a spring cleaning guide : children’s clothes
When you clean out your children’s wardrobes you’ll find that your penchant for minimalism must compete with nostalgia. It’s a time consuming process because whether you like it or not, every piece of clothing carries a memory.
While I’m quite adept at letting go of stuff and clutter, I wholeheartedly resist going through Che and Poet’s wardrobes. Beyond the practical process of sorting and letting go, there is a need to accept that they’re growing; that they have officially outgrown clothes – and stages.
However, this week I literally forced myself to tackle Poet’s clothes and whilst there are many things she has outgrown, thanks to voluminous silhouettes and quality fabrics, there are quite a few pieces that will be worn for another year.
But what to do with the outgrown? Can I really let go of the pair of overalls that she was wearing when she took her first steps? What about the floral bonnet that ensured her milky skin was protected throughout her first summer? They must stay – no discussion. But everything else? Therein lies the dilemma. I think I’ve discovered a pretty good reason as to why parents choose to find out the sex of their baby. It would be incredibly useful for me to know if this little babe is a girl. Alas, I’ll have to wait for a few more months.
In the meantime, I’ve decided to donate the clothes that have been well-worn but still have lots of good wear in them, and keep the unisex pieces, the special pieces and the handmade.
In a few weeks time every single item in every bedroom wardrobe will be pulled out to make way for a fresh coat of paint. We’re making some changes to our rental (another story for another post) but it does mean that the contents of our bedrooms will be piled in the garage. I’m prepared to be shocked, disgusted and will, no doubt, launch into a rampant decluttering phase the likes of which has never been seen before.
Any tips on sorting through children’s wardrobes?
Ah, what a timely post! I am going to tackle the seasonal changeover this afternoon. I actually never get rid of any of it. It's the only place I am NOT minimalist. I have a handful of siblings and a close knit community that the clothing is passed onto and passed back to me. Having two girls is good for hand-me-downs and like you mentioned quality dresses become tops etc. Once the sort and swap is done, I'll make a list of necessary items and start sewing and trawling op shops!
Linda. xx
I think the relatively big gaps between my children (there's 3years 9months between Che and Poet and 3years 7months between Poet and baby) makes hanging onto too many clothes that bit harder. When Poet was born I went through Che's clothes (almost four years worth) and gave them away to friends with boys…it was a mammoth task. Since then I've been a little more practical with sorting and clearing x
I'm doing it today too! I start with my eldest because I can hand down clothes as I go, and work through all 3 kids. It takes several hours, and is not on the enjoyment list… which is why I am still reading blogs and writing comments 🙂
Oh, good old procrastination! x
I really enjoy your blog and have been following your spring cleaning posts in particular with interest, as I am presently trying to declutter my house too, but I'm finding it so hard to let go of things even though I know they are not worth holding on to.
I still have every single piece of clothing my 2 year old son has ever worn, stored in space saving bags under my bed. I know I need to sort it for donation, keeping a select few special items, but I know it will be hard and am avoiding it (some are so worn and stained they will need to go straight in the bin and this will be even harder to do!) I really need to get into the right head space and tackle it soon, as with 5 months old twin girls growing out of their clothes as well, it will soon become a mammoth task!
I'm thinking the right approach for me will be to sort through it quickly and drop it off for donation as soon as possible so I don't have a chance to think about it too much and start pulling things out again.
Thank you! So lovely to hear you're enjoying what I write here.
