Clean the kitchen, pick up the bedrooms, organize kids clothes, cook dinner, the reality is parenting and home management are challenging. It takes a young child just seconds to destroy a room that you spent hours cleaning.
My four children means a lot of kids’ clothes and a lot of laundry. I conquered the laundry beast some time ago, but organizing my children’s clothes is a whole ‘nother deal.
The Easy Way to Organize Kids Clothes
Luke, my youngest, used to love changing into various outfits multiple times a day and he would leave both dirty and clean clothes strewn all over his bedroom floor. And then there were the other kids’ generally unorganized dressers.
About a year ago, I figured out an easy method for organizing kids’ clothes and it’s worked beautifully ever since. The best part is that it’s very simple, it doesn’t require expensive organizing supplies, and works very well long term. I’ve said good-bye to piles of messy clothes and you can too!
This system is perfect for teaching little ones how to pick up their own clothes and how to put them away. Even my four year old puts his clothes away properly without supervision now.
Luke has even learned how to fold his clothes, something he’s quite proud of!
What You’ll Need:
- plastic bins or dresser drawers (or you can even make your own DIY basket)
- free printable clothing labels
I follow a very simple rule for organizing my children’s clothing; I designate a specific area for each type of clothing. I’m sure you’ve heard the classic organizing quote: “Everything in it’s place.” The same is true for kids’ clothing.
You could divide up dresser drawers using small plastic bins, old wipes bins, or tissue boxes with the tops removed, or use plastic bins on a shelf or under the bed.
The key with kids (and often adults too) is to label where each item is stored. I use these cute clothing labels I had created for us, where the pictures make it easy for young children to know exactly where their things belong. You can download these free printable labels at the link below.
I recommend laminating the labels or you could just cover them with clear packing tape
.
Cut out the labels (if you’re not OCD about them looking perfectly, you could have the kids help you with this step). Then attach them to the drawers or plastic bins with tape or sticky tacky
.
If you have more than one child sharing a room like our family, you can add a simple initial to each label. I added an “L” or “J” to each bin so my boys can tell which bin is whose.
How I Organize My Kids’ Clothes
My younger boys, Joshua (age 6) and Luke (age 4) share a room and a bunk bed. Previously they each had their own dresser, but nothing ever stayed organized. They could only reach the bottom 2-3 drawers and the dressers were old and didn’t open and close easily. Plus the dressers took up a lot of space.
We got rid of the dressers and switched to simple plastic bins that slide under their bunk bed. I keep it very simple – only the correct season’s clothing goes under the bed. (Otherwise Luke will wear long sleeve shirts in 80 degree weather or shorts when it’s 30 degrees.)
All other clothing is stored in plastic bins on the top closet shelf. These bins are also labeled so these clothes are also organized.
This limits my boys to wear only what they should be wearing and minimizes any potential mess even farther. Each of my boys also have their own bin for socks and underwear where I use smaller bins within a larger bin.
I love this idea for organizing kids’ clothes. It’s so simple to use and has eliminated all the mess of before. Try it out. It’s so simple and inexpensive, you’ve got nothing to lose!
Once you have this system set up, you’ll find your laundry routine so much easier to manage. You’ve got this!
Just pin it below to find the instructions later!
Krystal says
Okay, this is AMAZING. My son just got his own dresser, and I should make labels like this to help him dress himself in the morning!
Debi- Lifestyle Blogger says
I love this. We need some way to get the girls’ things more organized. I could use a system like these.
Aubrey says
I love this. My boys clothes end up in a big mixed up pile on the floor. I end up washing clean clothes that find their way in the hamper all the time. So frustrating.
valmg @ Mom Knows It All says
I keep things organized similarly in a big dresser. This would be really helpful for folks with no dresser, or those with small children who can’t safely handle a dresser. You did a great job with the labels.
Dede says
Love this idea! I downloaded the labels. Thanks for sharing!
My son has a huge dresser but isn’t precise about putting things away correctly. We have a lot of unused space under his bed, so I will think about incorporating this method.
Denyse says
I love this idea!! I have two boys that will be sharing a room as well. Are you able to fit a box for each category for each boy under the bed? I’m guessing there’s also a bin for pajamas, so there would be four bins each boy right? Are you able to fit 8 bins under the one bed?
Thanks for the awesome idea!!
Erika says
Hi Denise! Right now, I have Joshua’s bins – which are about 5 – under the bunk bed and Luke’s are lined up against the wall. (It was a bit much to fit 8-10) I’m watching for an IKEA organizer on Craiglist and if I can find one, that will go in the closet for both of their bins. Either way, this works really well! Thanks for stopping by! Good luck with your organizing! 🙂
Anna Barclay says
Adorable! Thanks for sharing this. The only thing that’s missing for us is swimsuits. I’m excited to get this on our drawers and hopefully be more organized 🙂
Alisa says
I love your Kid collection, I want to know can you deliver it in Canada
Premala Naidoo says
From one mom to another a BIG Thank you for your ideas and free printables! soooooo appreciated.
Erika says
You’re welcome. I’m glad you’ve found this helpful! 🙂
Charlotte says
I was wondering how much room there is from the floor to the bottom of the bunk bed?? I want to order the same totes but the description says they are 12.63 inches. My kids have a bunk bed but I only have 12” underneath. Wondering if it’s less without the lid.
Thank you!
Amy W. says
Link seems to be broken :/
Chelsea says
Yes. It’s broken. I would really love to download these. Please fix!
Erika says
Thanks for letting me know. It’s been fixed.
Nini says
Can you link where you got your bins from?
Erika says
I can’t seem to find the exact bins anywhere. I’m bummed because they worked so well! Here are a couple similar styled bins that may work:
(Large size) – https://www.containerstore.com/s/storage/garage-storage-totes/white-plastic-stacking-bins-with-lids/12d?productId=11011449,
https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/kuggis-box-with-lid-white-10280203/, https://www.target.com/p/large-latching-clear-storage-box-brightroom-8482/-/A-83279843#lnk=sametab
Megan Greiner says
I love these! My son is mostly nonverbal and these picture cards really help him communicate! Do you happen to have a matching label for shoes, by any chance??
Erika says
Hi Megan, I’m so glad these labels are helping your son! I don’t have a shoes label, but I’ll add that to my notes if I make any updates in the future. 🙂