How to pare down your kid’s wardrobe (by the numbers)!featured

by Keely on September 7, 2018

This is one of those posts born out of necessity/I can’t find the resources online/I’m legit going through this process as we type. “Back to school” means so many things (also: So. Many. Things) and among them is a glut of “new” seasonal clothing for the ol’ wardrobe. (Or, at the very least, a slight departure from swimsuits and flip flops. Sorry, kids!)

We spent a good deal of the summer traveling and, aside from the proximity to water and abundance of family time, another perk was the ease of the whole clothing situation. For one 2.5-weeklong trip, I ended up packing about four solid days of clothing for each kid. There was nothing they missed. Laundry was weirdly easy. And- most importantly- they still looked cute in photos.

“Wouldn’t it be cool,” I thought, “If we could recreate this ease for the school year and beyond?”

Besides, while I’ve never been accused of minimalism or boasting a “capsule wardrobe,” there’s definitely something to be said for dresser drawers that open and close nicely, and decision-making that doesn’t take days. (Potentially less laundry, too!)

But kids are hard on their stuff, right? (Right.) And having one pair of jeans sounds good, until that one pair rips on the butt and then…you need a new pair for the very next day. So how much is just right? Read on, Goldilocks:

A kid’s wardrobe should have:

(Note: These are just general guidelines. If there’s something on the list where you emphatically say “But my kid wears x at least once a day”, then that’s a definite “add extra” for your list. Your kid loves to dress up? Add more tunics and skirts and remove a tee or two. I trust you.)

14 Shirts

I’ve been trying to see if two weeks of tops per kid will jive. (So far it has.) This is a mix of tees, long-sleeved, and casual button-down shirts. School-wise, that’ll get you close to 3 weeks without a repeat! (And let’s be honest, there’s only three that they really want to wear each day.)

6 pairs of pants

This one’s a little trickier with the swap of seasons. Half of this number is still made up of shorts- which will change in a Chicago millisecond- and I may toss in another pair of stretch pants for the girls (who adore their tunic dresses year ’round) and cargoes for my boy (who rarely gives a fig what he wears). Two pairs of jeans per kid has been working out nicely, and a nicer pair of khakis or black pants are the great chameleon of the closet. Corduroys are also the MVP of a kid’s wardrobe- they’re tough as nails in the knee, too.

4-6 “nice” outfit pieces

Is your fam a dressy church bunch? Do you do things like go to the ballet and/or tea? (…Invite me next time?) Somewhere in the 4-ish range should serve you well, and give plenty of options. Depending on your kiddo’s style prefs, you can mix it up with fancier dresses, tutu-rrific skirts, more formal button-downs, heck, even a cutie-pie suit. (Note: That beyond-adorable holiday outfit does not need to take up real estate in the closet. That’s the kind of thing that upper shelf or under-bed storage bins were made for.)

10-12 pairs of socks

There’s a reason why Costco sells kid socks by the dozen– they wear out fast, they’re always in the wash, and one half of each set goes missing on the regular. Do yourself a favor. Buy a pack of 12.

6-9 pairs of underwear

Same, but with a little more flexibility on the whole “isn’t part of a set” thing.

2-4 layers

Does your child (or- cough- you) like hoodies to coordinate with outfits? Add another one. But most peeps have one or two favorite sweatshirts, lightweight sweaters, or cozy cardigans. (Live in a sub-zero clime half the year? Feel free to add another layer at will.)

5 pairs of jammies

This is another supremely subjective one. Are there nights where your kid wants a lightweight shorty set followed by an evening of full-on footies? Do you require washing after each night’s wear? (Does your kid’s breakfast habits require this even further?) My daughters don’t need their jammies laundered after each use, but my son definitely does. (If I could wash ’em twice, I would.) He has more top n’ bottom pajama sets than they do, but they compensate by owning way more twirly nightgowns.

Footwear

Not including seasonal specifics like snow boots, rain boots, and flip flops, your kid really only needs a classy (yet comfy) pair to wear for special occasions, running shoes with great treads, and a casual loafer, slide, or non-athletic sneaker. (Again, does your kid dress up more? Add another pair. Fashionista? Playground hero? You know what to do.) That said, keeping uncomfortable, inflexible, or generally unloved shoes because “they’re so cute” or “are really nice” is a horrific waste of closet space. We’re better than this.