As we prepare to say an official good-bye to summer, it becomes clear that colder weather and the need for warmer clothes is right around the corner. For most families with young kids, that means the task of swapping out clothes for the appropriate season is at hand.
This is one task that can definitely be very time consuming, especially if you have more than one child. Here are a few tips to help make the process a little easier.
Swap Clothes For One Child At A Time
If you have two or more children, the easiest option is to just work on the clothes for one child at a time. That way, you’ll keep yourself from getting overwhelmed with an overabundance of clothes. If you have the time, you might even want to dedicate one day to each child.
Be Honest With Yourself
As you sort through clothes, especially if you have hand-me-downs, be honest with yourself. Does your child really need 10 pairs of jeans? Will your child actually wear that velour jumpsuit that her cousin wore 10 years ago? Will that jacket that just barely fit at the end of last winter really still fit a month from now?
Take stock of what you have on hand and feel free to swap those clothes your child has outgrown, donate the older outfits, relegate things to the dress up box and even throw away the old, stained, holey clothes. This will make your life much easier in the long run. It will also make it much easier for you child to pick out clothes to wear and to keep their closet and drawers clean.
List The Haves, Needs and Wants
As you sort through the clothes, keep a running tally on what you have. This is a quick way to keep an eye on items that you might have too many of. It will also show you where the needs are. Then, you can easily compile a list to fill in the blanks on your “have” list with all of the additional needed articles of clothing. Add any additional wants you or your child may have and then start shopping.
Of course our first recommendation is to take a look at the OutGrowingIn website. There is a great feature where you can search boxes of clothes up for swap based on sex, size and/or season. With a premium membership, you’ll be able to receive emails when boxes matching your pre-specified qualifications (including brand names) are listed for swapping. You can also list your own boxes of clothes that you will not be needing for the upcoming season to gain additional swaps.
After you’ve gotten what you can there, watch for sales at your favorite stores for the other items. Target the needs first and fill in with the wants as your able. Before you know it, your little ones will be all set for the cold weather!
Do you have any other tips on handling the seasonal clothing swap process? We’d love to hear them!
