Tips for Storing Baby Clothes

Hi,
I only kept the ones that were sentimental, like the outfit he came in and others that were special. You don't want to keep them all or you will end up with no room. You can always give to someone that really needs them and doesn't have the money. You can also have a garage sale and offer them that way. I do have some of his clothes from a baby that I kept but I didn't keep them all. There really isn 't any point. My MIL kept a few of my husbands clothes and gave them to us when my son was born but they were old and the elastic didn't work anymore. They really for looks when they kept that long so I only kept a few things. Good Luck on what you decide.
SH.

I use space bags (the kind you vacuum out the air) and I love them! The best part is, if you use the ones that are the same size as your storage bins, you can store them inside so the're not sliding around on top of each other on a shelf. It keeps them contained. Yes, you'd still be using storage bins but you'd need fewer of them. It will help keep things better organized. I label all my bins with the size clothes that are inside, too. Hope this helps

I have the vacuum bags from bed, bath and beyond and I really like them, they flatten out so I can lay lots under the bed without taking up so much space, also I found I can fit a lot more in a storage bin if I first put it in the smaller bags. You can't use the larger bags and fold them in the bin, the pressure or something causes them to lose the vacuum seal, so just make sure you lay them flat. Good luck!!

Good golly! That's a lot of clothes!!!! I wasn't quite as wise until I had my second child, but you only need about 10 outfits - do laundry once a week and you're good to go. I know, some of those outfits are irresistible. Anyway, I did store clothes from my first to my second since I have 2 girls. I bought big bins from Target (I think 66 gallon?) so they were all the same and easily stackable. Then I labeled each one and put in the basement. You can put about one years worth of clothes in one of those big bins. I've made a lot of money consigning clothes - maybe you could get rid of some of those things you have!!

You are buying way too many clothes. At this rate, you'll need a storage unit just for clothes. They outgrow them so fast as babies--just buy what you need for about a week's worth of outfits for the size the baby currently wears.

I have purchased and used "spacebags" in the past and found that they are definitely not worth the cost. It is rather expensive - typically around $20 for 4 bags. The bags do work the first time you pack and vacuum them but if you open the packages more than once to retrieve clothing or if you move them around to various locations the bags have a tendency to lose the vacuum completely or never again pull a full vacuum. I would recommend using the Ziploc XL bags. They are much cheaper - about $5 for 4 bags and you can even download buy one get one free coupons off their website. They work just as well and I find them to be a thicker bag that can withstand more of the everyday beatings. I usually pack the clothing in these bags and then stash them away in rubber tubs to protect them a bit further. This way I can label the bags for specific clothing sizes and I don't have to dig through the entire tub of loose clothing to find the size I need. Hope this helps! Good luck!

We used the vaccum bags and all was great.... until we moved and the bags were punctured. So this time I still used the vaccum bags but I put them in a box for safeguard. We store clothes by season instead of size. That way the clothes are all in the same place when I need them. All so I am not sure but 10 storage bags for 1 child seems to be alot so maybe keep what you know you could use again not just everything. Either way, saving things for future children has saved tons of money and time so Congrats on that.

T.

I have 3 girls, so I've always stored everything. I love the spacebags; they are much more practical than bins. If you have a membership to some warehouse,like Costco, the large sets are very reasonable...much more than you would get from an infomercial.

I used both the storage bins and the suction bags. I was able to fit more into the storage bins after I suctioned them into the bags. I feel like the clothes are double protected from outside concerns - attic or shed storing can be iffy. I also recommend going through your stash and getting rid of anything with a stain on it or something you weren't exactly in love with. A lot of my friends sell their overflow of clothes on Ebay or donate them to local charities - both would be beneficial since everyone is so concerned with saving money now.
Hope this helps!

I initially was using storage bins but found them to be expensive and took up a lot of space - I actually like the spacesaver bags and have switched over to them for storing my babies clothes. I purchased my bags at WalMart (but have also seen them at Bed Bath and Beyond). I defintely recommend the ones that you use the vacuum to suck the air out. I have been very happy with them, less space and not as easy for bugs to get in since it is air tight. You will know right away if you did it right because if it is not air tight the bag begins to expand slightly.

I would definitely recommend space bags with so many clothes. The ones that you press and roll are kind of hard for me to use and they only store a tiny bit of clothing. I have found that the best space bags are the gigantic ones that come with an outer protective case. They are sold at walmart and have a tan cover around the space bag. They store about 3 storage boxes of clothes and the cover does a couple of great things. First the cover is structured and makes the space bag shrink more or less square which helps with stacking. Second, I have had some space bags get holes in them (or the cats chew on them) and the slowly reinflate and can no longer be used. This doesn't happen with the ones with a cover. Lastly they have handles which helps in carrying.

Storage tip: Separate the unisex clothes from the "boy" clothes so you can easily just get out the ones you need if you have a girl next time.

One other tip: It sounds like you have a LOT of clothes. I might go through and get rid of your least favorite things. Don't forget that when you have a new baby you will still want to buy some special things and may not have anywhere to put them.

Have a great weekend,
A.
www.snuggleandread.com

I don't know about 'spacebags,' but if you are saving clothes to pass down to future children, I would recommend either the plastic bins for under the bed, closet, or garage, or possibly buy a pretty storage trunk as a table/headboard/etc that has hidden storage - I have seen tons of ottomans, coffee tables, bed-ends, headboards, etc that provide storage in plain sight. You can even get creative with it - I have fake books that are on my tv stand that can hold jewelry, etc...and a nice seagrass trunk in the corner of my room that keeps all my hair supplies/makeup/costume jewelry, etc and would be perfect for storing clothes - and it looks good too!!

Hey! What I did was give away the outfits that I didn't absolutely love and put the rest in a space bag. I use the ones that get vacuumed out and I found they work well. They totally took up less space. My mom loves buying baby clothes so I know that all our next children will get the favorites from our first and whatever new things are bought. Good luck!

Hey N.,

I have 5 children so I'm consistantly recycling clothing and saving the older children's clothing for the younger ones. I have never used spacesaver bags. I found spending money of those types of products really don't benefit my family. Plastic Bins have been the best for us. If your running out of room, I suggest asking a family friend if you could store a bin or two at there house. I have done clothing exchanges with friends and family to keep having to store clothing. Hope that helps

J.
www.northmetrodcmommies.com

Since I buy diapers in bulk in cardboard boxes, I just keep the boxes to store outgrown clothes. I only keep the most favorite outfits, seal up the boxes with packing tape and put huge labels on them to find them easily when I might need them again.