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Housekeeping

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Original poster

How do you manage your children's outgrown clothes?!

25 replies

wiltingfast · 03/04/2013 17:57

I'm drowning in it here. DS's old clothes, DD's old clothes, plastic bags torn and leaking old clothes, dh never manages to put anything in the attic (might LTB) plus clothes that are too big that I get from friends/family etc, just the sight of the mess in ds's room makes me want several Wine.

Given that I've only 2 dc and the eldest is only 3, the future does not look good! I'd give it all away but we haven't decided on a 3rd yet.

Can't seem to find a method of managing it, PLEASE share your wonderful MN systems!! Thanks

OP posts:
dizzy77 · 03/04/2013 18:00

Watching. Have a loftful of DS's clothes and he's approaching 2. DC2 on the way and have resolved to get rid of stuff when he/she has finished with it - like you, on fence re #3 but figure there will be lots of stuff floating around from friends if we do take the plunge...

Original poster
wiltingfast · 03/04/2013 18:03

You should see poor ds's room, two massive plastic bags, one torn, spilling stuff everywhere, otherone tipped over, also spilling stuff everywhere, plus piles of clothes everywhere, AARGH!

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mum23girlys · 03/04/2013 18:07

I've got 6 yr old twin dds and another dd 2.4. I sell half the clothes and keep the other half in big clear plastic boxes with lids. I write the age range on the side and store them in our landing cupboard. It runs the whole length of our upstairs. Live in a disjointed Victorian terrace with a rubbish loft! I use clear boxes as I can tell at a glance then if it's summer or winter clothes etc

fluffywhitekittens · 03/04/2013 18:09

Sell it on Facebook sites and nearly new sales, give it away to friends, give the torn and worn stuff to charity collections or bin it if it's really terrible.

mum23girlys · 03/04/2013 18:11

Used to just bag it all and dump them in loft in our old house but then when I needed the stuff again dh couldn't find anything and I was 8 months pregnant and going nowhere near loft Grin

When we moved I found a ton of baby stuff that was no longer any use and i'd had to re buy. Was mad and made myself get more organised

Hanginggardenofboobylon · 03/04/2013 18:14

I keep it all in vacuum bags labelled with ages. I have less and less as DS grows up as he trashes his clothes at Nursery and it was all supermarket stuff anyway so gets recycled. If you have to keep stuff vac bags are the only option in my view!

EasyFromNowOn · 03/04/2013 18:59

Vacuum bag under the cot when they were little for stuff they hadn't grown into yet, passing stuff on to friends & family for outgrown.

Now, anything ds(9) grows out of that isn't wrecked goes to my sil for her eldest. As ds is the oldest in the family, we don't generally get anything handed down for him. I get a lot of stuff from my best friend for dd(7), and this lives usually in a bag-for-life type bag in the airing cupboard, or a vacuum bag if there's a lot. Once dd is done with it, it goes back to my friend for her younger daughter, so I never have grown out of stuff around.

bonzo77 · 03/04/2013 19:02

Vac bags in loft, labelled with sizes. First time round I ironed and folded everything Hmm. Clearly too much time on my hands. Now putting stuff away that DS2 has grown out of and just stuffing it in all creased. Slatternly.

BertieBotts · 03/04/2013 19:04

I give most away to friends, we kind of pass stuff around the group in a circle - someone always has a younger DC! I've given big bags to a charity shop before too when I just couldn't be arsed sorting it.

I didn't want to keep too much - why deprive myself of the pleasure of shopping for baby clothes again? Grin

FairyPenguin · 03/04/2013 19:07

Old clothes: All in vacuum bags with a big piece of paper on top in marker pen with 'boy 2-3 yrs summer' etc.

Clothes to grow into: in plastic boxes at bottom of wardrobe,in size order. Used to fling more clothes in wardrobe as friends gave to us but then kept finding gorgeous clothes that were too small as I'd not seen them when they were the right size.

Wossname · 03/04/2013 19:11

Oh I have JUST found an easy way to do this, as I was also drowning in kids clothes. I am now ruthless and bin anything I would be ashamed to give to a charity shop. I have a clear box under one of the cots for stuff good enough to bother ebaying and, this has made most difference, I keep a canvas shopper on the bannister upstairs into which I put anything too tight or not suitable but wig.I would only go for a quid or so on ebay. Then when its half full ish I take it to the charity shop.

Its taken me two year to realise I need a system Blush

wendybird77 · 03/04/2013 19:19

Ikea boxes with lids labeled with age range. As DS2 outgrows them it all goes. I've kept 1 box with very special things, but the rest is given to friends or charity. All current clothes go in a very small set of drawers and a few things on hangers. We are undecided on no. 3, but I figure baby clothes are cheap and easy to come by. Toddler stuff gets far more worn out and pre-school stuff gets trashed here, so not much to hand down. For my sanity I can't keep stuff around just in case. I've only kept good quality things I really like as I found that was generally what I put them in, so much went unworn sucking up space.

