There’s just something about cute little baby clothes that makes my heart so happy. But what doesn’t make me happy is those cute little clothes all over the house, in various stages of the laundry process, and in a jumbled mess of different sizes. If this describes your situation, I have some simple solutions to help you organize baby clothes.
Baby clothes are everywhere, all the time
But you probably already know that. Bringing home a new baby triggers an explosion of baby clothes and gear throughout the entire house. You find tiny socks in random places, little onesies draped over furniture, and teeny pants in piles on the floor.
Babies receive a ton of clothes
When I had Little Man, we didn’t find out his gender until birth, so we didn’t receive too many clothes items at our baby shower. But if you reveal your baby’s gender in advance, you are literally showered with baby clothes in anticipation of your little ones arrival.
Though we didn’t receive too many clothes in advance, once he was born, Little Man received tons and tons of new clothes. In addition, a friend with a little boy a few years older blessed us with bags upon bags of hand-me-downs. We also received hand-me-downs from family members.
Babies outgrow clothes incredibly fast
In a baby’s first year, he goes through a minimum of five different clothing sizes. Before I even blinked, Little Man was out of newborn clothes and into 0-3 months. Now he’s almost outgrown 18-month clothes, and I try not to cry when I see those tiny newborn clothes and remember how they used to be too big for him.
If you’re not careful, you can quickly become overrun and overwhelmed with the sheer volume of baby clothes in your home. Try these simple solutions to get organized and clear the clutter.
First, organize baby clothes in current sizes
Start with the size your baby currently wears. For example, if your child wears 9-12 month clothes, wash and fold each piece so it’s ready to put away.
Drawers
Since baby clothes are small, you shouldn’t need more than two or three drawers to start with. I use one drawer for Little Man’s tops, one for his bottoms, and one for bulky items.
I organize baby clothes by season. In the tops drawer, I separate the shirts into long sleeves and short sleeves so we always know what we pull out. There’s no digging around trying to find the appropriate shirt for the day’s weather.
In the drawer designated for bottoms, I separate the pants from the shorts. You can divide the drawer into three sections: jeans, shorts and skirts (for girls), and comfy sweatpants.
I save the third drawer for bulkier items like sweaters and light jackets.
Bins
I’m a huge fan of canvas bins for smaller items. I think they keep those items better contained and easy to access. When we created Little Man’s nursery, I found some cute bins at Target. Unfortunately, I don’t think they carry the exact bins anymore, but you can definitely find some cute ones there or the ones below on Amazon.
I put all small items in their respective bins: socks, mittens, and hats. I even have a larger bin for shoes, which makes it so easy to find them when I’m trying to leave the house in a rush!
Closet
In the closet, I hang heavier jackets and coats, as well as anything else that didn’t fit in the drawers. For example, in one size, I had tons of jeans, so I hung the extras in the closet. To make things easier, invest in baby or children’s hangers like the ones below.
Second, organize baby clothes into non-current sizes.
Use large plastic bins like the ones below to organize baby clothes that don’t currently fit. When we received huge deliveries of hand-me-downs, I wash and sort them by size as follows:
- Newborn and 0-3 months
- 3-6 months
- 6-9 months
- 9-12 months
- 12 months
- 18 months
- 24 months and 2T
Then, place each size in a plastic bin and label accordingly. I also add any items that correspond with the baby’s size and development. For example, I add swaddle blankets, hats, socks, and shoes that match the small sizes so I don’t have to sort them again.
When the baby moves to the next size, simply bring out the appropriate bin and put the clothes in the drawers and closet.
Finally, organize baby clothes in the laundry
For the first year, you probably want to wash baby’s clothes separately and use a gentle detergent for sensitive baby skin.
So keep tiny socks from ending up lost forever, I use these mesh laundry bags to keep them together. Simply put all the socks inside, and toss them in the load with the rest of baby’s clothes. The large one works great for my husband’s socks, too. Just saying.
When the clothes come out of the dryer I fold them and put them in these laundry baskets. I sort as I fold so all I have to do is carry the entire basket to the baby’s room and put them away!
Don’t worry, mama! I promise, you can get a handle on that mess of baby clothes. Take a little time to bring implement a system for storing both your child’s current sizes and outgrown and too large sizes, so you can move through the fleeting baby stages with ease.
