What to do with Kid's Clothes | Selling Kid's Clothes

Thank you Pampers for sponsoring this post. The newly innovative Pampers Cruisers can be found at your local Target.

Babies and toddlers change clothing sizes at a breakneck pace. Not only do you need to find new clothes for your kids, but how do you take care of the clothes and what do you do with them after your child outgrows them? Here are some creative tips on how to ensure the quality of items, how to best care for your child’s garments and where to send those pants, shirts and onesies once your little tyke moves on.

I hate clutter. Shuffling around several different sizes of clothing stressed me out when I was a first time mom. Thankfully, now I have a solution since I’ve been dealing with kids clothes for over 6 years. My best tips are:

Getting the Clothes

There are so many options for finding kids clothes. My sources have been:

My baby shower
Hand me downs from friends
Grandparents
High Quality Resale stores
Target
Facebook Neighborhood groups

I don’t believe that finding clothes was the problem with me. My issue stemmed from organizing the clothes once I had them. Particularly if I received clothes that were too big for my child to wear immediately. How could I find them easily when he’s ready for that size? Where can I put them where I won’t forget about them?

Now, I store all clothes I receive for future use at the top of my son’s closet in plain sight. I bought shoebox containers and labeled each one prominently with the size and if its appropriate for winter or summer.

With this method, I always see what I have and I am reminded on a daily basis so I won’t forget.

Caring for Current Clothes

Kids are hard on clothes. But on the other hand, babies and toddlers wear items for such a short time that there is a very good chance that many pieces will survive to potentially be given as a hand me down or sold at a resale store. Some ways to up your chances are to:

Buy Dependable Diapers

I love the Pampers brand! I used Pampers on both of my kids. I bought these newly innovated Pampers Cruisers at Target. Between now and September 5th, you can buy 2 Pampers giant packs at Target and get a $10 Target gift Card. All Pampers diapers have the Pampers best fit and protection. These diapers fit wonderfully, stay drier and don’t sag like ordinary diapers. They also have new extra absorb channels to help distribute wetness evenly.

By having your child wear high quality diapers, you are ensuring that pants and shorts will be protected from those accidents that will inevitably happen.

Wash with a Mild Detergent

When colors of kids clothes fade, it becomes much harder to sell them at resale stores and even give them away to friends. There are tons of mild detergents available however I choose to make my own. Its very simple, inexpensive and I can make it any scent I choose by throwing in a little essential oil.

Getting Rid of the Clothes

Easier said than done. There are a few options for what to do with the clothes once your child has grown out of them.

What to Trash

Don’t save anything with a

visible stain (check for yellowing around the neckline)
tears or holes
discoloration either in major fading or chipping in lettering

Save them for another sibling

When my daughter started growing out of clothes, I saved everything! I knew that we wanted another child and who knew if it would be a girl or boy? I bought the large, flat under-the-bed plastic containers and piled clothes in each one sorted by size. I labeled each box clearly and stacked these in my daughter’s closet.

As soon as we found out our next baby would be a boy, I called my friend Megan and gave her the pick of all of my baby girl clothes. The clothes that she didn’t take went to Goodwill.

Donate Them

My favorite option! So many amazing charities can benefit from the sale of baby clothes. I wash all the clothes first, pile them in a plastic bag and drop them off at the Goodwill donation center down the street. I also get a receipt so that we can claim the donations on our yearly taxes.

Sell them Online

Facebook has a number of neighborhood groups created specifically for the purpose of selling items. It’s turned into our generation’s garage sale.

When taking pictures of your child’s clothes, its best to lay them in front of a window with indirect sunlight to achieve a bright natural light. Stand with the window at your back while you take the picture.

Resale Stores

Stores like these are great for selling top-condition, brand name clothing. They are extremely picky and are usually only looking for specific brands. However, it is definitely worth trying if you have some items that still appear brand new.

Managing all the clothing your child owns doesn’t need to be a hassle. Once you invest in a few storage options and have a plan for when your child moves onto the next size, you already have the situation under control.

What are your tips for getting, taking care of and getting rid of kids clothes?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.