5 Kids’ Wardrobe Basics – Cut the Clothing Clutter!

With 3 kids in my home, I can tell you the clothing can pile up quickly. Now that the kids can “almost” dress themselves and undress just as quickly, clothing ends up everywhere. Here are some of the basics our family uses to minimize clothing clutter so the kids only have access to the clothes that they need.

Play-Friendly T-Shirts

T-shirts are our #1 clothing basic. The kids can easily put on a t-shirt like this cute Tenth & Pine “I love you more” design and t-shirts don’t have buttons or snaps. As soon as my kids turn 1 they are out of onesies and into t-shirts. Plus t-shirts are fairly inexpensive and can be easily replaced if ruined during a particular messy day of play. I love finding my kids cute t-shirts they can pair with a basic set of jeans, shorts, or leggings.

How cute is this trendy black t-shirt from Tenth & Pine? I love the darling “I love you more” lettering, a timeless design for boys and girls. Black t-shirts on babies is such a nice change from the traditional pastels and baby colors. My little guy loves playing in a roomy t-shirt and I love that this classic black basic won’t easily stain or show the battle scars of backyard play.

Jeans & Leggings

Toddlers and preschoolers are all about “doing it themselves” which means my kids need pants they can easily pull up. This means no snaps, belts, or sashes. I make sure my kids’ wardrobe includes simple streamlined jeans that aren’t too bulky for my little boy and soft leggings for the girls. Solid colored leggings can be paired with any of my girls’ skirts and dresses. I love clothing separates that can be turned into a large combination of outfits. I try to buy clothing in similar color hues and patterns that can be matched in many outfit combinations.

You don’t have to sacrifice style by stocking up on basic wardrobe basics! My little guy wears many of his comfy t-shirts with his soft doodlepants leggings, each sporting a cute “doodle” design on the  bum. doodlepants are super stretchy and hold up well throughout the crawling baby stage. My little guy has put some serious miles on his knees and has put holes in many of his pants. His doodlepants leggings only show minimal wear. The roomy bum area also stretches well over his cloth diapers!

Twirly Dresses

My girls love playing in dresses. We went camping in the Spring and my girls wore dresses half the time while romping around in the woods. Soft cotton dresses like this dusty aqua design from Magnolia and Pine are perfect for everyday play. I love the darling ruffles and simple design that allows my daughter to run and play freely. Easily pair a cute dress with knit shorts to keep your little girl super cool in the summer when she can run around with bare feet.

Kids’ Clothing Laundry Care

I like to extend the life of my kids’ clothing with a few laundry care tips.

I wash my kids’ clothing on a regular warm cycle to remove all the dirt and grime. I spot clean stain areas by rubbing on a natural stain remover such as this BunchaFarmers natural stain stick to cut grease and help remove food stains and dirt from my kids’ clothing. BunchaFarmers stain sticks are made with all-natural, biodegradable ingredients of saponified oils of coconut, canola and vegetable oi, litsea cubeba essential oil, lemon essential and enhanced with borax to soften the water and aid the cleaning process.

Stain Removal Tips

Berries: Soak berry stains right away in warm water and rub on a natural stain remover. Use rubbing and friction to help work the stain out of the clothing. Allow the stain remover to work for a few minutes before tossing the clothing item into the wash.

Pen marks: Pour hydrogen peroxide onto pen stains and allow it to sit on the clothing item for a few minutes before laundering.

Chocolate: Get the clothing item wet and rub a stain remover such as BunchaFarmers stain stick directly onto the chocolate. Allow the stain remover to work for a few minutes before laundering as usual.

Dirt & Grass Stains: For an overall dirty item, you can try soaking the item in water and vinegar. Fill up a bathroom sink with water, add a spurt of vinegar and soak the clothing for an hour or even overnight. Rub a natural stain remover onto particularly stained areas and launder the item as usual.

DIY Laundry Detergent

I love using my homemade laundry detergent for washing our family’s clothes and even laundering cloth diapers! I can make a whole 5 gallon bucket of homemade laundry detergent for $5.04 + tax.

Ingredients

• 1 cup 20 Mule Team Borax ($3.99 per 65oz. box divided by 8 cups = $0.49 per cup)
• 1 cup Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda ($3.97 per 55oz. box divided by 7 cups = $0.56 per cup)
• 1 bar Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Peppermint Soap (3.99 per bar)

Tools

• 8 quart pot
• Cheese grater
• 1 cup measuring cup

Instructions

Grate 1 bar of Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Peppermint Soap. Bring 8 cups of water to a boil and stir in the grated soap until dissolved. Add 1 cup washing soap and 1 cup borax and stir until dissolved.

Fill a container with 3 gallons of water. Pour the soap mixture into the water and stir until combined. Set aside and allow to sit undisturbed for 24 hours.

After a stir your homemade laundry detergent is ready for use! Don’t worry if the mixture separates a bit over time. I usually use 1/4 cup of homemade detergent per load of laundry. Happy laundering!

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Katie Wallace

Hi, I’m Katie! I live with my husband and 4 kids in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. I love Jesus, coffee, creative projects, photography, and traveling. I’ve previously worked as a web designer, journalist, and barista. I hope you enjoy our creative projects and family adventures!