How to Create the Perfect Capsule Wardrobe for Kids

Hectic mornings trying to get everyone out the door. Piles of clothes in dressers or on floors. Endless loads of laundry. Does this sound like your life, mama?! All of these things can be remedied by one thing: a capsule wardrobe. Having a capsule wardrobe for kids (and yourself!) can make your life so much easier!

It really is one of the best ways to simplify your life.

One of the biggest complaints I hear from other moms is how much laundry they are constantly doing for their family. Between sheets, towels, school clothes, and clothes for activities, there is just a never-ending flow of laundry that needs to be done.

According to Unclutterer, and a family of four probably generates between 60 and 65 pounds of clothing, or 5 to 6 loads of clothing, per week. And that’s just the clothing!

Figure in loads for bedding and towels, and it’s more like 8 to 10 loads of laundry per week. Eight loads of laundry takes about 10 hours to complete. Ten loads of laundry would take roughly 12 hours to complete.

That’s a lot of laundry…and a lot of time! It does NOT have to be this way.

Let me show you how to make a capsule wardrobe for kids. You can thank me later. 😉

What is a Capsule Wardrobe?

A capsule wardrobe is a smaller, pared-down wardrobe of only items that are loved and versatile. For adults, I recommend transitioning to more timeless (or at least high quality) pieces that last longer. Bur for kids, that isn’t as necessary.

A capsule wardrobe for kids doesn’t need to be filled with expensive or high-quality pieces because they outgrow their clothes before they wear out. And, because they outgrow their clothing so quickly, there’s no point in going with classic, timeless styles. (Unless, of course, that’s what you or your child loves!)

Why Build a Kids’ Capsule Wardrobe?

There are so many reasons to have a smaller wardrobe for your kid. Obviously, the biggest one is less laundry, but there are many other benefits as well.

Building a kids’ capsule wardrobe means:

• Less laundry to do
• Less mess in your kid’s room
• Less money spent
• Less time getting ready in the morning
• More space in your kid’s room
• More use out of their clothing
• More outfits that can be put together

Can you imagine having less laundry to do BEFORE your kids leave the nest? I’m telling you, it’s possible.

Everyone in my family now has a smaller wardrobe, and we spend half the amount of time doing laundry as we did before.

Before, I was definitely in the 8-10 loads of laundry category as a family of five. But now, we only do 5 loads of laundry each week! We could actually get away with fewer, larger loads, but I have my older two kids learning to do their own laundry. 😉

And, where before my kids had so many clothing options but only wore a select few, they now have a smaller wardrobe made up only of pieces they actually love and wear regularly!

Even more, it’s easier than ever for them to put together outfits on their own. Their clothing was carefully selected so that it can almost all be mixed and matched to create multiple outfits.

No more sending them back upstairs to change because their clothes don’t match. No more, “I don’t know what to wear!”, because they like their clothing and it never gets boring.

How to Create a Capsule Wardrobe For Kids

Alright, let’s get into it! You can build a capsule wardrobe for kids much the same way as you do for yourself.

The biggest difference is that you have to take another person’s style and lifestyle into account. If your child is younger, you can probably choose their clothing for them.

However, if your child is older (or is starting to have strong opinions about what they want to wear) it’s ESSENTIAL for you to go through this process with them if you want the capsule to work out.

With kids, you can also get away with an even smaller wardrobe since they outgrow it so quickly, especially if you are careful to pick versatile clothing pieces.

If you haven’t created a capsule wardrobe for yourself yet, I highly recommend it for many of the same reasons I’ve already mentioned! (Here’s my general post on how to create a capsule wardrobe.)

1. Clarify Their Style

The first thing you need to determine is your kid’s style. This is, of course, assuming that your child is slightly older and is developing their own sense of style and what they are most comfortable wearing.

If that’s the case, ask your child the following questions to begin to clarify your child’s style:

• What colors do you like to wear? What colors do you NOT like to wear?
• What types of clothing do you like to wear? What do you NOT like to wear?
• What is your favorite thing to wear and why?

