Kids Closet Organization

How to organize your kids’ closet? Just that question alone can send instant waves of anxiety for some people. Rest assured though, it does not have to be that way. In this post, I am going to teach you all the tips and tricks you will ever need to get your kids’ closet organized once and for all.

So grab some coffee, send the kids outside to play, and let’s get started.

First things first, lets take a look at what my daughters closet looks like today….

Now lets take a look at the steps it takes to get here…..

Take note of what your kids need

I put this step first for many reasons. Mostly because it is so very important to getting the final results you are looking for. Go through your kids closet and only keep what your kids love, will wear, will use, or will play with. Throw away or donate anything that does not fit in one of those categories.

I see so many jam packed kids closets full of clothes, toys and accessories, but yet when I talk to their parents they humbly admit that little Johnny does not wear or even use most of what is in his closet. Most kids prefer to wear the same five or less favorite items over and over again. So save your money and your time and buy them only what they will truly love and wear.

Consider your space and set limits

Ok so maybe your kid is one of the rare kids who utilizes every piece of clothing and every pair of shoes equally. Even if that is so, you still need to consider how much you can fit in the space you have been given. It doesn’t matter how organized you are, if you try to cram too much into any space, it will never really feel organized.

You only have two options when it comes to needing more space, either find a new space, or get rid of more stuff.

It’s just that simple.

In our house it has worked really well to set limits, especially when it comes to kids clothes. Limits are going to look different for everyone and every circumstance, but once you set them, they will help to guide you from over buying and creating the same mess that you started with.

In regards to clothing I try to stay within limits. This is going to be different for everyone. I designate a space for each type of clothing and I stay comfortably within that space.

Each drawer has a certain type of item that belongs there, for example: sweatshirts have a drawer, t-shirts have a drawer, pants have a drawer, and so on.

Once I have determined what goes where, if there are too many of one group, we simply choose what needs to go. This method is great at keep things minimal but also from piling up.

Create a capsule wardrobe

Have you ever heard of the term capsule wardrobe? Essentially it is a collection of clothing consisting of tops, layers, bottoms, shoes and accessories that can be mixed and matched to create both dressy and casual outfits. This allows you to have many more options without adding more clothing.

When I am out shopping for my kids’ clothes, I like to think in terms of a capsule wardrobe. I try to find tops and bottoms that can be easily mixed and matched with each other. I also try to stay away from colors or fabrics that I know they won’t like or will complain endlessly about wearing. There is absolutely no sense in buying something that you will have to battle your child to wear every morning. Some battles just are not worth fighting!

Invest in quality hangers

I’ll admit, I put this one off for a long time. Apparently, I wasn’t yet tired enough of all the broken mismatched plastic hangers to make a change. Now, looking back, I wish I would have done it a lot sooner. In fact, I ended up settling on the wooden hangers not only because of their extreme durability but also because I just liked the look of them. There are a ton of different options available, but if you can ditch the plastic I would highly recommend that choice.

Here is a look at ours….

I bought my hangers at Target, but I also found this amazing deal on Amazon if you want to check it out.

Divide everything into categories

Now that you have done all of your purging, donating, and decluttering, it is time to divide everything that is left into categories. Separate things like, toys, accessories, clothing, shoes and sportswear. Break it all down as much as you can, this will allow you to start making a plan on how to organize everything when you put it away. Like I mentioned above, everything needs a designated space.

Establish a system

Next you are going to establish a system. You can do this by deciding what you are going to put in drawers, what you are going to hang, what you are going put on shelves, and what you are going to need bins or boxes for. This step is so important because having a system is what is going to allow you to stay organized.

Here is a visual guide of what we do to get you started…

One of my all time favorite tips when folding and storing kids clothes is to store them accordion file. Here is an example of how I keep the inside of her drawers…

This allows you or your child to easily see what they would like, while also preventing them from messing up the rest of the drawer to get to something on the bottom of the pile. If you have never seen or heard of this method of folding clothes, it is from the guru of all organizers Marie Kondo. I highly recommend you check out some of her methods, she is amazing! She also has very easy to follow instructions on how she does all of her folding.

In case you are wondering, the cloth bins are actually bra organizers but work great for pants and leggings that need help standing up. I don’t use them in every drawer but they do come in handy!

You can purchase them on Amazon HERE

Here is an example of what her sweatshirts look like….

If you are in the market, I should also mention that the closet system we used was extremely easy to put together! Compared to other closet systems out there, I also thought they were very fair on the price. They are also completely customizable which allows to you have as many drawers or as much shelf space you need for your situation. The shelf and the hanging bars come as one unit. You then add your desired amount of drawers and poof, you are done!

Here is the link if you want more info….

You can purchase this closet system on Amazon HERE

Kick back and enjoy

Once everything is put away, hung up, and folded neatly, you know get the pleasure of kicking back and enjoying your newly organized kids closet! This is the part where you see all of your hard work come to life. It is the step that makes it all worth it!