Taming the Closet Chaos :: Hacks for Organizing Kids’ Clothes

As a mom of three kids aged 3 and under, I’ve been very blessed to receive a lot of hand-me-down clothes from friends and family for our children. But keeping tabs on the many (many, MANY) clothing items that currently fit each child — not to mention the clothes they’ve outgrown or have yet to grow into — is practically a full-time job. Instead of drowning in tiny person clothes, I’ve found a few tricks to help me stay afloat.

Day-to-Day

Weekday mornings at our house feel more like marathons most days. Since my kids are all in high physical needs stages of their lives, I am dressing (or re-dressing) little bodies and trying to get us all out the door and on our way. ANYTHING that helps that process go even a little bit smoother is welcome, and these Monday-Friday Drawers fit the bill perfectly.

I first saw this organization method on TikTok about two years ago and started utilizing it shortly after. Basically, you put an entire outfit for each day into drawers (I use these) or hanging organizers labeled with the days of the week (I have these).

At our house, we spend some time on Sunday evenings (usually while the bath water is running) blasting some fun music and working with each kiddo to fill their drawers for the week. It takes only about 5-10 minutes and is a huge timesaver for the mornings since we aren’t opening and searching through the underwear drawer and then the shirt drawer and then the shorts drawer… you get the idea.

BONUS: We are teaching our oldest child to help with the laundry, so he’s learning how to fold clothes. We try to have him fold his outfits together (a shirt along with shorts or pants, sometimes he includes undies and a pair of socks, too). So half the battle is already won when we are filling the Monday-Friday drawers!

Themed/Costume Days

Who among us hasn’t missed a memo about sending your kiddo to school dressed like <insert very specific theme here>? We’ve got a lot on our plates as parents and various themed days (that always seem to fall in the middle of the week) are easy to let slip. And let’s not even get started on Spirit Weeks…

Using the Monday-Friday drawers ensures that these days don’t slip through the cracks. Get your calendar out on the weekend and fill your drawers accordingly. Our son recently started Soccer Shots at his daycare, so we simply tuck his soccer jersey into that day’s drawer so he has it when he needs it. Easy peasy!

Holiday Hand-Me-Downs

I like to organize the hand-me-down clothes my kids haven’t grown into yet by size and keep the labeled bags in their closets. Having them within easy reach makes it easy to swap out sizes when things start getting too small.

With my first child, I noticed that we’d missed out on a lot of cute seasonal clothes that were packed away by size in bags he hadn’t grown into yet — and some stuff he could’ve worn a little big! I didn’t want to let that happen again, so I decided to start storing clothes like that according to the holiday or theme. Doesn’t matter if they’re for my daughter or my sons, they all go into the bag according to holiday or theme.

I have a bag dedicated to each holiday like “Mardi Gras” and “Halloween” as well as themed bags like “Crawfish” and “Saints & LSU.” I store them all in a large hamper in a closet. I even have a bag labeled “Swim” that has come in handy more times than I can count.

Whenever I pull out a bag, I reevaluate what’s in there. Now that we’ve had our last baby, any clothes that are too small (or that will be too small the next time that holiday rolls around) get pulled out and stored away as hand-me-downs we will give away. Since my son was born in late August, Halloween is the only holiday we’ve done this for — and my mama heart hurt a little knowing some stuff won’t ever be worn by my kiddos again. <sniff>

My system is far from perfect, but it’s improved our daily routine tremendously and has helped us utilize seasonal clothing more effectively.

What tricks and tips have saved your sanity when it comes to organizing your kids’ clothes?

Joey Yearous
Joey is a New Orleans native, Dominican alum, and LSU grad who joined the ranks of motherhood in the summer of 2019. She and her Colorado born-and-raised husband, Phil, left their Mid-City apartment for a house on the Northshore about ten days before they welcomed their son, Sam, into the world. A short 19 months later, their daughter Sloane arrived and their caboose Nicholas completed their family 17 months after that. Though she’s always had a passion for writing, it’s her work in whole-home generator sales that pays the bills. Her 3 kiddos keep her busy, but when she’s got a free moment, you can find her cooking, trying new restaurants, and listening to true crime podcasts. A consummate Pinterest fanatic, she’s always looking for her next DIY project or recipe to try. She believes good senses of humor and random acts of kindness make the world go ‘round.

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