Though this process is definitely taking longer than I would like, I am making progress. After completing Step 1 – preparing to upgrade my daughter’s clothing from the 12-month through 18-month clothing to 2T items, I purged the closet, dresser, coat closet, diaper bag, and car as I finished Step 2 last week. With piles of clothing organized by size, I then proceeded to Step 3.
STEP THREE: Pack
12-month Clothing
After locating the tote with the label “Girls – 12-months – summer clothing,” I added all the short-sleeved and light weight clothing from the 12-month clothing pile. I neatly folded and packed these items to fit as many as possible in one tote.
Any winter clothing for this size was packed in the tote marked “Girls – 12-months – winter clothing.” When the tote was full or all the items packed, I placed the lid back on the tote and return it to the hallway for storage.
18-month Clothing
When the tote holding the 12-month winter clothing still had room for more items, I added the 18-month winter items and changed the label. Now the girls’ winter clothing includes 12-18-month sizes.
All the 18-month summer clothing was packed into totes labeled “Girls – 18-months – summer clothing.”
Shoes
All her shoes are kept in the drawer of her changing table. While I was packing away the clothing items, I placed her size 4 shoes in plastic bags, labeled them “size 4,” and placed them in the tote labeled “Girls shoes sizes 1-5.”
Donations
The pile of clothing that had not been worn was packed into plastic bags to be given to a little girl younger than my daughter to use. With a mound of clothing bags, I rid our home of excess clutter while blessing another family.
Having packed the 12-month and 18-month summer clothing, the 12-month winter clothing, shoes, and donation items, I now have a bare closet, dresser, and room in which to work as I continue to Step 4. The steps help me break the project into manageable sections.
I may not have 2 hours to hide in her room to work, but I can usually find 15-20-minute increments to get a step or two complete. By doing the next thing and following the sequential steps, I can complete the project while using time wisely.
Question: How do you label your children’s clothing? I would love to hear how your system differs from mine. Please share your ideas in the comments.