Need clothes storage ideas for 4 kids in one room

[elisheva]

We cosleep and have a two bedroom house. All the kids clothes get stored right now in our mates bed (single bed w/3 drawers underneath) but we are repurposing this bed as a guest bed/lounger in the playroom downstairs. We'll move a double into the "nursery" (have a king in the "bedroom") for our night time musical bed routine, but I need storage ideas.

4 kids ages: 4, 2, 1, and due in June

I'd like the olders to be able to pick out their own clothes if they ever want to (right now no one cares...).

Ideas? Needs to be cheap.

[Graceie]

I really like stack able storage bins they can stack pretty high and take up little space . I kept my cloths in them in collage and my sons now they sell them at target type stores

[texmama]

My 2 kiddos share a room, instead of dressers, we have a couple of these in their closet.  It works great for us.  We have undies/socks, pjs, shirts and shorts stored in the baskets and dresses/pants hang above from the closet rod.

[4evermom]

Is there some reason a dresser won't work?  Used ones can be very cheap and older ones tend to be better made than cheaper new ones.  Look for solid wood (not particle board) and drawers with dove tailed joints.  You can always paint it if it's a solid piece but a little messed up or a bad color.  

[elisheva]

I think we would outgrow a dresser really quickly with 4 kids plus I could only afford used at this point and I'm SOOOO paranoid about bedbugs that I've stopped buying any furniture used. Still thinking about how to best do this. I'd like something cute, to boot, but not sure if that's going to happen right now :) I'd settle for super-functional.

[artemis33]

I'd have double racks in the closet and hanging cubbies down the center to divide the space into 4 sections - hang as much as possible.  For DD I hang outfits together (combinations vary - most of her clothes mix and match well) - like leggings and dresses on the same hanger - for efficiency and also to make it easier for her to grab an outfit quickly. 

A 4 drawer dresser could be used for jammies, undies, socks...

I understand being paranoid about bedbugs, but if you get  solid wood and have a space outdoors (protected) where you could keep it for a bit I think you'd be ok.  You could sand it down completely and wipe it down with mineral spirits or something?  Then repaint or refinish?  Surely they couldn't survive all that? (OK I don't know that for sure, but I'd be willing to take that risk)

Good luck!  4 in a room is a challenge!   Good thing you have a playroom elsewhere.  :)

[OkiMom]

We have 3 in a room right now, could add a fourth if needed. I got 4 three tiered small bookcases, each one has 3 cloth buckets in them. The dresses/nice outfits get hung. One bucket for undies/PJs/swimwear, one for tops, one for bottoms. Right now all the shoes and socks are stored in the fourth one, one bucket for each child. If need be I could store the socks and shoes another place (shoes on top of the bookcases, socks with the undies/PJs) but right now we don't have to worry about it. It was pretty cheap, got the bookcases for 6.00 each and the bins were about 5 for 3.. So totally we spent 44-50 on all 4 of them.

[elisheva]

We had a large wooden storage shelf i nthe basement, so I put it in the closet and have a laundry basket for each child. Still trying to figure out what to do for socks/undies but the reorganization of the bedrooms + baby brain has me worn out. 

[dayiscoming2006]

I second the bookcases idea. (Or any shelves) You could even get the taller ones if you want more storage space up high. (Rather than the 3 tiered ones the pp recommended.) I love her suggestion of cloth boxes that you put on the shelves for underwear and socks.

[hlkm2e]

We keep all 4 of our childrens clothes in a coat closet that is 32 inches across.  I don't know if you have a closet or would need to use room space. 

I would hang two bars, one high that you could reach and one low that the kids could reach.  If you don't have a closet, I would use a corner of the room. 

All shirts and dresses get hung.  Pants, shorts and skirts get folded and put into a cubby.  One shoe box for each kid for undies.  One box each for socks.  I lined the bottom of the closet with the shoe boxes and the cubbies are along a side of the closet, but you could just line them up against the wall. 

[karne]

An idea for socks/tights/leggings (could work for undies too) is an over the door shoe holder.  I hang one of these in my laundry area and as I match the socks I just tuck them into the shoe compartments.  Each kid has two rows.  It works wonderfully because I always know who has enough socks and the kids can just grab and go.  I hated using drawer space for socks.  We also moved to wire baskets and shelves in dd's closet because it is much more roomy and efficient.

Another idea instead of a bureau would be to re-purpose a big television armoire.  I have seen lots on CL-although I know bedbugs are a concern.  But many folks seem to be getting rid of theirs these days.  We re-purposed one to use for the kids games and puzzles, etc.

[zoebird]

how much stuff do they have? i would probably minimize first, and then reorganize the closet.

depending upon how big the closet is, two of those wire racks side by side or four, or however many, with same amount of draws for each kid is great, and the rack above for hanging clothes. shelves above that for seasonal storage ( using sweater boxes with space bags is a great way to save space). i love the idea of the shoe bag over the door for socks and stuff, that's great. 

we currently keep 2 adults' and 1 child's clothes in one narrow, tall-boy dresser. we have three hanging items, and our seasonal storage is "space bags" in our suitcases in our closet. it can be done.

there are lots of options out there that are affordable, you just have to find what works for you.

[minta]

We have 1 "closet" (BIR) in our entire house in our master bedroom, so that's where I store clothes for all 6 of us. There are 2 dressers in our master as well. It makes putting away clothes sooo easy and gives the kiddos heaps of play / floor space in their room (they all share).

[laurabfig]

My kids each have one of these- http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10154558

We do a similar thing...tops in one, bottoms in one, pjs in one, socks in one, and underwear in one section.

Lately though I did something totally untraditional that is working really well and may eliminate the hanging "dressers" in their closet: I emptied a shelf in our armoire in our dining room (which is right next to the laundry room) and stacked their clothes on the shelf and put a clear shoebox for each of them for underwear and socks.  This way, the clothes are folded and put away right by where we do laundry, and the kids can get dressed downstairs and throw their dirty clothes right into the laundry.  This has saved taking LOTS of clean and dirty laundry up and down stairs from the bedrooms. (I have decided I really don't like living in a 2 story house....next place we rent, I'm looking for a single level!) :)

[chel]

i would have concerns that making the clothes too easy to reach might result with lots of clothes on the floor.

i like using the 3 drawer plastic bins.  undies/socks in top drawer, tops in middle and shorts/pants in the bottom.

also depends if they have mix and match or outfits.  one mom i know has outfits and use ziplock bags to keep the matching socks/barrettes/tights all in one place.

[elisheva]

So far the laundry basket system is working. We do have a small closet (think 1920s arts and crafts style house) in the room. I put a tall set of shelves in there and put the oldest boys clothes on the bottom and the baby will have the top shelf. I have little baskets/bins that I have repurposed for socks/undies next to each laundry basket. I even have room left over in the closet for other stuff :) Plus, I can shut the door so no one pulls stuff down. I don't fold kids' clothes and right now stuff isn't even sorted. It's enough for me that they each have a bin. :) We'll have to retool as they get older and they need more space, but I hope by then we'll have the attic redone as a master bedroom and there will be two bedrooms for the kids to split. I'm also a minimalist about kids clothes for now, so strangely enough my 4 y.o.'s basket is the emptiest (dd's is the fullest from my mom and her shopping sprees).

Thanks, everyone for the advice!!!!!!