How to Create a Minimalist Wardrobe for Your Kids
Make a list of how many clothes they need., Sort through all of their clothing., Keep plenty of underwear and socks., Let your child pick out which clothes they like., Choose items that you can mix and match.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Make a list of how many clothes they need.
Before you begin, try to identify what types of clothing your child needs as well as how many of each they require.
Factor in how often you do laundry to help you decide how many items of clothing you can get away with.For example, you may decide that they need seven casual shirts, three pairs of pants, one dressy outfit, two hoodies, a coat, a pair of sneakers, and two pairs of pajamas.The age of your child may also influence this decision.
A baby may only need three or four different onesies whereas a teenager may want a few more outfits.
Don’t forget to factor in both winter and summer outfits.
You may need seven different shirts for summer than you do for winter.
If you live in a rainy area, you might want a raincoat and boots.
If your child plays sports, they might need a uniform, proper footwear, helmets, or other gear. -
Step 2: Sort through all of their clothing.
Go through their entire existing wardrobe to see what you currently own.
Make piles for clothes that you want to keep, clothes that you want to donate, and clothes that you are throwing out.Donate any clothing that no longer fits your child.
Places like Goodwill and Salvation Army accept donations of clothing.
Local churches, thrift stores, or children’s shelters may also want them.
If the clothing is torn or stained, throw it out.
This includes old underwear.
If you’re not certain whether or not you want to keep something, put it in the maybe pile.
Once you know what you are definitely getting rid of and what you are keeping, you can sort through the maybe pile. , Underwear and socks cannot be re-worn like other items of clothing, so you will want to make sure that you have a good supply of them just in case.
You may want to keep a little more than one week’s supply of each.
Between ten and fourteen days’ worth may be sufficient. , It is important that your child has some say in what they will and will not keep.
Do not throw away any articles of clothing that your child loves to wear or that they wear repeatedly.
You may also want to ask their opinion on certain items.If you have a maybe pile going, ask your child to pick one or two outfits from it that they want to keep.
If your child is having difficulty expressing an opinion, ask them how each piece of clothing makes them feel.
Do they like how it looks? Is it comfortable?, Since your child’s wardrobe will be much smaller, you want to make sure that you choose items that can be matched and paired into as many different outfits as possible.
This means keeping at least a few neutral items, such as blue jeans, khakis, and white shirts.
While you can still have colorful or patterned items, it will be easier to use them in a variety of different ways.For example, if your child has a striped yellow and red shirt, they can wear it with khakis or jeans, with a sweater or no sweater, with a long-sleeved shirt underneath it, or under a pullover sweater.
If you’re having difficulty picking multifunctional items of clothing, you may want to choose three or four different colors for the entire wardrobe, and lose anything that does not work with these colors. -
Step 3: Keep plenty of underwear and socks.
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Step 4: Let your child pick out which clothes they like.
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Step 5: Choose items that you can mix and match.
Detailed Guide
Before you begin, try to identify what types of clothing your child needs as well as how many of each they require.
Factor in how often you do laundry to help you decide how many items of clothing you can get away with.For example, you may decide that they need seven casual shirts, three pairs of pants, one dressy outfit, two hoodies, a coat, a pair of sneakers, and two pairs of pajamas.The age of your child may also influence this decision.
A baby may only need three or four different onesies whereas a teenager may want a few more outfits.
Don’t forget to factor in both winter and summer outfits.
You may need seven different shirts for summer than you do for winter.
If you live in a rainy area, you might want a raincoat and boots.
If your child plays sports, they might need a uniform, proper footwear, helmets, or other gear.
Go through their entire existing wardrobe to see what you currently own.
Make piles for clothes that you want to keep, clothes that you want to donate, and clothes that you are throwing out.Donate any clothing that no longer fits your child.
Places like Goodwill and Salvation Army accept donations of clothing.
Local churches, thrift stores, or children’s shelters may also want them.
If the clothing is torn or stained, throw it out.
This includes old underwear.
If you’re not certain whether or not you want to keep something, put it in the maybe pile.
Once you know what you are definitely getting rid of and what you are keeping, you can sort through the maybe pile. , Underwear and socks cannot be re-worn like other items of clothing, so you will want to make sure that you have a good supply of them just in case.
You may want to keep a little more than one week’s supply of each.
Between ten and fourteen days’ worth may be sufficient. , It is important that your child has some say in what they will and will not keep.
Do not throw away any articles of clothing that your child loves to wear or that they wear repeatedly.
You may also want to ask their opinion on certain items.If you have a maybe pile going, ask your child to pick one or two outfits from it that they want to keep.
If your child is having difficulty expressing an opinion, ask them how each piece of clothing makes them feel.
Do they like how it looks? Is it comfortable?, Since your child’s wardrobe will be much smaller, you want to make sure that you choose items that can be matched and paired into as many different outfits as possible.
This means keeping at least a few neutral items, such as blue jeans, khakis, and white shirts.
While you can still have colorful or patterned items, it will be easier to use them in a variety of different ways.For example, if your child has a striped yellow and red shirt, they can wear it with khakis or jeans, with a sweater or no sweater, with a long-sleeved shirt underneath it, or under a pullover sweater.
If you’re having difficulty picking multifunctional items of clothing, you may want to choose three or four different colors for the entire wardrobe, and lose anything that does not work with these colors.
About the Author
Ruth Mitchell
Specializes in breaking down complex practical skills topics into simple steps.
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