How to simplify your life with a capsule summer wardrobe for your kids
We don’t know about you, but laundry is most definitely not top of our list of favourite activities.
It’s bad enough sorting, washing, drying, ironing and putting away your own clothes. But finding an overflowing laundry bin full of other people’s washing every day is enough to drive you crazy.
So what can you do? You could go on laundry strike (as tempting as this is, it just isn’t practical sadly). You could also insist that everyone does their own washing, or even teach your older children how to help out.
But what if your children are too young to help with the laundry, beyond sorting and matching socks?
There is one more way you can ease the laundry burden and make your life simpler: and that’s to try a little KonMari magic, and create a capsule summer wardrobe for them that minimalises the amount of clothes likely to trouble your wash basket.
Here’s how to do it.
What’s in a capsule summer wardrobe?
So, what should you include in a capsule summer wardrobe for your children? Here’s a rundown of what you might want to include (you can alter this to suit your lifestyle and child):
- 10-12 t-shirts or tops
- 2 pairs of jeans
- 4-6 pairs of shorts or skirts
- 2-3 swimsuits
- 2 pair of pyjamas
- 2-3 dresses for girls
- 4 jumpers
- 8 pairs of socks
- 10 pairs of underwear
- 1 pair of trainers
- 1 pair of smart shoes
- 1 pair of sandals
- 1 pair of beach shoes
- 10 pairs underwear
- 1 light jacket
Build your capsule wardrobe around colours they like to wear
Just as you would with an adult’s capsule wardrobe, build your child’s summer capsule wardrobe around colours they like to wear.
This way you’ll end up with a collection of clothes that they’ll like to wear (minimising any arguments over clothes), and that all go with each other. So even if one top is in the wash, you’ll still have other tops that will go with a skirt or pair of shorts.
Be ruthless
This may be the hardest tip yet – do be ruthless when paring down your child’s wardrobe.
Because a capsule wardrobe won’t just save you time washing t-shirts that have been barely worn once, and thrown in the wash simply because your child has 15 more similar tops to wear. It will also save time with packing for trips away and choosing what to wear in the morning.
And if you’re like us, your child probably has a more extensive wardrobe than you, made up of clothes that no longer fit, clothes that they can still just squeeze into and don’t want to stop wearing, clothes you’ve bought for them, clothes family have bought for them, and a ragtag jumble of hand-me-down items you’ve gathered over the years.
This kind of mixed wardrobe doesn’t make your life easier at all. So be ruthless and start paring it down. Stick to the master list and eliminate anything that doesn’t fit, your child doesn’t like, or isn’t in great condition.
You may want to do this while your child is at school to eliminate the chances of any tantrums, or demands to hold onto items that don’t fit the list.
Don’t get rid of the clothes just yet though. Hide your throw/giveaway/sell pile out of sight of your child for a couple of weeks, just in case they miss something and desperately want it back.
As much as you want to streamline their wardrobe to make it easier for you and them to find clothes to wear that they like, you don’t want to traumatise them by accidentally throwing away their favourite top.
Restock any missing gaps in your capsule wardrobe
One way to console your child if they miss their clothes, or don’t want to help you cut down their wardrobe, is to promise them a shopping trip for new items on the list.
You can take them to your local high street for new items or, if you want to buy them something special (after all if you have fewer clothes, you can afford to make them nicer) without spending a fortune you can shop here for kids designer clothes sale.
Happy streamlined summer!
We hope you find our tips helpful – and that they save you time and stress this summer! If you’re inspired and want to tackle your own wardrobe, you can read tips on how to organise your wardrobe so it works better for you here.
Photo by Vanessa Serpas
