Looking for ways to organize kids’ clothes?

Wondering how to organize kids’ clothes so that there is enough room for everything, especially if siblings share a room?

Here are fabulous tips on how to set up kids’ closets and dressers. This setup will help them put away their clothes. And it will also make it easier for them to get dressed in the morning.

How to have 3 kids share one room and not go (too) crazy.

Several years ago, my mother-in-law’s dementia was such that she could no longer safely live on her own. So we moved her in with us. We were living in a 3-bedroom rental at the time. Grandma needed her own room. As a result, my 2 girls and son (ages 12, 10, and 7) all had to share 1 small bedroom. And it had 1 small closet. Oh, and did I mention the guinea pig? He shared that room, too…

That was a challenge to say the least.

We ended up buying a bunk bed with a trundle that rolled out from underneath for the kids’ beds. But storing their clothes was a challenge.  

We used hanging cubbies for each child. This allowed us to lay out a week’s worth of clothes at a time on one side of the closet. We then added a second hanging rod on the other side to double the hanging space. Tall dressers worked for storing clothes and toys as well.

We also used large storage bins to store out-of-season clothing in my master bedroom closet. It had a tall ceiling. So I was able to get permission from our landlord to add a top shelf above the closet rod.

It was a tight fit in their room. We pared down a lot of unused toys and clothes to make it work. But work it did, for almost 2 years!

So here are some tips on how to make the closet and dresser in kids’ rooms more functional. This is especially important if 2 or more children share a room and space is at a premium. I’ll also share ways to store clothes that were passed on to you. Those clothes that are still a tad too big for your kiddos!

(I like to call these clothes “hand-me-ups” because they are still perfectly good. And I think it sounds better and more appreciative than “hand-me-downs.”)  🙂

So, here we go!

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Closets.

Add a lower closet rod to organize those kids’ clothes.

The number one item that helps create space in a child’s closet is to add a second closet rod. The regular rod is too high for most young children to reach. They can’t take down or hang up their own clothes. This frustrates the child who wants to do things themselves. And also the parents who have to do it for them.

How to add a second rod.

Adding a rod can be simple. Purchase a thick dowel from the local home improvement store. Get some nylon cord or rope. Hang the rod from the existing rod. This instantly doubles the hanging space, and a small child can easily reach the clothes on the lower rod. As they get older and clothes get longer, it is simple to remove the lower rod, if needed.

Store out-of-season clothes on the upper rod. Or if siblings share a closet, then hang the older (or taller) child’s clothes on the top rod.

Here is a great example of what I mean:

What if you just need another closet?

Make one from a bookcase!

Sometimes, there simply isn’t room for all the clothes. Especially if there are 2 siblings sharing a room and it has a very small closet.

An inexpensive bookcase can easily be re-purposed into a functional closet, especially if it is for infant or toddler clothing.  First, rearrange the shelves to hold baskets or bins. Then, remove the lower shelving. Finally, install a closet rod. This method creates a functional and easily accessible closet space.

Create a closet “door.”

Attach a curtain panel or piece of fabric to the top of the bookcase. Use Velcro to secure it. Alternatively, insert a tension rod inside.

Always think safety first with furniture in a child’s room. Add a safety bracket to attach the bookcase to the wall. That way, there won’t be the danger of it tipping over.

Look at all of the accessible storage in this bookcase:

Invest in a clothes cubby to organize kids’ clothes.

These cubbies saved us from frustrated meltdowns all through preschool and elementary school. Each Sunday, my kids and I would assemble a complete outfit for each school day. This included a shirt, pants, undies, and socks. Then we’d put them into their cubbies. The kids got to help choose the outfits. This meant there was minimal fuss in the morning over deciding what to wear. They had already put the outfit together.

Closet cubbies are a real bargain too, under $10. The ones above are from Ikea (I took this photo recently while shopping there), but we had ones that had the days of the week already printed on them, like this:

Dressers.

Have dresser drawers labeled so even non-readers can find their clothes.

Preschoolers love to be helpers.  Make it as easy as possible for them to be big kids. So they can help find their clothes and put them away.  There are so many resources to find free printable labels out there!  Search Pinterest for more, but here are two I really like.

These black and white labels have big pictures to help non-readers know where to put their clothes. Click on the image to go to their site for free printable labels.

This set of labels has such sweet graphics. And I also like the idea of putting labels INSIDE the drawers as shown in the image, as well.

And finally, what to do with “hand-me-ups” and how to pass them from child to child.

Storing “hand me ups.”

I loved getting “hand-me-ups” for my kids from friends and relatives. Invest in some CLEAR storage bins to protect the clothing from bugs and moisture. Trust me. As a pro organizer, it is worth your time and money.

Add a clear sheet protector to the front of each bin. Slip in a piece of notebook paper as an easy label. Add the sizes of the clothing inside. Theses labels can be easily switched out as sizes change.   The bins can then be stored in the garage, attic, or top shelf of the closet in the kids’ rooms.

The dot system – a brilliant way to sort your kids’ clothes!

I wish I had known this smart tip when my kids were small!  This is something you can start at any time, though.

For your oldest child, use a Sharpie and put 1 dot on the labels of all their clothes. For the next child, put 2 dots on all of their clothes, for the third child put 3 dots, etc.  Then, when the oldest outgrows an item, add a second dot to the label. Now it has 2 dots. You and your kids know it now belongs to the 2nd child. Continue this method as each child outgrows the size they are currently wearing.  

How cool is that? (It also makes it much easier to see which items can then be donated when everyone has outgrown them.)

I hope some of these ideas helped you find ways to organize your kids’ clothes. These work even if you have 3 sharing the same room!

Oh, and our guinea pig? His cage sat on top of one child’s dresser, so he had a great view out of the window. So, amazingly,  we were even able to have him stay in the space, too.  Whew!

Teaching your kids to be organized is helpful. Make it as easy as possible for them to put on and put away their own clothes!

And if you would like ideas on how to make doing kids’ laundry easier, read another of my posts:

10 ways to make doing kids’ laundry easier.

What are your favorite ways to organize kids’ clothes? Did you share a room with siblings when you were younger?

Happy organizing!

~ Pam