Children

Cast-Off Cures

Every major seasonal change means a major wardrobe overhaul. For moms, that means pulling boxes of clothes down from the attic or up from the basement, staring at them for a while, and then avoiding them by getting wrapped up in another task. This season, let’s attack the task like we mean business. It’s time to do the wardrobe switch-a-roo!

Step One
Before you even reach for those cold-weather clothes, pull everything out of your child’s drawers. As an experienced mom, I would highly suggest that you do this portion of the task without your child, unless you just want to haggle over every little item. Whatever is too small, put in a box for younger children or to donate to a friend or charity. When the box is full, make sure you label it with the size, as well as the season.

Step Two
Leave out at least a dozen or so warm-weather outfits and place them into one drawer for your child. You know as well as I do, that there will be warm days every now and then; and the last thing you want to do is dig through the basement to find some decent clothes to wear. This way, your child has some weather-appropriate clothes to wear and won’t be forced to burn up in jeans and a cardigan.

Step Three
Now that you have clean drawers and an empty closet, you want to invite your child in to help you stock it up. The reason you want to do this with your child is because if he doesn’t want to wear it, then now is the time to get rid of it. You don’t want to fill up his drawers and closet with a bunch of clothes that he wouldn’t be caught at Chuck E. Cheese in! Go through any stored boxes of cold weather clothing with a pen and paper. If he needs it, and it’s not there, then write it down so you can remember to pick it up later.

Step Four
Steer clear of the malls. They are making a killing this time of year on parents who are stocking up on jackets, coats, and sweaters. If your child has wardrobe needs, try visiting thrift stores and consignment stores first. You will make that dollar stretch a lot further. Also, scope out some moms in your social circles who have kids of the same gender, but a few years older. They may be more than willing to pass along some items for the good of the cause. After all, we’re all in this together!