Transitioning to Capsule Wardrobes for My Kids and a Free Secondhand Kids Capsule Wardrobe Checklist

Since shopping for secondhand kids clothes is my job it is probably not surprising that my kids’ closets are overflowing. My boys have gotten used to my piles of clothes for them to review and weigh in whether to keep or sell. Compound that with hand me downs from brother to brother and even the reserve sizes are way more than we need.

In a moment that was the result of weeks of frustration I decided we need to make the jump to capsule wardrobes.  With my two older boys we reviewed their current season clothes and got it down to a manageable amount that will actually fit in their dressers.

Then I moved on to cleaning out the sizes I have in reserves. I let go of a few sizes altogether since there are 5 sizes between my middle and youngest. As I mentioned on Instagram a few weeks ago, my older 2 boys are shaped very differently so I considered that as well when cleaning out some of the sizes. 

I already had everything divided in bins by size, so I moved through and divided each size into Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer groups. 

From there I laid out what I had and removed the items that weren’t in the best shape, didn’t coordinate well with the other pieces or probably wouldn’t have the right fit. 

 A complete size 5 fall/winter capsule wardrobe-.

Things that didn’t make it to be sold or donated.

As I went through size by size and season by season there were of course some that had bigger gaps due to wear or how my kids grew as my oldest has been known to skip whole sizes.

A slim size 5 spring/summer capsule. I made a note to add some solid color shorts and shirts.

Then each season add holiday outfits and pajamas. 

Organized and packed back in their bins.  Soon I will fill out and insert the checklist.

With my youngest wearing sizes smaller than what I had saved I will be creating his capsule wardrobes from scratch. I created a capsule wardrobe checklist to help guide my shopping and I wanted to share that with you as well!

Sign up HERE or click the image below to receive the checklist printable which includes Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter sheets for both boys and girls. This capsule is VERY minimal, but there is extra space if you want to write in more pieces.

Starting in January I’ll also be posting a series of how I pull together a secondhand capsule wardrobe which will give you a better idea of how long it takes, how/where to shop and also how much money you can save!

Do you already use capsule wardrobes for your kids or are you thinking about making the transition?