To be honest, you probably think the sorting of clothes will be much harder than it actually is. There may even be clothes that you have completely forgotten existed and therefore, it's a little easier to part with them. When I have trouble letting go of clothes I think about all the children out there that could be wearing and enjoying them and then all of a sudden, my reasons for stashing them away don't seem so relevant anymore x
I think you nailed it: pass on the clothes that can still be worn, hold onto one or two sentimental pieces. I just sorted and bagged up my girls' wardrobes. I have three bags to give away, a small collection of sentimental keep-mes, and a box of too-small-for-#1-too-big-for-#2 clothes. And on goes the Spring cleaning…
…and on it goes x
I am poring something very similar tonight Jodi, and will definitely link to your post. We're going to have one more baby (at some point!) but I've realised with Coralie just how many clothes the girls have and how it makes the 'what to wear' decisions so much harder each day! X
YES! It makes the "what to wear" so much harder! And I find that I go a little over the top with prints for Poet, so much so that she often looks like a big flower (not that that's such a bad thing). Alas, I'm still sorting through some of her things and when it comes to organising her summer wardrobe, I'm going to make sure there's enough plain, simple pieces to balance with the florals x
I've got two girls and now a little baby boy too so our house has quite the collection of clothes of various sizes bagged up and stored under beds! One thing I am going to do as Elma grows out of her clothes is bag up the unisex separately so I can find the things that will work for Pip a bit more easily. My sister and I have a lending library approach to baby clothes too – we just swap them back and forth; I've got one babygro that was worn by H's cousin, my two girls, my nephew, and now Pip and it's still in pretty good shape!
Firstly, I love your children's names. And yes to unisex clothing! – surprisingly, Poet has quite a few pieces that could be worn by a boy. Whenever I do buy baby clothes I tend to opt for neutrals so this baby is pretty sorted for the first few months x
My daughters wardrobe is due a big clean out, made all the harder by the fact that I make a lot of her clothes so the nostalgia is two fold – not just the wearing but the making memories – handing down to some one who appreciates the effort of handmade helps .
I've kept everything which counts as neatral (enough) for both a boy or girl. Still, those boxes are everywhere now my son is almost turning 4 which makes me wonder: 'till what age am I going to keep saving up his clothes. There is no new baby, so it'll be at least 4 years before another kid will wear what he's wearing right now. Also, times and taste changes. So just keep the good stuff (judge it for emotional value, or just by quality) and toss out all the cheap, faded and easily replaced stuff. Every baby deserves something just for him/her, right, even if it's just to soothe your nesting-mode. I guess.
i just did this to Lily's closet with Lily. i find that even though i still have the freedom to buy her whatever i want her to wear, at the age of 5, that doesn't exactly mean that she is going to put it on her body when it is time for her to get dressed. which she does herself. there were many items in her closet that were small, yes. but there were also many that she just would not wear. many of which i wish she would but it's really not worth the fight. she has to express herself and be who she wants to be right? so, a few were stored in the "Lily bin", a big bag was taken to a kids consignment shop and many bags were taken to a women and children's shelter. it felt wonderful to give to the ones who truly need.
Since we are planning on having more children, I have kept most of my son and daughter's wardrobe. When they outgrow things, I put it into one of three categories – keep, pass to a friend or donate. That way I really am only keeping my favorite pieces for any future children. But, I can imagine when we are dona dn I have to pair it down to only a couple items, I will be sad getting rid of it all.
We passed on a lot of clothes from my eldest son to my sisters' kids and got them back by the time our youngest was born. As we know that he'll be our last kid, I now need to really part with stuff for the first time.
I formed the habit of decluttering their clothes "on the go". Whenever my youngest grows out of his clothes, I sort them immediately into two boxes upon his wardrobe – one with stuff to keep or give to my sister and one with clothes (or toys) for the thrift store. As soon as this second box is full I'll give it away.
I have to admit that most of the boys clothes are second hand for ecological reasons (I'm always surprised on the high quality of those already worn clothes). We don't have a lot of special pieces, which makes it much easier for me to part with them. I'll definitely keep the handmade ones and a few sentimental pieces though!
Hi Jodi,
I've just discovered your blog today and am very much enjoying working my way through your posts.
I really struggle to get rid of the children's clothes. Which means I still have every single piece of clothing my three have ever worn. And a lot of my step son's.
I loved this idea of turning them into an heirloom quilt from Kelle Hampton-
https://vintagegiggles.com/story-of-the-squares-the-small-things-quilt-a-guest-post-by-kelle-hampton/
Not sure it works with those stretchy onesies I just can't bear to part with.
Sarah