A number of years ago I wrote about how I kept track of the various sizes of my then young son’s clothing. Keeping track of kids clothing and “clothes to grow into” gets complicated for sure. We had been blessed with many hand me downs for my youngest when he was little and trying to keep them in some kind of order was a bit daunting to say the least. What I found worked best for me was to keep the next two sizes to fit into hanging in his closet (his day to day clothes were kept in his dresser). Then clothes that were bigger than that and wouldn’t be worn for awhile I kept in totes in his closet labeled with the size on the outside.
To keep the clothes in the closet separated by size I simply used a label folded over the first hanger with the size marked on it. This way I could easily see where one size started and ended. Super easy and inexpensive.
Of course this was all before the days of Pinterest and all the readily available printables that are out there now. So many fun options for you to choose from these days. This past week I read a great blog post from Abby at Just a Girl and her blog where she describes the method she uses for organizing her kids hand-me-downs. It’s a great system that includes taking inventory and using various containers to keep them all sorted out. Her post also includes free printables for an inventory list and size dividers. Click on the picture below to go on over and check it out.
To find more size divider printables check out my Organized Closets Pinterest Board.
See also: Organizing & Inventorying Children’s Clothing plus Free Printables
How do you organize your hand-me-downs?
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Tracy says
I have an idea for a post. My son’s bedroom closet has a regular door, is only the depth for hanging clothes, but opens up quite a bit to the left and right. That space is hard to access. I’ve thought about maybe trying to make the opening larger and put in two doors or something, but I don’t have any idea how and it seems expensive. What would your solution be to make that space more usable? Thanks!
Michele says
I had closets like this. I took down the one long rod and put rods going the other direction on the sides. On one side I put a higher rod and a lower rod that would be able to hold shirts or skirts. On the other side, just one rod at normal height in case I had long things. It also freed up apace in the middle on the wall to hang a narrow shoe rack. Does that make sense? I’m not sure how to post a pic on here.
Morgan - MorganizewithMe! says
Thanks for the great tips for organizing kids clothes, I have a pile that needs some attention right now!
Lisa says
Perfect timing! I received a jumbo tote and a large garbage bag full of clothes this am. I love your stuff!!
Annette W {This Simple Mom} says
I do what you did for the bins. However, I have to add GIRL or BOY along with the size. 🙂
To keep things simple, we use the bottom dresser drawer for outgrown clothing. By keeping it right there (and not in the bin in the basement), I am motivated to place the clothes inside the drawer. For babies/toddlers, I keep three bins in the closet at a time. The size she is outgrowing, the size she is mostly wearing, and the next size up. It works for me.
Shawnda says
When my oldest outgrew clothing that was appropriate for handing down, it went in the bottom drawer of my son’s dresser. We were handing down from our daughter to our son, so the frilly stuff had to go…but I bought many of the expensive things like squall jackets and winter boots at land’s end in gender neutral styles/colors so they could do double duty. I also bought clothing for both of them in the next size up when the stores would have seasonal clearance. Whenever they grew out of jeans, for instance, I never had to run to the store in panic mode and pay full price because I usually had a full wardrobe waiting. The only time it got a bit squirrely was when my daughter transitioned from girl sizes to juniors/misses. That time is a nightmare for SOOO many different reasons, but it’s hard to figure out what sizes equal “one size more than the last one”. My kids are now 17 and 15, and our system is still working great. I think that the simpler the system, the easier it is to use and keep up with. I think I’d go crazy having to log everything in an inventory, but a quick look in the drawer let me know what I needed to be looking for.
Abby @ Just a Girl and Her Blog says
Thank you so much for sharing my post, Laura! I’m so glad you found it helpful! Hope you’re having a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
Laura says
Thanks for a great post Abby!!
Karen Mair says
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Carrie @ Curly Crafty Mom says
This is a project I want to work on this summer, thanks for all of these great tips. I love the closet label tip, too!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com