Capsule Wardrobe for Kids: Part 1
I am so tired of being overwhelmed with my kids’ closet that I’m finally going to do something about it! I’m determined to curate a “capsule wardrobe” for my kids to not only cut down on the clothes that they have(that I have to wash and then end up all over their room), but to also help with the mismatched outfits my kids decide to wear(I usually let them, but I do cringe a little inside) and eliminate the clothing pieces they never choose to wear.
Here’s the game plan:
Create a list of items that I want to have for each child, how many pants, long sleeves, short sleeves, etc. and then go through their existing closet.
Anything they already have that is going to work, we’re keeping! But anything too small or that they don’t wear, we’re either donating, passing down to someone else, packing up for a younger sibling, or selling to our local Once Upon a Child, a children’s resale shop that we love.
How many clothes?
I decided to do about 10 outfits for each kid. That will get us through a week and give us a few extras for the inevitable accident or spill. I think it will also help me stay on top of their laundry because it will have to be washed more often for them to have clothes to wear instead of building up for a couple weeks.
I’m also limiting pajamas, getting everyone matching socks and paring down the amount of shoes & outerwear they have. Every family will have different needs, but feel free to follow the amounts that I’m using!
Then what?
Then I decide what I need to get to fill in the gaps. I’m choosing to simplify by only buying neutral bottoms, denim, black, khaki, etc. and staying away from prints. Because as much as my daughter loves her unicorn leggings, she only has one shirt they go with so they don’t get worn very often. Neutrals are going to be much more versatile & go with pretty much every top.
Then for tops, I’m getting a mixture of short & long sleeves for fall and trying to stay with more simple prints & solids. This is where I’ll let them have a little more fun with them if they want & I’m not going to make them stay strictly neutral. For example, my daughter has a pink Minnie Mouse shirt that she loves, so we’ll keep it and it will go with any of the bottoms.
For socks, I’m getting rid of all the stained, mismatched socks we have & replacing them with matching black socks for my two older kids who can wear the same socks. I’ll get both shorter no-show socks and longer socks. But all black because I hate how dirty white socks get. These are the no-show socks I’ve bought for years & love, and these are my favorite longer kids socks.
Here is some capsule wardrobe inspiration from Old Navy:
Stay tuned for Part 2 when I go shopping & share what I learned & what I got!