How much clothing should kids have?

yentaof8

Thu, Jan 17 2008, 2:08 pm

I'm the worst person who should be answering this. Since I buy most outfits either at end-of -season clearances and really get great deals, my kids definitely have way too much clothing. Thank goodness for uniforms but still they need Shabbos, Yom Tov, everyday nice clothes, play clothes,bris clothes, Chanuka party clothes - matching vests clothes........My Dh tells me if I really want to save money I should buy them on sale but still limit to what they really need but somethings are just too irresistible and who's to say what they really need. I just love the fact that they always have clothes in their closets with tags on them waiting for the right occasion for them to wear. I think there is a name for my condition but I'm still in denial.

Squash

Thu, Jan 17 2008, 2:18 pm

my kids have 5/6 weekday outfits.
1 shabbos o/f and 1 robe for my daughter
1 shabbos o/f with two shirts for the boys.

for me, less is more. the less clothes I need to keep track of, launder, iron, keep organized and neat, etc. the better off I am.

and lucky for me, I derive no satisfaction from having clothes in the closet with tags on. Wink

greenfire

Thu, Jan 17 2008, 2:38 pm

some say:
one on the body
one in the draw
one in the laundry
one shabbos

then you have more space and less laundry

I never got that one ...
and I have girls - they like clothes - lots of them

find the sales always makes life easier
and teaching them to do laundry does too

mommy24

Thu, Jan 17 2008, 3:00 pm

I think it epends on the ages: my oldest is 8, I assume older girls need/want more clothes than what my daugher has now:

My oldest daugher has a school uniform (I bouhgt 5) she wears 6 days a week. For the occasional day off and Sunday after school she has 2 skirts and 4 tops to interchange. For SHabbos she has3 outfits.

My oldest son is also in school 6 days a week as well, he has 7 pairs of pants for school and 8 school (button down) shirts. For Shabbos he has a suit and tehn 3 white shirts and a couple of ties with 2 other shabbos pants. For the occasional day off he wears, school pants and 1 other shirt he has that is not button down.

My 5 and 3 year old have about 6 pairs of pants and 10 tops each (too many).

My baby- has a ton of clothes way too much to count.

How much you need depends on how often you do laundry. I would rather have less clutter and do more laundry , others may not have a machine and would rather have the extra clothes so thy don't need to do a laundry so often.

↑ amother ↓

Thu, Jan 17 2008, 7:42 pm

amother wrote:

How many outfits are normal for a kid to have?

Do your kids wear all their clothes regularly?

For a boy who keeps clean:

3 pairs of weekday pants and shirts to match, each set worn twice a week.

One outfit for Shabbos, maybe two shirts to go with it.

↑ amother

Thu, Jan 17 2008, 10:03 pm

I appreciate the responses. My mother was trying to convince me that my kids need more clothes than they have, so I was curious if I'm the only one who thinks 5 weekday outfits is reasonable. I see there's a whole range, and it depends a lot on your situation I know. But I agree with the poster who finds it easier to stay organized when there are fewer clothes to keep track of. Thanks for your answers everyone!

raizy

Sun, Jan 20 2008, 4:22 pm

I have one dd who has uniform she has 4 shirts and 3 uniforms. and then she has 3 weekdays and 3 shabbos. I go to wedding alot.

my sons the 2 older have about 6 shirts and sweaters and vests and about 4 -5 pants. they have 3 shabbos. with too many white shirts. every wedding I open one white shirt. so it adds up.

my two younger ones have their cloths and all the smattas from all the other children. so they have alot. but not too much]

I do laundry every day 3 loads. and after shabbos one million loads.

and my dh claims I have too much . if it was up to him he would have for every kids 4 outfits and 2 shabbos. and that is it. and no shammatas old cloths. hand me down..etc. he claims they are so bad I should just throw it out. he is right. maybe when I clean for peasach I will get more orginized.

grin

Mon, Jan 21 2008, 2:26 am

I think it depends a lot on how large the family is, which affects how often you do laundry. Also, 4 is too little - what if the one clean shirt tears that day? IMO 5-6 of each is enough for each kid.
I admit, my younger ones have more - they have both new stuff and hand-me-downs - and after I weeded out their stuff so that they would be able to change out of their uniform (which I only bought 2), they don't bother, so all those nice things stay on the shelf!

mummy-bh ↓

Mon, Jan 21 2008, 5:49 am

amother wrote:

curious if I'm the only one who thinks 5 weekday outfits is reasonable.

My kids don't have that much stuff! My older boy has 2 pairs of non-uniform trousers and a couple of tops, and my girls have 3-4 weekday skirts each and about 5 tops. They don't wear 'outfits' but rather mix and match. This is in addition to shabbos clothes - older boy has one suit and about 5 shirts (cost: 5 for Â£7) and younger boy has same, but a spare suit for emergencies (used to be his older brother's).

mandksima

Mon, Jan 21 2008, 6:46 am

yentaod8- I am like you. I buy great clothes at bargain prices and keep them in the closet until they fit. My kids don't have uniforms. My daughter (age 6) is very into clothes, like I was as a teenager. Her current Shabbos jumper is beautiful and I think I paid $8 (probably $40 retail) a few years back. I couldn't afford to buy her expensive clothes for that reason plus she gets everything stained quickly and not everything comes out. My son doesn't care about clothes but he has a lot also. He doesn't grow so quickly so sometimes he's wearing the same pieces for over a year or two. I get sick of seeing the same stuff over and over and over... Now that we made aliyah, my MIL sends most of my son's clothes but my daughter is too picky and I have to find a few things for her here. Clothes are hardly ever bargains here so I buy her very little. This American part of me is hard to give up...If I go back for a visit sometime, I plan on stocking up majorly on good quality but bargain clothes. I might not go back for a long time though. I give all their old clothes away to gemachim and sometimes buy at thrift stores/gemachim as well. I don't care where the clothes are from, I just want my kids to look decently dressed.

I still do laundry all the time even though the kids have a lot of outfits. So I couldn't imagine doing laundry more often because they'd have fewer clothes.

micki

Mon, Jan 21 2008, 11:06 am

I have no idea how mnay outfits each kid has. the drawers are stuffed though and my kids complain if I do laundry too mcuh, they say they have no room left int he drawers for the clean clothes.
I think I have too much. but I hardly buy anymore, ib ought for my oldest of each gender, and now I pass it down. of course I buy an occasional sweater or whatever or if I wan tthem to match and I think that is why the drawers get too full. I think I need to clean some out!!!

GAMZu

Mon, Jan 21 2008, 12:34 pm

My kids also have WAAAY to many clothes.
What can I do? I rarely buy for more than $5 per item. I stock up in advance on sales.
They have outdoor clothes and comfy sweats and fleeces to wear at home.

My 2nd boy gets most stuff from my 1st, but some things are worn out so I don't pass them down, other things I don't find so 'comfortable' to use... fit or whatever, so I give them to a g'mach.

Other things I get bored of so they also go to a g'mach.
I can justify it because I spend $2-$5 on brand name stuff.

I also get things for layering- t-shirts, turtle necks, etc.
I get a bunch of white t-shirts and polo shirts, long and short sleeves, so I can match anything in a hurry...

Then I get a bunch of different hats, scarves and mittens to mix and match so I don't get bored in the winter with the same old, same old... and so that my pictures should be varied!! lol Wink

I also get matching items for my kids, one size that my oldest can wear now and one size bigger so in a year or 2 they can match.

yeah, way too much. Wink