I just read an article on creating a capsule wardrobe for your children. The funny thing is, I have been doing this for 15 years before capsule wardrobes ever became a thing. Why? Because it saved my sanity. Imagine how much easier mornings are when your kids have to choose from items that all match. And then it also reduced the amount of clothing they had, so there was less to wash and less laying all over their bedroom floors.
I took it a bit simpler and put shelves in the laundry room to store their clothes- it gets it permanently off their bedroom floors (except the stray sock or two), and get it so all you have to do to "put it away" is find their tote on the shelf and put it in it (often times I don't even fold it first).
We made space in the house we built so they could change right in the laundry room, or the bathroom next to it, most of the time to make it even easier.
I just had my 9th kid, but I'm buying less clothing than ever, how did that work? Well, I'm a sucker for well-built clothing and will often store anything I think will be useful upstairs in totes (by size and gender) to use on the next kid.
So how do you build one for your child/children? First of all, go through their clothes and pick out their favorite pieces- the ones they wear all the time. If they are in good condition, put them in the keep pile. Take these favorite pieces and find several more pants/bottoms that match and they like to wear (a total of perhaps 6-7 or maybe as few as 3-4 depending on how often you wash and how many changes they need in those days. Usually 10 is max in my book). Then do the same with tops and jackets. Underwear and socks are a little simpler as they don't have to be seen. I still find if I buy 6-10 pairs of identical or nearly identical socks then when we lose one or wear one it, its only one and not a pair we lose. Now you have a capsule wardrobe.
So there are probably a few pieces that are good quality and would match into the wardrobe- keep a couple of these and put them in a "back up" tote- out of the normal flow of laundry options, and pull the one or two out when a piece is needed to be replaced due to stains or rips. The rest simply rehome.
Now, what about wardrobe extras?
Swimsuits- how many do you need? I need 1-2 per child in the summer. As my parents have a lake cabin and a pool in their other house. We can live with 1 if we always bring it home after a swim.
Karate/dance/exercise clothes- we use a different tote or store these in the bags we will grab as we run out the door (haven't done much of that this year :))
Dress Clothing: We do not put this in the normal tote, nor do these have to match anything in the normal tote. They are on hangers, waiting for the special occasion. My boys have 1-2 suits each (we use them every week) my girls' vary more because Grandma buys too many dresses and I have a harder time paring them down. I often hang the tights and sweaters right with the dresses so it's a one-hanger grab and dress.
Seasonal clothing: We live in Minnesota and to handle the weather, I do change the kids' clothing from summer to winter each year (and back again).
Now teenagers are fun, as they come with their own ideas. Luckily, mine have been willing to keep their clothes in the totes in the laundry room. My teens each have their own idea of what they like to wear. I have one who wears golf pants (has 4 all in the same color) and Hawaiian shirts (these obviously all match the golf pants). Besides that, he has 2 hoodie jackets, under and socks that are different from his brothers so they don't get mixed up. Another teen has chosen to wear all black. Makes shopping simple. He still only has 4 pants and several shirts and pjs. Another teen wears nothing but Duluth Trading 2XLTs same tan pants and 4 t-shirts in different colors. This kid doesn't wear the hoodies the others have but has a jacket instead. My 12-year-old daughter is growing so fast that I buy her a longer pair of pants every few weeks. Her tote right now is very minimal when we remove all that doesn't fit.
Shoes: My kids only have 1 pair of shoes in each category. Some skip entire categories altogether. Tennie/daily shoes, dress shoes, winter boots, sandals. my girls who do horse lessons have their horse boots.
Tote maintenance: Every month or so, I pull out a kid's tote and go through it. I pull out anything too small, anything too stained or ripped, and replace what is needed. I look for anything that doesn't match. or if there are too many of 1 thing in a tote. The first place I check for replacement is the backup tote, then I go upstairs to the big storage with all the totes. If I still can't find what is needed I will order from a good quality supplier (or see if a garage sale or second-hand store has it, but usually I have to buy tall sizes and that is harder to find at garage sales). I also check that everything is still matching.
Sometimes due to growth spurts or seasonal changes a complete wardrobe change is required. This is where you hope your need and a sale at a good children's brand matches. Usually, good brands come out with lines of clothing that all or mostly match, making buying a capsule wardrobe easy.
