3 Tips for Organizing Baby’s Clothes in the First Year

Babies go through a lot of clothes in their first year, so how do you keep it all organized? Between baby showers, growth spurts, and hand-me-downs you need to have a system in place. Keep reading for my tips on organizing baby’s clothes in the first year.

Find Your Favorites

It might be tempting to throw all of your baby’s clothes in the wash so that you won’t have to do it later, but it’s actually best to hold off. Look through all of the clothes you’ve received so far and take out any that you wouldn’t have your baby wear (if you got them from a mom’s group, this saves so much laundry), or that might not fit her. Keep in mind the season, too. It’s not uncommon to receive a 6-9 month onesie meant for summer at a baby shower, then to find your baby fits in that size during Winter and they can’t wear that outfit at all. Sadly, just like baby bottle nipples, several baby clothing companies could say “size 3 months,” and the clothes in your hands will look very different. I’ve found that our favorite fox onesie sets are very true to size, but that some other brands run smaller, wider or longer and thinner. The material is different, too. If a onesie is too thin or rigid, it will get holes in it after a wash or two (this has happened to me with a few brands of onesies before). Keep the onesies made with quality materials (so not anything from Temu or a random Amazon brand). Remember — skin is the largest organ on the human body, so the clothing a baby wears, and the type of detergent used for baby clothes, matters. (fragrance-free and not marketed as a baby detergent).

Want to learn more about safe and “green” pregnancy and postpartum practices? Check out this article about creating a green nursery!

Separate By Size

Now that you’ve narrowed down the clothing you have on-hand, organize it all by size so it’s easy to find the ones you need quickly. Clothing dividers are a huge help when it comes to keeping things organized. Hang everything up (tags and all), then wash just a few outfits from the size your baby is about to fit into next. If you’re still pregnant, it can be hard to know what sizes you might need (the baby weight guesses are typically off) so unless you know for sure that babies in your family run small or that your little one might be a small preemie, wash a few outfits in sizes 0-3 months and 3-6 months then leave the tags on the rest so that you can exchange, return or regift them. If someone bought them from your baby registry, you’ll have a longer time to see if they’ll fit your baby and return them for store credit if they don’t (love the Target registry for this reason!).

Wash the rest of the clothing once she’s actually in that size clothing (babies sometimes go through certain sizes faster than others or skip them altogether). This method allows you to pass on the clothes they don’t wear (donate, regift, or save for the next baby). If your baby is 3 months old and you have some size 2T and up clothing, organize it by size/season, then store it in a drawer if you don’t have hanging space for those as well. I also go a step further and organize by sleeve length and color to help me find what I’m looking for.

Rotate the Closet

Once you start to notice that certain sizes are getting a little tighter or harder to put on your baby, start putting that size of baby clothing aside as you wash it. I fold outgrown clothes and put the ones I have a special attachment to in a cabinet for future babies and the rest (in good condition) go in a donation bag. Once the outgrown clothes are out of the closet and drawers, there’s more room for future sizes, and you don’t run into the trouble of trying to find something that fits.