Organizing My 3 Year Old's Closet

I have previously decluttered my entire home including my kids' rooms. So this is starting at a manageable baseline! A "maintenance declutter," if you will. 

If you are overwhelmed with clutter, I have a step-by-step online course that can walk you through decluttering and systemizing every area of your home. Money-back guarantee that your life will feel lighter! Click here for the course I created especially for moms!

But today, I'm decluttering and organizing my daughter's closet. I shared this process on my Instagram stories (@elevatemotherhood) and so many of you enjoyed the process that I thought I'd share it here! (click here if you want to watch the IG story highlight)

First, yes, I am a fan of "take everything out" of the space you are organizing. This doesn't have to be the entire room, or even the entire closet, but starting with an empty slate is my recommendation. Vacuum the dust and crumbs, look at all the storage available, and reconsider where things should go before you put them back where they were.

As you look at the pile, reconsider putting things back in the space that don't even need to be there in the first place! I realized my daughter does not ever reach for her blippi costume or super hero capes. Just because they are all "costumes" doesn't mean they all have to be stored here in the prime real estate in her closet. I pulled all the costumes she never wears and moved them to a storage bin in our garage. They are still available if she wants them, but not in her way every day!

Although I promote simplicity, I don't promote minimalism just for the sake of having less. She really does love and wear all of these crowns, and I want her to have them all if she wants them!

How I handle kids clothes that are too big or too small: 

Clothes that are too small get taken out of the closet right away! I have an "outgoing station" in my garage that holds things that need to be out of our house. Either going to donations, to our hand-me-down friends, etc. If I had a younger sibling, I'd take the too small clothes and pack them up labeled, or take them to the younger kids' closet. 

Clothes that are too big or out of season and still fit should stay in the closet and barely in the line of sight. I use the top rack pushed back to the side. This way I don't forget about the clothes completely, but they aren't in the way of our daily clothes. If I didn't have a top rack, I'd use a folded pile at the top of the closet or a clear bin that was easily visible, opening that bin at the minimum of every season or size growth. 

I prefer to let my daughter have independence when it comes to picking out her clothes. I don't put clothes in her closet that I absolutely won't let her wear. I want her to have access to things I've approved and fit, and let her have some freedom within those boundaries. 

Also to encourage independence, I put things where she can reach them! 

Note: I love to use the inside of my kids' closets as their art galleries! Any art they make that is particularly colorful or that they are proud of, I hang in their closets! They are SO PROUD of their art, and I am too! I also love that I can shut the door for a little less "visual noise" when possible :) 

Click here for the bow organizer we love!

Click here for the clear bins we love!