What do we do with all these baby clothes? Isn’t every Mom asking this question?

Perhaps right from the moment you find out you’re expecting, you start collecting cute onesies, adorable sleepers and the sweetest little outfits you know they’ll only wear once. Stores are chock full of darling prints and dresses and teeny tiny khaki pants. Friends are anticipating your shower to bless you with all sorts of gifts!

I honestly LOVE baby clothes. Before both my children were born, I probably spent hours sorting, planning, washing, folding and organizing everything I thought I’d need for my little darling. There is something so exciting about this kind of preparation (even though, let’s be honest, they are normally just fine in diapers and blankets for the first couple months of their lives). 

My husband and I were incredibly blessed to hardly have to buy any baby clothes for probably at least the first 6 months of our son’s life!

But questions do arise. Questions like, how many clothes do you keep for your baby? What items do you hold on to for possible future kids? How do you store everything, and how in the world do you keep it organized so you can actually find what you need when you need it?

It doesn’t help that baby sizes vary between brands and can shrink in the wash, and depending on how big your baby is, they probably won’t be wearing their actual size very often.

If you are struggling to keep your baby clothes organized and don’t want to feel overwhelmed by the bins in storage, I have some tips for you!

1. Keep things minimal

Be realistic about how many clothes your child needs at any given age or season. How many pants do they need for Fall? What about shirts or dresses? Depending on your child’s age, they might need more or less items. I find my baby needs more clothes, because she spits up a lot and needs a change. My two-year-old on the other hand can typically wear one outfit per day.

Rather than having items just to have them, be a little ruthless. Declutter what you didn’t use or think you won’t use. 

Ask questions like: Could I make do without this item? Do I need it? Or do I really LOVE it? 

Try to keep only what you need or really like. The rest can go.

2. Do laundry often

Decide to do laundry every day or every other day. Instead of letting it pile up, keep one or two baskets, and when they are full, run the wash. 

I think it’s incredible how before we had kids, my husband and I could do laundry once or twice a week. Those days are long gone, and that’s okay! Maybe when we’re empty nesters, we’ll get back to that rhythm.

By doing laundry more frequently, you are able to have a smaller wardrobe and find the clothes you’re looking for.

3. Use only 2-3 containers per child

Once you’ve minimized your clothes, grab a few containers to keep them in. I’d recommend one small container for each child’s current clothes and one or two large storage bins for each gender. Put what each child wears on a daily or weekly basis in the small container and what they are not currently wearing at this age or in this season in the storage bins. Try to pair down your child’s wardrobe to what can fit in these few containers. 

View storage bins as helpful boundaries to what you can keep and what needs to go. If it doesn’t fit in those places, see if you can declutter some items.

Organization can stay simple. You don’t have to over-categorize or even fold if you don’t want to, because you always know where to look when you need something.

4. Develop a system

See your kids’ clothes as part of a system. Sort often. Assess what you have, need, and can get rid of. Bring unneeded or unwanted items to your local thrift store, and throw away clothes that are worn out. 

If you have more than one boy or more than one girl, you will need to go through these bins even more regularly.

The more often you see what you have, the better you’ll know what you need. When you’re looking through those store racks or when family and friends want to gift your children clothing, you’ll know for sure what they could use.

5. Keep everyday items accessible

Store the clothes your child wears everyday close at hand. Whether you actually use that small basket or would prefer hanging clothes in a closet or folding them in a drawer, keeping them easy to access and organized in a simple way is key. This way your child can access their clothes and learn to put them away.

6. Put things away regularly

Develop a habit of putting items away. Tidying more than once a day is a great method to stay on top of the housework. Making sure laundry gets put in the hamper and clean clothes get put in the drawer or basket can be a routine both you and eventually your child can get into.

The items in your house don’t feel as overwhelming when they are put in their home.

7. Be grateful

We are so blessed that sorting and storing clothes is even an issue we need to tackle. Having what we need and more is something a lot of people don’t experience. Let’s be grateful for what we have and only keep what we need.

I hope this post is helpful to you! Like I said earlier, I really love baby clothes, but it’s important to develop systems that work! Let me know in the comments if you have any more tips and tricks!