Most adults have a solid grasp of their organizational skills. While their drawers and closets might not earn any awards for being the cleanest or the most put-together, they are at least presentable. Children are a whole different beast. They aren’t always the neatest or the most organized. Luckily, us parents are always there for the rescue. 

Sorting our children’s clothes can help us stay organized and sane. Plus, piles of toddler activewear, pajamas, and other clothing can get pretty big if you don’t keep a close eye on them. For our latest blog post, Certified Professional Organizer (CPO®) Laura Ellis is offering fun and easy tips for organizing your child’s wardrobe. As the founder of Organized by Ellis, Laura knows a thing or two about eliminating clutter and reorganizing your space. Check out her tried and true organization tips now!

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9 Easy Tips for Keeping Your Child’s Closet Clean and Tidy

Kids’ clothing sizes change so quickly. Keeping up with their ever-changing wardrobe can be challenging. 

Organizing your child’s clothes can be a fun, but sometimes stressful process. These tips can help streamline the tidying process while also helping you stay sane. 

1. Set Up a Donation Station

Because your little one is going through dramatic growth, their clothing sizes can change in an instant. Keeping old clothes will only increase your clutter. Most parents will donate old clothes to charity. Laura advises parents to keep a donation bag in the laundry room. Whenever you come across an old piece of clothing your child has outgrown, you can just toss it in the bag. Raggedy or stained clothes can be recycled. Some charities, such as Goodwill and Salvation Army, will recycle clothing for you. 

2. Perform a Closet Clear-Out if You’re in the Weeds

Performing a thorough closet clear-out can help you get a handle on clutter and start anew with a clean slate. As you sweep through your child’s closet and dresser drawers, you can collect any clothing that is too small or has become worn out. Once you’re finished, you can decide if you should donate, recycle, or keep them for younger siblings or cousins. 

3. Organize Everything You Decide to Keep

Have you ever tried the “file fold” technique? This popular folding technique can help your little one live a (semi) clutter-free life. 

As for organizing the clothes that you want to keep, Laura recommends employing the “file fold” technique. Made famous by Marie Kondo, the file fold technique makes it easy to stay tidy and grab whatever clothes you need without making a mess. Small t-shirts and onesies, in particular, can be tricky to find and grab using other folding techniques. But with Marie Kondo’s popular method, you can find whatever you need in an instant! This will be essential for early mornings when you’re getting ready for the day. 

4. Keep Matching Sets Together

Does your child have an array of matching clothing sets? Instead of separating them into different drawers, try to keep them together. Laura recommends hanging them up together or filing them next to each other. That way, you don’t have to waste time digging through drawers to find the matching shirt to your child’s favorite pants.  

5. Build a Costume Formation Station

A proper costume collection is essential for the little ones! So many of our childhoods were spent dressing up and playing make-believe. With the right hat, we could transform ourselves into daring pilots or magical witches. That being said, it probably wasn’t easy for our parents to organize our little costume collections.

If your child has a costume collection of their own, you can designate a specific storage location for them. Laura recommends storing accessories in bins while hanging dresses, suits, and other articles of clothing on hangers or hooks. You should also make sure the collection is stored at an accessible height for your little one. 

6. Always Practice Pruning

Whenever possible, you should remove clothes that no longer fit your child. By constantly sorting their clothes, you can prevent the risk of dealing with a large, messy pile of old clothes at the end of the year. 

7. Add Dividers

The file fold method is great for keeping your child’s drawers neat and tidy. But if you want to organize it further, you can add some dividers. You can then place specific articles of clothing within each section. 

8. Store Winter or Summer Clothes During the Off-Season

Do you have a storage place for your child’s seasonal clothes? If not, you might want to consider clearing out some closet space. There’s no reason for out-of-season clothes to take up room in your little one’s dresser drawers and closet. 

9. Label Everything

You’re almost finished! Once you finish removing old clothes and sorting the ones you want to keep, you can label any containers and drawers accordingly. This can help your child learn how to organize their clothes for themselves. If your little one can’t read yet, add a picture to help them figure out what pieces go where.