5 KEY COMPONENTS TO CONSIDER WHEN CRAFTING A KIDS’ CAPSULE CLOSET
As a big family, in a small home, capsule wardrobes are kind of a big deal. We don’t have closets, a dishwasher, or beds. That’s right! We have Japanese roll our mattresses, similar to this one on Amazon —
As a mama, I’ve learned that creativity is the feat to survival and in order to keep close to my ideals (co-sleeping, being with my babies instead of working full time, etc) I’ve had to learn ways that may look like they are outside the realm of societal norms. Like, starting this here blog and my YouTube channel, living in a small space and using nature as my therapy!
In order to survive in a tight space, we’ve had to tidy our wardrobes & in tidying our wardrobes, we now have less laundry.
There is still laundry, hello motherhood! But, it’s 90% less than what it was years ago, back when I used to fill up my Target carts with clearance item clothing for my kids. We’ve even added more kids to the mix since we shifted our way of thinking about clothing.
Before deciding on your. Apple wardrobe, it’s always good to take a n assessment of what’s already there. Or if you want to create a kids’ capsule wardrobe from scratch, you can bag up all of the clothing your child owns and shop from the bags, using the 5 key components I’ve listed below and then fill in the wardrobe with staples, depending on the season.
In regards to decluttering, the best time to declutter is when you’re doing laundry. For example, I don’t love when my kids wear clothing with holes in them, so if I find something with holes in it I typically get rid of it as I’m doing the laundry. If the item needs to be mended or replaced, I’ll put it away or make a note on our list of things we want/need.
I have an entire blog post coming about decluttering with kids and I’ll talk all about decluttering our families’ things. It all comes down to energies and how mine is limited. So, stay tuned!
In my magazine, I say that conscious consumerism is in the lifecycle of minimalism and becoming more mindful of the environment and textiles on it, I try not to make impulse purchases. Thus, making a list helps me with this. I can do research on the brand, assess costs and read up on reviews of the items. Buying online gives me time and space to do this, but returning the items if they don’t fit or weren’t exactly what I wanted can be hard, so I must study up on the items and be sure it’s what we actually need as well as if it will work for the child I’m shopping for.
Some things to consider when decluttering and creating a capsule wardrobe for your kids is to assess what’s in the drawers before you put laundry away.
What’s in there & what stays in there?
Why does it stay in there?
If I donated what’s in the drawer or closet who would notice?
Do the items fit?
Are they appropriate for the season & weather?
While considering what to declutter, consider what your ideals and goals are that you have for you and your family. This is one of the first, of five, key components when creating a capsule wardrobe for you or your kids.
What are your ideals and goals for your family and how can your child’s capsule wardrobe align with them?For example, if being outside and in nature is a goal I have, are there weather appropriate, comfortable and durable clothes for this?
What issues am I having that my kids’ wardrobe may be contributing to? Are we having way too many arguments over what to wear? Could the arguments be thrown out with the clutter and could we share the power by choosing a capsule wardrobe that’s suitable for all occasions? When choosing a capsule wardrobe consider that kids won’t be kids for forever and some of their idiosyncrasies will go away, but we only get them for a short time.
How much space do you have and what do you actually want taking up residency in your home? I’ve learned this from not having a closet — pack less clothing in your spaces and avoid buying more storage. Here’s why — if we have storage, we’re like to save more or have more and if we can’t decide whether to keep it or toss it, we’re likely to keep it if we have the space for it. The way to avoid keeping things that your child won’t actually wear or that doesn’t fit or is for a different season is to consider downsizing instead of upsizing when it comes to space. Can you put shelves into a closet and get rid of the dresser altogether? Once drawers or clothes are bulging and hard to get to, consider decluttering.
Consider what kind of feeling you want to have in your home and choose fibers that match. Many cultures bring nature into their homes because it’s calming. As are natural fibers. They are also likely to help us heal and avoid things like skin conditions. Consider this when choosing your child’s capsule wardrobe.
Consider quality over quantity when purchasing items. I started composting our wool and a pair of pants that I thrown in there a while back had nearly disappeared! Consider the planet, how clothes are being made and how they’ll impact a landfill once we no longer have use for them.
With grace & coffee,
Waynna LeBrija
You can shop my laundry, fold-away table HERE & our storage drawers, HERE.
Here is a real life, daily life photo.
