The Essentials You Need for a Kids’ Capsule Wardrobe

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A capsule can help minimize the number of items of clothing your child needs throughout a particular season or clothing size (depending on how quickly they grow!), while creating options for versatility and creativity as they mix and match pieces.

Plus, capsules are a great way to help your kids learn the value of organization and planning, since fewer items mean clothes are easier to put away and then create outfits from.

When assembling your child’s wardrobe, there are a few capsule essentials that are critical throughout the year:

• A durable pair of jeans (We like these options from Osh Kosh and Target's Cat & Jack Jeans)

• A pair of black pants or khakis

• Classic jean shorts (We have 4 pairs of these jean shorts—they go with just about everything and are gender-neutral for great hand-me-down potential)

• A pair of black shorts

• A simple sweatsuit

• At least one athletic outfit

• A dozen or so shirts (HonestBaby makes super comfy and durable clothes; we love their multi-packs of shirts and they're often on sale!)

• At least one white t-shirt

• A couple of t-shirts in their favorite colors or with their favorite cartoon characters

• A plain white or striped button-down

• A “fun” button-down

• One “dress” outfit

• One windbreaker, zip-up hoodie, or other jacket

• A pair of tennis shoes (always a big fan of Adidas sneakers)

• A pair of sandals

• A pair of dress shoes

Depending on the season, you may choose to replace some of these pieces (or add onto your child’s capsule) with more seasonally-relevant items. For example, if it’s summer, tank tops might be good to use instead of t-shirts, and you might decide to grab a few more pairs of shorts. Or, in the winter, you might skip the shorts altogether and instead invest in a high-quality winter coat.

It’s also important to know that toddlers and younger kids will likely need at least double the items listed here (unless they’re uncommonly good at not spilling food or you’re a “do laundry every day” person—which I am not).

And, for babies, I would recommend mostly ignoring the capsule idea: it’s way easier to dress a baby in jammies or soft fabrics most of the time (jeans are kind of hard to shimmy their squirmy frog legs into), plus with how many outfit change you’re likely to do it’s okay to let the planning and organization aspect go a bit!

What other tips do you have for keeping your kids’ wardrobe minimal and organized?