Organizing and Storing Hand Me Downs

Shortly after baby #1 arrived into my world I realized how fast children grow and how quickly there out grown clothes can begin to pile up or become out of control.  Along with that I realized the need to organize and store these out grown clothes for the someday arrival of Baby #2 and in our case babies #3, #4 and #5. Or what about the bags of hand me downs my girlfriends passed along to me for my little ones to grow into?  How would I organize and store them so not to miss the right timing for my children to wear them?

It was time to get a system in place for organization and storing my children’s hand me downs to not only save me time but money as well.

How about you do you need a Hand Me down system – here are my tips to help you begin organizing and storing your children’s hand me downs: 

Tips to organizing and storing hand me downs:

Step #1 – Choose and obtain one storage container or each size – there are several types to choose from  – two of my favorites are:

 – Ziploc® Brand Flexible Totes which are soft-sided, rectangular bags and great for long term storage. These can stack or even fit under beds.

 – Large plastic see thru storage boxes with lids are easy to stack and store in a closet or attic

Step #2 – Decide which clothes you want to store and hand down to your children and which you want to donate or share with other moms

Step #3 – Sort the clothing into sizes. If you have more then will fit into then you may also choose to sort into boy and girl containers as well as for different seasons.

Step #4 – Prepare clothes for storage by washing and removing stains. Fold neatly and place into storage containers.

Step #5 – Use a full sheet cardstock or other sturdy paper to label each storage container.  Label with size so that you can easily identify it.  If you have your containers divided into boys and girls or season be sure to label with that information as well.

Step #6 – Store in a dry and easy to access location.

How do you store and organize you kids hand me downs?