn't fit anymore, or I don't like it anymore. The other pile left is the too much clothes pile. . .lol Help the child to find anything in the too much pile that they still like, and they can coordinate with their clothes that they use each week.
Whatever is left of the clothes, kids like to make money, more than they like the extra clothes, it overwhelms the kids too with too many clothes. Also, they like just as much if others need these clothes than they need it. So, a garage sale, or a donation is in order or similar, and they also need to be a part of the choosing how to take care of the problem.
Also, once my kids were big enough to reach dials, they learned how to take care of their own clothes, and it takes a lot of time and patience right with them, but, once they learn, it's theirs job for taking care of their own clothes, and it's no longer the mothers or dads job. Really, it is part of raising our kids through the 18 years that we are in charge of them before they are off on their own, and the sooner that they know how to do anything, the better it is for their futures.
My son is now 25, and he knows how to do his own laundry, and from when he was young, and he also was given plenty of opportunities when he lived here to learn how to make meals for the family too, and he loved doing that, and those memorized meals for making, as well as creating for them too, are still with him now.
I still have friends that their kids are over 21, and they still can't do their own laundry or meals, because their mothers won't allow anyone to use their own washing machines and dryers, or their major appliances, because they don't trust others to use them, only them. They may believe that they're a great mother for doing everything for them, but, really. . .are they? Lot's of love from them, but, without teaching them so many things, the kids are at a big disadvantage when they are on their own.
Anyway, that is what I feel, I'm sure there will be others that disagree too, it's all part of life. :)
I would buy a big new 39 gallon trash receptacle and write on it with Gold Paint Marker for CD's: This is NOT TRASH...
Store it somewhere out of the way, and put clothes in grocery bags, with cardboard labels on them. This is a good way to store things....you can also get a table top board and put on the top instead of a lid and use it as a table.
This way you can put clothes in it and just change them out every so often. I use these as storage for toys, etc, since the kids have so many.
I believe less is better. As far as our older kids who are on their own now. I remember piles of clothes. With our preschooler, I've kept it to about 2 to 3 weeks worth. It's done with a little variety so that some clothes are for church or special occasions and some just for going out/preschool.
He has always had play clothes...don't care if they are stained, so I save money on Shout. :)
You will save money with your younger child due to hand me downs. :) Store them by size in containers or brown paper bags, marked by size.
Everyone really wears about 4 favorite tops or shirts. Same with pants so with 4 days worth plus a couple of Sunday best type clothes they have plenty. It's also frustrating to wash and fold everything neatly only to stuff it into an overfull drawer. Everything else should go to a garage sale or goodwill. Let the kids organize what they can keep and what goes.
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