If your baby’s clothes are taking over every drawer, closet and corner of your house, you are SO not alone. Between the clothes they outgrow every few weeks, the hand-me-downs and gifts from family, it piles up fast. I was honestly drowning in tiny clothes before I found a system that worked.
I was trying to figure out what to do with the clothes my baby had grown out of, and I found these clear plastic storage bags. They ended up being the easiest fix! Everything is sorted by size, I can see what’s inside without opening anything, and when baby moves up a size I just grab the next bag.
Here’s exactly how I do it, step by step, plus everything I use.
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What you need
You really don’t need much. Here’s what I use:
- Clear zippered storage bags. These are the star of the show. You can see what’s inside, they zip closed, they stack flat, and they come with labels. A 6-pack covers most of the first year, so grab two packs if you want every size through 24 months.
- Labels. The labels come with the bags, so you just write the size and slide it in the front. SO simple.
- A big storage tote to hold all the bags. I use these Sterilite 27-gallon totes. They’re sturdy, they stack, and the lids snap on tight, so they’re great for a closet or the garage.
Step 1: Gather everything in one spot
Pull out every piece of baby clothing you have. Dresser drawers, the closet, the hand-me-down bags in the garage, the gifts still in the box. It will look like a lot. That’s normal. Seeing it all at once is what makes the next step easy.
Step 2: Sort by size
Make a pile for each size:
- Newborn
- 0-3 months
- 3-6 months
- 6-9 months
- 9-12 months
- 12-18 months
- 18-24 months
Tip: brands size differently, so go by the size on the tag, not by how big it looks. If something runs small, toss it in the smaller pile.
Step 3: Bag and label each size
Put each size in its own clear bag and fill in the label that comes with it. I like big, easy-to-read labels so I can find the right size quickly, even half asleep. 🙈
If you have a lot of one size, split it into two bags (like “6-9 months, tops” and “6-9 months, sleepers”).
Step 4: Keep the current size in the dresser and the next size within reach
This is the part that makes life easier. Only the size baby wears right now goes in the dresser. The next size up stays close by, so when things start getting snug you can swap them out in two minutes.
In our nursery I keep the next size up in a cubby basket, and I have a separate basket just for clothes baby has outgrown. When that basket is full, it’s time to bag them up.
Step 5: Store the rest
Everything that’s not in use goes in the tote. Bigger sizes you’re saving for later and outgrown sizes you’re keeping for a sibling can all go in, sorted and labeled. The tote can live in a closet, under the crib or in the garage.
Baby clothes storage for small spaces
We’re still in an apartment. We have a little more storage now, but honestly, I just like everything to have a spot. (Okay, I might be a little Type A when it comes to organizing. 🙈) A few things that help in a small space:
- Under-crib storage. If your crib has space underneath, a flat bin is perfect for out-of-season clothes.
- Drawer organizers. Inside the dresser, organizers keep the current size split into tops, bottoms and jammies.
- Squeeze out the air. Flat bags take up way less room than folded piles.
What to do with outgrown baby clothes
I keep all of ours to pass down to a sibling. That’s honestly the biggest reason I love this system. When it’s time, I just pull out the right bag and everything is already sorted, labeled and ready to go. 🫶🏽
A few tips if you’re saving them too:
- Add the season to the label (“3-6 months, winter”) so you know what will fit the weather when the next baby gets there.
- Wash everything before it goes in the bag, so it’s ready to wear when you need it.
- Bag outgrown sizes as you go, so you’re not facing a mountain of clothes all at once.
Not planning on another baby? The same bags make it easy to pass clothes on to a friend, a family member or a local moms group.
More organizing finds I love
These aren’t required, but they make it even easier to keep things in order:
- Baby closet size dividers. If you hang clothes, these show exactly where each size starts. This wooden set goes from newborn to 24 months.
- Kids velvet hangers. They’re non-slip and thin, so tiny clothes stay put and you fit more in the closet.
- Drawer organizers. These split the dresser into tops, bottoms and jammies, so the current size stays neat.
- Fabric storage cubes. These are perfect in a cubby for the next size up or the outgrown basket.
- Low-profile under-bed storage. It’s slim enough to slide under the crib or a bed for out-of-season clothes.
- A label maker, for the Type A mamas like me. 🙈 It prints from your phone and makes everything look SO tidy.
Why this works
You can see everything at a glance. Nothing gets lost in the back of a drawer. And when baby has a growth spurt overnight (because they always do), you’re not digging through bins at 2am. You just grab the next bag.
It’s a small thing, but it honestly makes the day-to-day feel a little calmer. And with a baby, we’ll take every little bit of calm we can get. 🤎
Save this for the next time the clothes start piling up. And mamas, how do you organize your baby’s clothes? I’d love to hear what’s worked for you in the comments 👇🏼
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