Thursday, June 9, 2011

Kids clothes: WWAMD (What Would A Minimalist Do?)

One thing you have TONS of when you have kids, besides a TON of plastic toys, is clothes. You do need more than the "normal adult range" obviously, with mess, play dough, paint, spillage etc. But you also don't need triple built-in wardrobes in their rooms to stock all their stuff!!

This is, what I think, is a good amount for my kids. If you have younger kids, you might need a few extra.

2 year old girl:

6 tops
6 bottoms
4 jackets
4 dresses
10 undies
6 singlets
6 socks & 3 stockings
2 pyjamas (plus warm suit for cold winter nights)
1 swimmers
3 hats
3 shoes

I have a very generous friend who has three daughters. She gives me all her stuff. And I have a few friends with daughters 6 months younger than Miss M. So the clothes keep getting passed on. Awesome! For my pocket and for the environment. Double win.

It IS nice to buy NEW quality clothing for kids, but at the end of the day, for me, mess is more important to make (in learning, in playing, in trying new things), than looking good and clean in new clothes. And I think I would fuss way more if they had expensive clothes :)

So my personal preference is good quality second hand clothes.

5 year old boy:

6 tops
6 bottoms
4 jackets
10 undies
10 socks
4 singlets
2 pyjamas
1 swimmers
2 hats
3 shoes

All of this fits into a small set of drawers I picked up at Vinnies for $20. If I had time, I would paint it and paint the insides of the drawers in bright colours. e.g. your socks go in the red drawer, your shirts in the yellow drawer.

But at the moment, I'm embracing the "shabby chic (eco)" look.

7 comments:

  1. Picture: Miss M's tallboy, not the $20 vinnies find!

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  2. please don't look in my kids wardrobes!

    we have too many clothes. between gifts, handmedowns and me buying a 'nice outfit' we have more than enough.
    it doesn't help that emma has decided to wear only dresses and skirts. she didn't have enough so had to buy a couple more!

    undies... emma has about 25 i think.

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  3. I'm not judging you!!! :)

    I just can't cope with too many things.

    Girls can't help it with dresses and skirts. they do look so cute! Miss M will wear shorts & pants but only if she can wear stockings underneath.

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  4. I like your colour-coding idea! A less time-intensive one is to have a "warm" drawer (for winter stuff) & a "cool" drawer (for summer stuff) & an undies drawer. I made a labewl for the front of each drawer. Calvin is able to use this system to put away & find his own clothes :)

    I would love to have less kids clothes than we do. I think owning less would force me to empty the washing baskets more often ;)

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  5. I'm impressed that Calvin can use the system to put away his own clothes. good training!

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  6. It's still a training process - I have to supervise! He's much better at getting clothes out independently that he is at putting them away ;)

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  7. he's doing pretty well, it sounds like, for a 3.5 yr old! go Calvin

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