Keep Kids' Closets Under Control

It’s one thing to get them dressed, but managing the volume and variety of kids’ clothing as well as their tastes – especially when you have more than one child – is a constant challenge. Here are some tips from parents in the trenches:

• Weed out continually. Don’t wait until the end of the season to pull out clothing that is too small or worn out. Keep a large shopping bag or plastic storage bin in your child’s closet and let items accumulate there. This way, you’ll have a jump on the end-of-season sorting madness.

• Label, label, label! Invest in a bunch of plastic storage bins and labels. “When my oldest daughter outgrows something, I throw it into a bin and give it a detailed label,” says Samantha, a mother of two girls. “I can tell pretty quickly what I have for my youngest daughter to use.”

• Be ruthless. If it hasn’t been worn in a year, get rid of it. If it’s not being used, it shouldn’t be taking up space.