This week I tackled a major organizational challenge: sorting through ALL the kids’ baby/too-small clothes! My goal was to balance the sentimental with practical, by keeping only the most meaningful items and donating the majority to families who could use them.
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I’m not going to lie, some tears were shed— and not because of the amount of work there was to be done (which was a ton!)— but because of the memories and feelings that rushed back to me as I touched each article of clothing. Favorite cozy jammies, sparkly holiday dresses, itty bitty hats, sweet ruffled swimsuits, and even the first teeny tiny onesies they each ever wore. Holy nostalgia! I did not anticipate the level of emotion I would experience going through all of the clothes. It was harder to part with some of the items that I had expected, BUT I had a clear end goal in mind of only keeping favorite items that were most meaningful and making the biggest impact I could with donations (giving away as much as possible!).
Before beginning the sorting process I created a set of criteria to follow, which was essential. In order for me to keep an item of clothing, it had to check off at least TWO of the following:
- come from someone special (handmade, personalized, sentimental, etc.)
- hold a specific memory of an event or time period in our lives— as in, the second I look at the item of clothing I can remember exactly when/where Isla or Cole wore it.
- be in good shape (no stains or discoloration, not too worn, functioning zippers, etc.)
I tend to lead from the heart in all I do, which isn’t always the most effective method when you’re trying to organize and minimize. Really thinking through the above criteria helped me make more intentional decisions— even as I held those sweet little onesies in my hands and remembered how adorable my babies looked in them.
My Organizational Process:
- I started with Isla’s clothes first and worked through all of them BEFORE going through Cole’s clothes.
- I created one “to keep” pile, and then organized the donation items into separate piles based on size (newborn, 3m, 6m, etc.). After sorting through ALL the clothes, I bagged up the donation piles in labeled bags (again, newborn, 3m, 6m, etc.).
- I then laundered ALL of the clothes from the “to keep” pile. As each load came out from the drier, I placed the clothes into neat piles based on size. When all the clothes were in the piles I started putting items into bins. First went shoes, blankets, and any other odds and ends. Next, newborn clothes. Then 3 months, and so on. I rolled the clothes neatly and packed them in an organized manner in the bins, except for Isla’s fancier dresses, which I laid out flat on top of the rolled clothes.
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My favorite way to roll up a hooded top is to fold it in half, fold the arms back onto the body, tightly roll everything upward, and tuck the roll into the hood.
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- For freshness I included a few scent-free drier sheets and a couple desiccant packets in each bin.
- After sorting through Isla’s clothes, I followed the same steps for all of Cole’s clothes. I didn’t have as many of his clothes to go through, as we have been more active in donating items as he grew out of them. He’s also much harder on his clothes than Isla was, so there weren’t as many “keepers” left.
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- Lastly, I printed large, clear labels for each bin (side and top) with each child’s name and the sizes of clothing in that bin, and attached them with packing tape.
While it was hard to part with some of our children’s clothes, and the whole sorting experience took me through such an unexpected roller coaster of emotions, I am so happy to have tackled the task! Looking at the neat and orderly boxes that remain, I feel a proud sense of accomplishment, along with that beautiful sense of peace that accompanies a cleaner, more intentional way of living.
Those who have gone through this process, do you have any favorite organizational tips? Please share them in the comments!
