With the hustle and bustle of summer the last thing you want to be thinking about is organizing. But it’s a great idea to start now organize your child’s clothing for the coming school year.

• Start by taking inventory. Depending on your future plans get three boxes. Label them Give Away, Keep, Store. As you go through items have your child initially decide what goes in each box. If needed then you provide some gentle nudging in one way or another.
• This is a great time to work up an inventory sheet. Your child could be growing like a weed and you want to know what you have on hand and in what sizes. Choose this time to take note of what your child needs for NEXT summer. Hint: August is the best time to buy summer clothing. Items are at a deep discount. For year round children's clothing at a discount try an auction site like eBay
• If you aren’t planning on using the clothing within your own family (hey hand me downs are a fact of life) then giving away your usable good condition clothing or even having a swap party is a great idea.
• Now we have to find where to put it all. Under the bed storage boxes are a great place to store out of season clothing.  As the weather starts to change, swap what is in the dressers and closest for what is under the bed.  As you swap out the clothes check for things they’ve outgrown or that need repairs.  Set up a designated place for the kids to put the clothes that are too small, so when they try something on, they don’t just put it back in the drawer. A small pop up box in their closet or a bag hanging from the closet door. Or even a box in the laundry room or garage.
• You and/or your child pick out outfits in advance and organize them so dressing in the mornings is a breeze.
• Once the clothing has been organized keep up with it by keeping an inventory or your child’s clothing and what sizes they were.  Make notes on what things you may need to keep your eyes out for to pick up at a discount.