How to store outgrown kids' clothes by size for the next child

Why outgrown clothes are hard to keep

Kids grow out of clothes in a few months, and rarely all at once. Some things fit for a year, others for a season. You set aside the good jacket for the younger one, put it in a bag, the bag goes to the top of the wardrobe, then to the storeroom. Two years later the younger child needs a winter jacket in size 104, and you buy one, because nobody remembers which bag the old one is in.

The method that works is boring and simple: one size and one season per box, clean things only, a clear label, and a list of what's inside. It takes an evening per size, and it saves you buying the same things twice.

Sort as they outgrow, not once a year

The easiest moment to sort is when a thing stops fitting. Keep an "outgrown" basket in the child's room. When it's full, go through it:

• Keep what is in good condition and suits the next child: no stains, working zips, no holes.
• Pass on what you won't use but someone else can.
• Throw out what's worn through.

Sort the keepers by the size on the label, then by season. Shoes go by shoe size in their own box. Toys go by age group: baby, toddler, preschool. Small parts and puzzle pieces go in bags inside the box, so nothing is missing when the box opens years later.

Pack them so they keep

Clothes that go into storage dirty come out stained. Before packing:

• wash and dry everything fully, damp clothes grow mould,
• empty pockets and close zips and buttons,
• take batteries out of toys, they leak,
• put each box somewhere dry, off a cold floor,
• keep woollens away from moths, with cedar or lavender, or in sealed bags.

Use boxes of the same size if you can. They stack neatly and the labels line up.

Label the box and list what's inside

A box that says "kids' clothes" doesn't help. Write the size and the season in large letters on two sides: "98 · winter". Add a short code, like K07, so the box is easy to name in a list.

Then write down what is in it. Not every sock, but the things you'd search for: "winter overalls, blue", "rain boots, size 25", "two fleece jackets". A photo of the open box before you close it is quicker than writing and shows the colours too. When a younger child is about to grow into a size, you know whether to buy rain boots or bring them up from the storeroom.

When the next child grows into it

A few weeks before the season, check the size the younger child is about to need, open that box, and do a fitting. What fits goes into the wardrobe. What doesn't fit yet goes back in the box, and the box stays where it is. When the youngest has outgrown a box, it's time to pass it on.

Families with grandparents, cousins or friends often pass boxes around. A list of what's in each box makes that easy: you can send it before anyone drives over.

Doing it with Neatkept

In Neatkept every box of clothes is a box in its place, like the storeroom shelf or the attic, with a printed QR label from Print labels or a code you write with a marker, such as K07. Photograph the open box and AI proposes what is in it; you keep or drop each thing, and the box keeps the photo. Put the size in a thing's name, like "Winter overalls, 98", and search finds it across all your places. Before you buy something, tap "Do I have “…” already?" in Search. When your declutter rules bring old things up in Time to let go, you can let them go as given away, and they stay under the Let go tab. The boxes labelled with a marker page shows how a written code opens a box.