Hi Moms. I have 3 kids, ages 5, 7, and 8, who all go to a private school. They wear uniforms: Khaki or navy bottoms and white, red, navy blue, or hunter green polo shirts. Here's my question: when I'm washing all my kids uniforms can you think of a good way to sort the polo shirts for each child? There are a few shirts my daughter wears that are obviously girls so I wouldn't mix them up with my sons' shirts. But the sizing isn't really a good way to sort either. My middle son is bigger than my skinny daughter, and sometimes a bigger shirt that shrinks may say the size of one kid but really fits someone else. I considered writing on the inside collar or tag with a sharpie, but what if one kid outgrows it and it later goes to someone else? Or what if I want to garage sale it later? I was hoping to find a solution that was reliable but not permanent. So what do you think?
**EDITED STUFF**
Okay, thanks for the responses ladies. What I mean, is the sorting after the washing. See, since their shirts are white, red, dark blue, and dark green, I can't wash them all together. I have to wash whites with whites, reds with reds, etc. So after all the laundry is dry and I'm folding, I look at all these shirts and I'm like, WHICH GOES TO WHOM???? That's my problem. Okay, suggestions?
what if instead of writing the childs name in there clothes you gave them each a symbol...like a star a heart and a diamond..or something like that?
I don't have the perfect answer but here are my ideas: 1.) like sizes in marked lingerie bags for each kid 2.) I've also heard of clipping socks together with clothes pins. Maybe it could work for kids shirts. 3.) Separate loads for each child? Not a time saver, but it would keep things separate. That's how I like to do it, but I only have two kids.
I agree with the previous poster. I have 4 boys and they are 2 to a room. I wash by room and I know what belongs to each child. My 9 and 13 are a little obvious as to what belongs to who. My other two are 5 and 6 but I just know what belongs to who and who wears what size. Since you can't tell, wash by child. Nothing wrong with that.
Okay...so I know this is probably going to sound completely crazy and people will probably think I am a lunatic, but I have two boys and I am pregnant with boy #3. I have hampers for each child and I wash them separately. It is just easier that way. I kept getting socks mixed up and it drove me CRAZY! So, now, there is NO issue. When #3 comes I will do the same thing! Everyone has a different laundry day. It works for me and I am always doing laundry anyway - this way I don't spend a lot of time sorting! Good luck and I hope that you find a system that works for you!
Susan's "dot" idea is perfect!!!
To distinguish between clothing for near-in-age or size children, place a dot in an inconspicious place with a permanent marker. One dot for the older child, two for the second, etc. If an item can be passed to the next child, simply add a dot.
I grew up in Chicago, welcome to Texas and hope the heat is not leaving you too wilted.
Even if you don't sew, you should be able to take black thread or whatever else shows up on the labels and as another person suggested, for the eldest, use one stitch, for the next down, two, so they look a bit like hash marks you would use to count of something. If the clothes wind up too small for the older child, you just add a hash mark and give it to the next kid down.
I am going through a lot of this with my kids and that is not even just the uniforms. My 13-year-old keeps shirts that are really probably too small because he likes them but won't wear the uniform shirts unless they are really a size or two too big. Eyeballing is not working and I may try this idea with them because they are making me nuts because apparently their legs are also broken and when they find such an item, they can't take it to their brother's room or even tell someone, this laundry doesn't belong to me, sigh.
