All of the things that your kids need and want add up to a substantial investment over the years. It can be hard to find affordable clothing, toys, and gear, but if you have more than one kid, you can pass these things down from one to another. Here, you will get a few tips for storing these items until your next kid is ready for them.

Clothing

Organization is probably the most important step in keeping clothing for younger kids. If the clothing isn't organized, you will spend more time than you need to digging through it all looking for what you need at the time.

First, make sure that the clothing is all clean, completely dry, and folded neatly. Any clothing that has images that are not dyed into the fabric require special care—lay a sheet of tissue paper over the image before folding it. This will prevent the image from sticking to itself as it sits waiting for the next child to grow into it.

Second, use colored bins—these will save you a ton of time and make it very easy to find what you need. Boys' clothing, for example, can go in blue bins, a darker shade for winter clothes and a lighter shade for spring and summer clothes. Girls' clothing can go in pink and red bins—red for winter and pink for summer and spring. Sort the clothing by size and label the bins on each end to make it easy to find what you need.

Extra tip: If you really want to keep track of what you have, take pictures of the clothing before you store it away. You can then create a log of each size and season of clothing and note which bin you have each group of items in, giving each bin an inventory number you can refer to.

Toys

Toys can easily take over a home quickly. Toys that one kid has outgrown or lost interest in can be boxed up and put away in storage until the next kid has reached the age in which the toys are appropriate. The toys can also be reintroduced after your kids have lost interest in the current group of toys that you have at the house. Reintroducing old toys is almost as good as buying new, and it will save you a ton of money over the years.

Just make sure that the toys are cleaned well, the batteries are removed, and all of the pieces are put into bags to make it easy for you to find everything that goes with each item.

There really is no need to go out and buy everything new for your younger kids if you have already bought them for the first. Use these tips and your kids' clothing and toys will remain in great condition. Find a storage facility in your area if you don't have enough space in your home.

Share