It’s not a secret that I love shopping for Sawyer’s clothes. Some might even say I’m a bit obsessed. Not only do I love shopping for all the latest and greatest kids fashions for Sawyer to wear right now but I’m constantly watching for great deals that I can stock up on for later. With all the clothes that Sawyer has I’ve been asked many times how I organize and store it all. I’ve finally managed to get a system that works for us and it’s keeping us pretty organized and we’re about to wear everything, well, at least once…
THE CLOSET
My biggest rule of thumb is hang everything when possible. I just find it super easy to do and you can find things quickly. Right now the weather can go anywhere between 40-80 degrees so I haven’t packed up any of his summer clothing but it’s coming. Technically, we have both seasons currently out. I start his closet with summer and then it goes into his winter clothing.
Starting from the left to right the order goes: Swim, tank tops, tee shirts, collared tee shirts, long sleeve tees, long sleeved collared, sweaters, zip up sweatshirts, pull overs sweatshirts, then overalls and sleepwear. His Halloween costume is ready at the end too! The sleepwear are ones we aren’t using regularly because I have no room in his pajama drawer. As if that wasn’t bad enough they are then broken down by brand. We own a lot of Carters, Gymboree and OshKosh.
I also use the shelf above the clothes for blankets. Twice a year I go through everything and get rid of the things we are no longer using, don’t fit, or have become ruined. I’ve really tried down grading the blankets as much as possible and this is what remains. Sawyer sleeps with an aden + anais dream blanket every night combined with his (softest ever) “special” blanket that we have three of. Whatever isn’t in use or dirty goes here. I also store a small tote of my favorite newborn memorabilia.
I don’t waste the space at the bottom either. I’ve struggled with this area but I bought new containers and it’s much easier the way I’ve been doing it now. The top container is his current size for the next season. I buy in advance so when I’m placing an online order I often want take a quick inventory of what needs are coming up. Having those easily separated makes the task a lot less daunting. The two larger containers hold bigger sizes. The middle is the next two sizes on deck and the bottom one is anything bigger. Then mark an index card and place it so I can see what sizes they are at that moment so when new stuff comes in I can easily store it away. I pack everything new with the tags still on if it’s new. The bottom container also has a lot of great hand me downs from Gavin. He’s super picky about clothing and he really only wears half the clothes we buy him each season so there are lots of hardly worn clothes being saved.
I also store any shoes that I’ve been able to get. I use to keep them in a different spot and I was forgetting about them. That odd looking wood thing behind the containers is just the toddler bed railing for his crib. We have yet to make the change….
The storage box on top holds all the odds and ends like socks, belts, underwear, etc. Basically any kind of accessory. Every time I pull out a new size I go through this box too.
Oddly enough even with all that stuff in his closet it stays nice and neat. He doesn’t have doors on his closet since he’s in a temporary room but he never messes with any of it.
You’re probably thinking- Where’s all his pants?? Well he also has a full dresser for the things we can’t hang easily or at all.
DRESSER
I thought I’d share his drawers. He has five drawers in total and from top to bottom they go: pajamas & socks, favorites, shorts, pants, and sheets. Favorites are our go-to’s. When laundry is slim this drawer is usually empty. This drawer is often my favorite pieces but it’s also the best fitting. Sawyer has a really small waist and it makes it really hard to find pants long enough that stay up. We have lots of 3T pants that don’t stay up even though they are the length that we need. Those end up in one of the drawers below.
On top of his dresser I have a basket filled with all his current fitting accessories. It’s mainly filled with hats, gloves, sunglasses, etc. I also have his swimsuit bottoms and cloth swim diapers in there (winter only).
THE CHANGING STATION
We’re two so while I’m really eager to get rid of the changing table the hard reality is we still use it daily. We did get rid of all the supplies downstairs so this is everything. We do all his diaper and clothing changes here. I have been trying to stop using this for storage. I try to keep it to only the things I need when we’re using the changing table. The shelves hold other changing pad covers and wipes. The bottom shelf is where I often put things I don’t use often and if it sits too long it’s gone. The drawer holds our lotions and similar items. We also have a diaper stacker on one side to hold diapers and a diaper caddy on the side to hold night time diapers, powder, wipes, and general daily needs. Then of course his hamper.
If you need more inspiration here are some other posts from the other ladies that participated in this closet organization. Make sure to check them out!
Embracing Homemaking shares how she organizes her baby’s nursery closet and Pepper Scraps shares how she organized her older boys closet too!
wow this in impressive. I wish I had this kind of organization. when my daughter was younger I used the plastic containers with the sizes written on the outside and that was super helpful .
I desperately need to overhaul almost almost all of my closets.
Especially the kids!
They have more clothing then my hubby and myself combined!
I hang everything too makes life so much easier!
My girls have small closets and I struggle with keeping them organized. I like the way you utilized the floor and I’m going to do something like that. Thanks for the idea!
That looks great! I have no problem organizing my kids clothes (even though they share a room) because they have a walk in closet. It is my closet that is a wreck. Ours isn’t a walk-in.
What kind of builder puts walk in closets in the spare bedrooms and not the master anyway?
Bwhaha will you come live with me? Spencer’s closet is literally, and I don’t mean figuratively, stacked to nearly the ceiling with stuff. We can not use it as a closet. Jason’s isn’t as bad luckily. They have enormous walk in closets though. This is absolutely mind boggling what you did here. Two thumbs up.
Lee
I have my older son’s old clothes organized into bins by size, like you do, so it is easy to pull out when the baby moves up. It is definitely easiest to stay on top of organizing a little one’s clothing.
Great job! I saw a post on a minimalist group I am in and the mom had put clothing for 4 children in one closet. I was in awwwwwwe. I am like you and have to shop for cool clothing for the girls, I can’t imagine getting it organized to any great extent though haha!
My daughter’s closet is in some serious need of organization. She changes a zillion times a day so it’s impossible to stay on top of it.
Matthew’s closet is full of his sisters’ smaller dresses (ready for sale next year.) I don’t hang any boy stuff it seems. I do have boxes of clothes for next sizes up though. I have been doing that for years and it such a huge budget saver!!
I SOOO need to do this. My kids destroy their closets and then it’s just a massive mess. Having them like this would be such a help!
Man oh man, that’s a lot of clothes! And I thought my girls were bad with all of their 3 times a day wardrobe changes. But honestly, I don’t organize any of it. They constantly pull stuff out of the closet, move things around, it’s a nightmare to even try.
Wonderful job on organizing his closet. I need to go through my kids’ room and go through the girls’ sizes. I know they have stuff too big and small for them. Love how you have bins with labels on them. May try this myself.
My youngest daughter has a pretty small room so keeping things organized is essential. I ended up putting a short dresser in her closet underneath the hanging clothes and it works beautifully.
Oh goodness- you should feel so proud! That is a LOT of work – and you did an amazing job! Well done!
These are great tips… I am the worst about keeping my son’s closet organized… it’s just a jumbled mess right now!
I love how you’ve organized. I’ve thought about blogging a series on getting organized since I desperately need it. How do you keep outfits together? Like if hubby is home and I’m working, I like him to put specific pants with a top and if I don’t have them together he mix mashes everything. I really love how you make the most of your space.