Once you have answered these questions with your child, you should have a pretty good idea of what they like. Make sure to confirm that you are on the same page before decluttering their clothes or going shopping!

Write down the colors you are going with for your kid’s capsule so you know what to keep later on when you begin decluttering their wardrobe. Try to choose colors that go well together so that they can mix and match.

If your child is unsure of what they like, you can try showing them examples of kids outfits on Pinterest to see what stands out to them and what is a big turn-off.

2. Define Their Lifestyle

Next, you need to take your child’s lifestyle into account. By that, I mean how your child spends their time. Also, take into consideration whether or not your child is super active and needs clothing they can run around in.

If your child spends most of their time at school, most of their clothes should be for that purpose. If your kid has dance practice, horse-riding lessons, or activities like that where they have to wear a certain type of clothing, make sure you include those types of clothing in their capsule as well.

For my kids, most of their clothing is school/play clothes that can be dressed up or down. They have a handful of clothing for their activities, and they have a couple of things that are more for special occasions.

3. Declutter Their Wardrobe

It’s super important that you don’t skip this step if you want to have all of the benefits of a kids’ capsule wardrobe that I described earlier!

If you don’t declutter their clothing, your kid’s room is still going to be a mess. They will still be overwhelmed with their choices if you have too much for them to choose from in their dresser or closet. And, they will likely go through more clothing, causing you to do just as much laundry as before.

Start by removing anything from their room that no longer fits them. If you aren’t sure, have your child try it on.

Next, throw out anything worn out, damaged or stained.

Finally, remove anything they don’t like or actually wear. Oftentimes we keep clothing because we think we’ll wear it someday, but we really never will. Your kid is no different! This is where it is helpful to remove clothing they said they didn’t like when you discussed their color preferences and style.

4. Decide On Numbers

This is where you think back to the type of lifestyle your child has and how they spend their time. Use this information to decide how much clothing your child needs.

For example, determine how many t-shirts they will need before you will do laundry in a given week. Do this for each type of clothing they need for their lifestyle.

If you live somewhere with a moderate temperature year-round, you can think about what they will need for the next 6-12 months until they will likely need to buy different sizes. If you live somewhere with huge temperature changes like us, you may want to only consider the current cold or warm weather season.

5. Take Inventory

Now that you know the numbers that you are shooting for in each clothing category, take inventory of what your child has on hand. This will allow you to quickly see what gaps your child has in their wardrobe for when you go shopping.

Make sure that your kid has enough neutral-colored clothing (ie. black, white, gray, tan, brown or navy) to allow their smaller wardrobe to be versatile enough to go a long way.

6. Go Shopping

Finally, go shopping with your child for the pieces that were missing to complete their capsule. Having a list of specific items and colors to look for will help so that you don’t go overboard and buy more than they need!

Make sure to have them try on clothing so that you know it fits well and that they love it.

7. Put Together Outfits

The last (optional) step is to help your child see the many outfits they can now easily put together with their clothing. If they need help with this, you could choose their outfits for the week. Then, the following week change things up with different pairings so their wardrobe doesn’t get boring.

If they don’t need your help, it’s their turn to get creative! It might be fun for them to put on a fashion show for you so they can show off all of their outfit ideas. 😜

Other Capsule Wardrobe Posts You May Like:

Girls Capsule Wardrobe Example
How to Find Your Style
How to Find High-Quality Clothing For Your Capsule
How to Maintain Your Capsule Wardrobe
Plus, Women’s Capsule Wardrobe Examples for Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer!

Final Thoughts

Creating a capsule wardrobe for kids really is simple but extremely beneficial. Having a capsule wardrobe for your kid will make your life so much easier because you’ll have way less laundry, less mess, and a more streamlined morning routine.

And, your kids will likely look more put-together than ever before once they start having fun putting together outfits!

Don’t forget to snag your free copy of “How to Create a Capsule Wardrobe That Works For You” by becoming one of my email insiders!

What do you think is the best benefit of having a capsule wardrobe for your child? Let me know in the comments!

Talk soon!

Sheila