Simplify your laundry and children’s clothing with my simple framework for curating a basic capsule wardrobe for kids.
As a mom of 4 little children 6 and under, I am all about simplifying. Laundry is the one area in our house that if it is not simple to stay on top of, our house can look cluttered very quickly.
Has anyone else fallen into the trap of moving one clean pile of laundry from the bed to the couch and back to the bed? I have. Too many times!
The solution for me has been to downsize our clothing. I have found that lowering clothing inventory not only helps eliminate decisions in our day but it helps me to stay on top of our laundry.
What is a capsule wardrobe?
A capsule wardrobe is a collection of classic clothing items that all coordinate together to make up different outfits. This creates the foundation for a capsule wardrobe while adding a in a few pieces for seasonal wear.
My rule of thumb when curating a capsule wardrobe for my children is to make sure that tops, bottoms and accessories all look nice paired together.
Build a simple capsule wardrobe for your own children using this FREE GUIDE to help along the way!
Choosing a color palette
When curating a simple capsule wardrobe for kids, I lean towards more neutral colors that are easier on the eyes. I also avoid character clothing and logos. A capsule wardrobe can absolutely be full of color if that is what you like. Even so, I like to make sure that the colors and patterns hide stains when possible.
The other benefit to sticking to a coordinating color palette is that every one looks matching, even if they are wearing different items. I love the look of matching outfits when children are little but even just having a color scheme that is pleasing helps everyone look more put together.
A guide when shopping
By having my color palette in mind when shopping for clothing, I can easily say yes or no to items I come across at a thrift store. A capsule wardrobe can be cute, simple and affordable when you know which colors you like. At the end of the day, mom is the one that sees these clothes the most. Why not love your children’s clothing as much as your own?
Fabrics and quality
When building a capsule wardrobe for kids, I keep fabrics and quality in mind. Children grow incredibly fast so I do not want to spend a ton of money on each article of clothing that they get to wear for one season, but I do want the articles of clothing that they wear to be comfortable, breathable, and last an entire season.
Naturally woven fabrics such as cotton, linen, wool, and denim tend to check the boxes of being more durable, breathable, and hold their quality for longer. I am trying to opt for less synthetic fabrics.
Sourcing clothing ethically is important but that is not always reflected in our current purchasing. I have opted for thrift shopping where I can. It is amazing the quality I can find with a little digging through a thrift store!
But my dream purchases would all come from ethical, small shops as well as the thrift stores. I just love a good thrift haul. We do the best with what we have in the season we are in.
Frugal purchases
The goal in curating a capsule wardrobe
The goal with curating a capsule wardrobe for kids is that they would wear each piece of their wardrobe to it’s full potential and thread bare. I do not want to have to keep decluttering items in our home but rather use the items we bring in until they have no life left in them. I really think this is the least wasteful and most frugal approach in minimalism and simple living.
The more I appreciate living with less and managing less, the more intentional I am about things we buy and bring in.
Those jeans I purchased are going to be worn until they have holes, been turned into shorts and eventually just worn out.
By sticking to the number of items I have found works well for our family, I can say no to extras that will be above what we want to manage and wear in a given season.
If you want a guide for building a simple capsule wardrobe for your children, you can get your FREE GUIDE here!
Thrifting
One of the ways we shop for children’s clothing is at the thrift stores like I mentioned above. If I want a more specific brand or article of clothing I will look at websites such as Poshmark or ThredUp for these. These websites are online thrift stores I have used. These are also great resources to resell items that still have life left in them after the season has passed or children have grown out of their clothes.
Accepting hand-me-downs can be a huge blessing but I am ruthless in what I choose to keep. Otherwise, I know that it turns to too much laundry too quickly and becomes more than I want to manage.
Do you have other frugal clothing tips? I would love to hear in the comments below!
Shoes
In a larger family, shoes can easily become a source of clutter and chaos.
I have found that simplifying down to one pair of town shoes, one pair of play shoes and then one pair of seasonal shoes (such as boots or sandals) is plenty for my children to make it through a season. This also means I am only ever replacing one pair of shoes at a time. Once our play shoes wear out, I shop for just another pair of play shoes. Same goes for the other shoes.
One investment we make in our children’s capsule wardrobe is Fall/Winter boots. We opted for all black Bogs boots for the last 2 years and I only have praise for these boots! They have worked excellently for the rain, snow, warmth and ease in taking on and off.
The benefit of all black boots is that we can pass them down to boys and girls.
We have one pair of these boots that has already passed down to two different children and you cannot tell. They have held up wonderfully and will pass on to the next two children.
Socks
Socks are the easiest area to simplify in a capsule wardrobe for kids.
My boys have all the same plain black cotton socks. We can throw them all in a basket, they pick two to put on their feet and go about the day. I personally do not like the look of mismatched socks but if that is your vibe, go for it. Matching socks is not something I want my energy going toward.
From the very beginning, sticking to the same type of sock for my boys and another for my girls has been wonderful. My energy and time does not have to go towards the matching of socks and neither does yours.
Variety
I like adding variety to a capsule wardrobe for kids by including some different textures. Woven sweaters, corduroy, flannel, denim, cable knits all add a nice variety to a simple capsule wardrobe for kids.
Patterns such as florals, buffalo check and plaid can also help hide stains.
Capsule Wardrobe for Kids: The Fancy Closet
Watch as I take you through curating our own fancy closet here!
What is a ‘fancy closet’?
The ‘fancy closet’ is a term I picked up from my friend Katie at Now that We’re a Family in her homemaking community the ‘Get it All Done Club‘.
A fancy closet is a place to store clothing for church, going into town or other occasions that you want a nice, unstained garment to put on.
Having a fancy closet is nice with little children because the clothes that are out of sight are easily out of mind, not to be changed into for playing outside.
Having a fancy closet as a part of a capsule wardrobe for kids is also nice for the ease of getting ready in the mornings when we do have an outing for the day. I like to pair up the top and bottoms on the same hanger. This way, I grab one hanger per child and no rifling through laundry baskets is needed.
Once the season has passed and it is time to replace some of the fancier clothing, the clothes that are still in nice condition but maybe not seasonally appropriate, move into the play clothes.
I am very excited to try the fancy closet system to further improve our home laundry routine. Our fancy closet is in a separate closet, out of sight. If I didn’t have a spare closet, I would use a bin, a drawer or extra space in another closet.
Download this FREE PRINTABLE I made for you to start building your child a simple capsule wardrobe this season!
Do you have a laundry system that works really well for you? Is there something you would like to systematize in your laundry management? Let us know in the comments!
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Until next time!
Amanda
