How do you store/organize kids' clothes you want to hand down?

[mamaofprincesses]

I'm going nuts. I have hand-me-downs from my niece, who's eight, for my DD, who's five. Then, when DD1 outgrows them, I save them for DD2. I have a baby boy and am pregnant again, and I'm praying this one is a boy so I don't have to store clothes for years and years!

My current "system" (ahem) is to put everything in cardboard boxes and sort through the entire mess at the beginning of each season. Not. Working.

What do you do?

[Juvysen]

I have bins labeled with each size... though lately, I sorta just dump them into the "still too big" bin for the oldest two (a girl and a boy), because we don't get a lot of hand-me-downs anymore so it'll all fit in one bin. As my kids outgrow, though, I have a bin for each size (one for boy and one for girl clothes, usually). It works ok, but now I'm trying to decide whether to keep the girl clothes for some possible future daughter at some unknown time... seems kinda silly to do that, though...

[justmeandmybrood]

I also use plastic storage bins with lids to store ours. I label the outside of each bin with the sizes contained (so I used to have the "Newborn to 9 month" bin and so on). Then I stack thems so that I can easily reach the bin I will need first

[treeoflife3]

I have plastic bins with lids that organize everything by size. I hate them though because they STINK and now I'm worried about making the clothes toxic. I'm not sure what else to use though that can stand up to moves and a kiddo who can sometimes access them and junk. At least everything is organized!

[justmeandmybrood]

treeoflife3, would putting some dryer sheets in the bins help a little maybe? Is it just a plastic-y smell? Hmm...

[aldensmom09]

could you drill a few holes in the sides/lid so that there is some air exchange? i'd stay away from dryer sheets (i don't like the chemicals in them), but maybe a little satchet of lavender or something?

i'm in the same place myself- tons of clothes that my son has outgrown, lots of clothes that are still too big, random girls clothes too (for a potential future daughter? maybe?). right now, we have a "junk room" which is basically just a room of complete and utter chaos that is full of half-opened boxes of completely random crap, and for the past few months i've just been tossing crap in there..... going through that insane room is on my to-do list for the weekend, i think. yikes.

[Mama2Cesca]

I do not have the best system. Just carton boxes with the size put on the box. Also boxes where coats, gloves, etc are in. Everything is stored in our attic.

[LaughingHyena]

For the baby clothes I ended up with plastic bags, labeled, 1 for each size. I learned that biodegradable bags really do decompose!

Now the kids don't grow so fast I have a plastic tub of clothes to grow into for each child. It's mostly stuff I've bought a size ahead so there is not too much.

When DDs grow out of stuff which DS can use I'll put it straight into is tub. I also try to keep a list on my computer of what is in each child's tub so I don;t end up with too many of the same thing. DS really did not need 20+ pairs of 12 - 18 month trousers I don't plan on making that mistake again.

Oh and the tubs do not have lids, they live in the top of their wardrobes. Things get a little dusty but nothing that hasn't washed out.

[mamadelbosque]

I have big plastic tubs in the boys' closet. I'm exceedingly excited to be done with the outgrow-a-size-every 3-6 months stage!! I have a lot of stuff to sell this fall at the bi-annual kids' sale we have in our town every spring & fall I'll only have like one tub left of stuff thats outgrown but can't be sold till spring Along w/ all the 18 months stuff

I will say though, that my 'system' for next-size-up storage is simply hangers in the closet - that way I can see what I still need to buy for the next size and can keep my eye out at the goodwill (like, for example ds2 is now totally set for 24 months/2T stuff, but DS1 has about a million t-shirts and 3 or 4 pairs of pants! So! I'm officially *DONE* buying shirts, and need to seriously focus on pants... especially as I'm fairly positive he's been growing a goodly bit this summer and thus am slightly suspicious his 3T stuff isn't going to fit in another couple months!!!)

[goddessjulia]

I was using a combo of cardboard boxes with lids and some of those space bags my mom gave me. these are in an under-eaves closet. major problem developed: mice and brown recluse spiders!! so now I have to pull everything out, de-spider and de-mouse-ify, then redo. I am also purging the too-small for the youngest and the girly stuff dd has outgrown or doesn't like. my goal is to get everything sorted by size and into those space bags-- they really do keep everything out, including water if there's ever a leak (at this point I expect all manner of disaster to be possible...)

[mumkimum]

I use plastic boxes that have sizes of the clothes inside taped to the outside. I'll add that I only keep ONE box for each size, so stuff we've used I thin out to that amount and when I've gotten hand-me-downs, I'll also thin out a bit to keep the amount manageable. In bigger sizes, I'll sometimes combine what I keep in a box (mixing 4/5 together). I don't really put out-of-season clothes away, I keep them to the back or on a shelf in dd's closet until they're outgrown, and then put in an outgrown box instead of dividing those out.

I'd divide yours to size 6 and then bigger than size 6 groups, then box and label (get rid of anything you're sure you don't like first).

[peaceful_mama]

I have a boy (5.5) girl (3.5) boy (21 months) and pregnant again with a boy.

We get hand-me-downs for DD from friends, pretty much they are whatever size she is though. I *really try* not to have too much that's bigger than she is....though I admit a couple of times I have come across a yard sale with cute stuff I can't quite resist that is ULTRA CHEAP--like the day my neighbor had "everything 50 cents" and I bought her out of all the cute girly jeans...yeah.

I saved a few of my favorite outfits from when she was a baby. Can't *quite* hand them down, I think I already harbor a secret desire for more....

The boys--since there is a 4 year gap between DS1 and DS2, I have a "way too big" plastic tub full of clothes. This is also where the baby girl clothes are.

I just did a MAJOR clothes sort and some to Goodwill. What I did was anything I figure will fit before next summer is in the house. The rest of the clothes (like some 4T dress clothes, stuff like that from DS1 and DD's baby clothes) are in the "too big" tub in storage.

I sent to Goodwill anything friends didn't need of DD's and anything of the boys' that I didn't particularly care for and don't want to use again. (like I really hate stuff that snaps in the bottom when they hit the wiggly stage, and I want to start using more wool so I need shirts that don't do that)

The remainder:
The drawers contain clothes that they can wear when we are staying at home and I don't care really. Also their pajamas. These are clothes that still fit fine of course, but are stained, cutoff jean shorts, obviously look old/worn, etc. They are the clothes they wear to go get all dusty at the playground and dig in the mud. Right now, they are all shorts and T-shirts. And a drawer for each child for pajamas, socks, and underwear.

Hanging in the closet are the clothes I dress them in to go somewhere--school, dress clothes, just stuff that isn't old/has a stain/etc. I do have a few fall things hanging up just because why go through it again? and they can't reach it anyway. (well the 5 yo can probably but he knows the system)

I have the fall/winter stuff we are not using MOST of the time yet in a laundry basket on the top shelf of the closet so that I can easily get to them and add them to the drawers when they're needed--at that time, I will switch out the shorts to the basket for a bit. They're also there for the occasional time like the other day when it was chilly, rainy, and they needed pants. Then the shorts will live up there until the time we're done having oddball 70-plus degree days.

This seems to be working pretty well so far as I only need the big bucket a couple times a year...and it's way easier for me to tell DH to go get one big bucket out of storage.