ISpyPlumPie · 03/04/2013 19:45

DS1's old stuff is in a combination of vac bags and boxes, all labelled with ages and stored in the garage. I have sold some stuff at nearly new sales too as we had a riduclous amount.

DS2 is currently working his way through said boxes/vac bags (as well as having loads of his own things that were presents or I got so "he'd have something of his own" Blush). Anything he's outgrown had been put back in the boxes too as we haven't completely ruled out DC3. I am however going to have to be far more selective - some of the clothes probably won't really take a third lot of use and should just be binned, and as for the rest we simply have too much stuff.

I think part of the problem is I'm a terrible sentimental hoarder and really don't like to part with things, especially if they were gifts. My new plan is just to keep one or two very special things for each DS's memory box and sell the rest, putting the money towards holidays/days out - "it's better to do stuff than have stuff" is going to be my new mantra (this will apply to toys and other equipment they've outgrown too). It sounds good on paper, but really not sure how well I'll be able to put it into practice.

sjupes · 03/04/2013 19:53

When we moved back to scotland i gave two black bags of immaculate baby and toddler clothes to the local childrens centre. Hundreds of pounds worth.

8 months after moving home i fell pregnant again :( all my lovely lovely clothes that i thought i had 'no use' for :(

Now, everything goes in a vacuum bag 'just in case'!

PollyEthelEileen · 03/04/2013 19:55

We boxed everything up by age and put them in the loft.

sjupes · 03/04/2013 19:56

It's been a good excuse to buy lovely new things tho so i shouldn't really moan but i do often plus dd1s clothes were all pale pink and denim etc (she is 8 now it was in fashion then!) Whereas dd2 we have bought all bright colours and no denim...

girliefriend · 03/04/2013 19:58

I think keep only the really nice good quality bits and give the rest to the charity shop.

Original poster
wiltingfast · 03/04/2013 21:09

Okay, great tips Grin so

Have container for vg stuff

Have container for charity stuff

BIN the rest!

Buy sturdy see through containers for attic and LABEL :)

I've probably kept way too much really, just can't bear to let it go

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FairyPenguin · 03/04/2013 22:13

Just a thought - instead of binning the stuff that isn't good enough to go to charity, give to a nursery. I took piles of stuff in, especially trousers, socks, leggings and pants. They were so grateful as they need spares for any accidents, and don't always get the spares back.

BeCool · 04/04/2013 11:15

I have a 3.5 year age gap between DD's. I keep only the best stuff to hold on for DD2 and esp expensive items. I try & keep it on one large zipped up bag and (nearly succeed).

I was ebaying stuff but it's hardly worth it. I've realised I'm better off with just getting rid. I don't know anyone who had a DD younger than mine sadly or I would pass it on (I'm not having a 3rd).

Depending on the quality I:
Pass to charity shop (taking loads down there today in fact),
Put in Clothes recycling bin at DD's school,
Keep a few bits as rags.

The main thing is to keep it moving, be ruthless.

How important is space/lack of clutter to your lives? How good would it feel it it was all gone?

Re holding on for a potential DC3, remember lots of kids clothes are cheap, you can buy bundles on ebay for not much - you might be better off to hold onto high price/quality items only (store in loft if you are lucky enough to have one?) and set the rest free!

BeCool · 04/04/2013 11:18

I really need to make a new friend who has a 1yo DD and would like hand me downs :)

ShirazSavedMySanity · 04/04/2013 14:03

I store clothes in boxes in the loft clearly labelled 'DS summer 2-3' etc. When I decided we were stopping at 2DC, I had a huge clear out.

One pile for things to eBay.
One pile for things to give to friends with small DC.
And another pile to donate to homestart.

Things like baby vests/babygros tend to get weighed in by charities rather than sold, which is fine, but if the clothes are in good condition, send them to your local homestart where other children will get to wear them and make good use of them.
Or try womens aid.

educatingarti · 04/04/2013 14:07

Remember that growing children can usually only wear things for about 6 months or so (much less for small babies), especially when you take into account stuff that is only appropriate for a particular season.

So as a maximum only ever keep the amount stuff in one particular size that one child would reasonably need. If stuff is unisex (sleep suits etc?) you can keep less still.

Keep just the nice stuff that makes you smile. Assume that you will be able to get more hand me downs from others if and when you have number 3 (or buy stuff that others have charity shopped). Don't foreget that lots of people give outfits as new baby presents, so you won't need to keep very much small baby stuff unless you really love it!

Charity shop the rest - don't just bin stuff - even if it is full of holes, a lot of charity shops will still take it as rag.

Original poster
wiltingfast · 04/04/2013 23:33

I think you are all right, I need to cut down on what I am keeping, actually looking forward now to sorting it out this weekend

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Original poster
wiltingfast · 08/04/2013 10:39

Ok, actually sorted this out at the weekend, ds's room now sooo much better! Many thanks for all the advice and tips. Thanks

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