What to do with outgrown baby clothes? 【Which clothes to keep and 6 ways to reuse old clothes】
Your children's closet grows as your children do.
"I have so many memories that I can't throw them away"
"I want to keep it for my younger child."
"It's a waste to throw it away."
Many parents probably think like this.
In this post, we will introduce how to store and reuse children's outgrown clothes.
- Sort outgrown children's clothes into 3 categories
- Category 1: Keep clean and wearable clothes
- Category 2: Store memorable clothes and clothes you want to keep for your younger kids
- Category 3: Dispose of worn items with stains
- 3 rules for storing outgrown children's clothes
- Rule 1: Decide the number of boxes and where to store them
- Rule 2: Create your own rules
- Rule 3: Keep your boxes up to date
- 3 ways to efficiently store outgrown children's clothes
- Method 1: Wash and keep clean
- Method 2: Categorize by size or age
- Method 3: Consider the storage method and location
- 6 ways to reuse and dispose of outgrown children's clothes
- ① Give awayy to friends and relatives
- ②Sell on flea market apps and recycle shops
- ③ Give away to school bazaars
- ④ Donate
- ⑤ Remake
- ⑥ Dispose
Sort outgrown children's clothes into 3 categories
You should categorize your children's clothes that have been outgrown, once the season changes.
First, roughly divide it into 3 categories.
- Keep clean and wearable clothes
- Store memorable clothes and clothes you want to keep for your younger kids.
- Dispose of worn items with stains
Category 1: Keep clean and wearable clothes
Reuse clothes that your kids no longer wear, as hand-me-downs or remakes!
When you can't decide if it can be reused or not, think if this was handed down to you, would you want to wear it?
There are many ways to reuse clean and wearable children's clothes, so we will introduce them at the end of this article.
Category 2: Store memorable clothes and clothes you want to keep for your younger kids
Store the clothes that you are fond of and want to keep, or the clothes you want your younger child to wear.
Collect and store your favorites in a memory box.
It is recommended that you store the clothes you want your younger child to wear in the future, by sorting them according to season and size.
Put it in a ziplock bag and label it with masking tape.
This is convenient because you can take it out immediately when you want to wear it.
Category 3: Dispose of items with stains
Dispose of clothes with damaged fabrics, stains or clothes that are worn-out.
You may feel like it's a waste, but just tell them "thank you" and feel refreshed after throwing them in the trash!
3 rules for storing outgrown children's clothes
Carefully select which children's clothes you want to keep and put them in a memory box.
When making a memory box, keep the following 3 rules in mind.
- Decide the number of boxes and where to store them
- Create your own rule on which clothes to keep
- Keep your boxes up to date
Rule 1: Decide the number of boxes and where to store them
When making a memory box, first determine the number of boxes and their storage location.
For example, create your own rule such as leaving no more than two boxes in the top corner of the closet.
Make sure that your closet or storage is not full of your memory boxes.
You can simply use cardboard boxes, or you can also use your favorite box to make them even more special.
Rule 2: Create your own rules on which clothes to keep
Children's clothes that you adore. Each of them have special memories that makes you want to keep them all.
Limit the number of memory boxes, and decide which ones are extra special.
For example, one newborn outfit and two bibs or items that you received as gifts.
Rule 3: Keep your boxes up to date
It is best to update your boxes when the seasons change.
There may be times when you put it in your memory box, but feel like you can let go of it when you look back at it later.
In particular, bibs may have stains that appear over time
Look back at your boxes regularly and try to keep only what you really need.
3 ways to efficiently store outgrown children's clothes
Children's clothes that you have left for your younger child to wear. If the storage conditions are poor, stains will appear or get wrinkled.
You want to store it well so that you can take it out immediately when you want you kids to wear them.
Here are 3 ways to store them efficiently.
- Wash and keep clean
- Categorize by size and age
- Consider the storage method and location
Method 1: Wash and keep clean
Children's clothes that have been overgrown should be stored in a clean state.
We recommend that you wash or dry clean the clothes before storing it.
Be especially careful with white clothes. If dirt remains, it may turn yellow over time.
It is safe to soak white clothes before washing
Method 2: Categorize by size and age
If you mix the sizes and items and store them, you will not be able to take them out immediately when you want to use them.
It's best to sort your items by size or age.
It is also recommended to categorize the clothes by season.
For example, label your clothes "Daniel 2-years old, summer clothes", so you can easily find them for your younger child to wear!
Method 3: Consider the storage method and location
To prevent mold and bug bites due to humidity, desiccant packs and insect repellents are essential.
Also be careful where you store them! If you store them under the bed because you don't plan to use them right away, they will get damp.
It is recommended to store your boxes in the upper part of the closet.
6 ways to reuse and dispose of outgrown children's clothes
You should make good use of children's clothes that have been outgrown but still clean enough to reuse.
Recycling and donating can be the perfect opportunity to talk about environmental issues and child-rearing support with children.
- Give away to friends and relatives
- Sell on flea market apps and recycle shops
- Give away to school bazaars
- Donate
- Remake
- Dispose
① Give away to friends and relatives
If you know a child who fits the size close to your kids, it is common to pass it on as a hand-me-down.
You can actually see them wearing them, and it might even remind you of when your children were younger and make you feel warm inside.
Children who go to preschool need a lot of change of clothes, so they would be happy to receive your clothes.
On the other hand, there are parents who don't want hand-me-downs.
Maybe they are particular in what they have their kids wear or may even be uncomfortable with clothes once worn.
②Sell on flea market apps and recycle shops
It is common to sell clothes on flea market apps. Flea market apps take a lot of time and effort to take photos, put them up for sale, and pack and ship them.
You can decide to sell only items that are likely to make a profit.
Recycle shops tend to have a lower purchase price than flea market apps, but it doesn't take much effort because all you have to do is bring it to the store.
Recycle shops are recommended for those who want to clean out and refresh their room immediately.
③ Give away to school bazaars
Giving your clothes away to school bazaars is also a smart way of getting rid of your clothes. Be aware that dirty clothes, underwear, socks, and clothes with names on them are not accepted.
Instead of writing your names directly on your clothing, we recommend using masking tape.
Just write your name on the tape and stick it on the laundry tag.
If you cut both ends of the masking tape and fold it back inside the tag, it will not fall off even after washing.
Stores like UNIQLO and H&M also have boxes to recycle and reuse your clothes.
④ Donate
If you check your local newsletters, you may find information about collecting children's clothes at children's centers.
There are also programs where you can donate by sending your outgrown children's clothes.
There are funding programs that allows you to send children's clothes in bulk, evaluate them, and donate them to a designated organizations for children.
⑤ Remake
Some people remake memorable children's clothes into pouches and tissue cases.
You can enjoy making small items that make use of cute fabrics unique to children's clothing.
If the fabric is thin, you can cut it out and keep it in a scrap book. You can save space and keep your precious memories at once.
If you cut out cute buttons, ribbons, patches and embroidery, you can also use them for children's arts and crafts.
⑥ Dispose
Depending on where you live, there are areas where used clothing are treated as recyclable waste.
Some local governments have collection boxes for clothing like they do for cardboard boxes and used paper.
It's better to have it used as a resource rather than throwing it out as burnable garbage.
Conclusion
First start by sorting the overgrown clothes into clothes to keep, clothes to use, and clothes to throw away.
It is recommended to keep a certain number of clothes that you have special feelings for and cannot throw away in a memory box.
The clothes to be stored should be washed clean, sorted by season and size, and then stored in a dry place.
Try reusing the clothes or giveaway as hand-me-downs or sell them on flea market apps.
