Anastasia Vasilieva is a sustainable fashion researcher and founder of Treehouse, a certified organic kidswear brand. Her work on non-toxic clothing has been featured in podcasts, press, and guest lectures at FIT and Georgetown.
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I still remember opening the nursery dresser drawer and feeling like I had an explosion of tiny onesies. At first, I did a great job of keeping them looking super organised, but somehow they multiplied and took over, and before I knew it, things were a mess.
The good news? It is possible to get and stay organized. And if I managed it (classic adhd mom here), you can too! With a smart system in place, you can find what you need for your baby quickly and keep daily dressing routines running smoothly, even when youāre sleep-deprived.
Letās walk through how to organize baby clothes:
Why Organizing Baby Clothes Early Makes Life Easier
Two things most parents quickly learn:
Clothes sizes change fast in infancy. Babies grow quickly in the first weeks and months. Newborn clothes typically fit babies for only a short time, often about 3ā5 weeks, before they switch to 0ā3 month sizes, depending on birth weight and growth patterns.
Frequent outfit changes are normal. Newborns go through multiple outfits daily due to spit-ups, diaper leaks, and general messiness, often 2ā4 outfits per day in the earliest months.
Getting clothing sorted early by size and function supports smoother days and calmer mornings, in a way that allows parents to get through the craziness of the early days more easily.
Tip #1: Start by Sorting Baby Clothes by Size and Age
This is the highest-impact step, because it immediately stops the āthis looks like it should fitā¦ why doesnāt it?ā cycle.
Store the next size in one labeled bin (or one drawer). If it doesnāt fit in one bin/drawer, you have too much of that size.
Size sanity (so you donāt overbuy newborn)
Newborn size is often short-lived, and itās very common to end up with too many newborn pieces compared to 0ā3 months. Baby registry blogs explicitly recommend registering for a range of sizes and putting āmostā clothing in 0ā3 months and 3-6 months rather than newborn.
If youāre building a small set of organic cotton baby clothes, itās even more important to keep the size rotation clean so you donāt lose track of what fits.
Tip #2: Decide What Goes in Drawers vs the Closet
Most parents accidentally do this backwards, hanging the stuff they use constantly, and stuffing daily basics wherever they fit.
Put in drawers (your āmultiple-times-a-dayā basics)
bodysuits
sleepers
pajamas
leggings / soft pants
everyday tops
Why: Babies can go through 2ā3 outfits in a day, so anything you reach for repeatedly should be one-handed accessible.
Hang in the closet (less frequent, bulkier, or āspecialā)
jackets/outerwear
sweaters
ānice outfitsā
anything that wrinkles easily (if you care)
Pro move: dedicate one small closet section to āNext size up.ā This prevents the classic mistake: buying duplicates because you forgot you already own them.
These are the bodysuits and sleepers we make for everyday wear.
Tip #3: Organize Baby Clothes for Quick Daily Access
This is where things go from āorganizedā to actually useful.
Use the 3-zone drawer system
Instead of sorting by ātops vs bottomsā (which sounds logical but fails at 3 am), sort by what you need the clothes to do:
Fast changes: bodysuits + sleepers (grab-and-go)
Daytime outfits: tops + pants/leggings
Outing-ready: one āpresentable but comfyā mini stack
This reduces decision fatigue, especially when youāre changing a baby who has opinions.
The 3 am test
If you wouldnāt want to deal with an item at 3 am (fussy snaps, stiff fabrics, complicated layers), it doesnāt belong in the top drawer. Put it in āOuting-readyā or donate it to a different life phase.
Tip #4: Organize by Season and Fabric Type
Seasonal rotation feels obvious. But fabric-based organization is the āwhy didnāt I think of thatā part.
Babies can overheat more easily than adults, and ātoo warmā is genuinely a safety concern, so you want breathable everyday pieces easy to reach.
Simple system:
Keep breathable daily fabrics (like organic cotton) in the top drawers.
Move heavier or niche items (thick fleece, bulky knits) to a lower drawer or closet bin.
Rotate seasonally into two bins only:
āNext season, current size.ā
āNext season, next size.ā
This way you donāt end up with five bins labeled like a warehouse.
Tip #5: Storage Solutions for Small Spaces
Small spaces donāt need complicated storage. They need visibility.
High-impact tools (not bulky systems)
Drawer dividers for small items (socks, hats, mittens)
One slim bin per size in the closet (Next up / Later)
Vertical stacking inside drawers (so you can see everything)
If you want a simple folding approach that keeps drawers visible (and not a pile you dig through), your Treehouse folding guide is already built for that.
Tip #6: Create a Simple System for Newborn Clothes
Newborn organization fails when you over-categorize. Newborn life is already fragmented enough.
Keep newborn clothes in just 4 groups:
Sleepers
Bodysuits
Layers
Extras (socks/hats/burp cloths)
Thatās it.
Also, because babies can go through 2ā3 outfits per day, your āenoughā number depends mostly on laundry frequency, not aesthetics.
Tip #7: Donāt Forget the āExtrasā (Accessories & Textiles)
Accessories are where money disappears quietly because theyāre just so very easy to lose!.
Make āextrasā visible, so you stop overbuying
Socks + hats: one small open bin (not a closed box you never open)
Burp cloths: store where you feed (not where you dress)
Blankets: one basket; if you need more space, you probably own too many
This is one of those boring tips that saves actual time every day.
Tip #8: Consider Baby Clothing Bundles for Easier Organization
Bundles arenāt about buying moreātheyāre about reducing sorting.
If you have a few sets that are:
same size
same season
designed to work together
ā¦then your storage stays clean because youāre not mixing random āmaybe this matchesā items across drawers.
Common Mistakes Parents Make When Organizing Baby Clothes
These are the ones that create chaos fast:
Mixing sizes in the same drawer
You end up dressing a baby in something that fits emotionally, not physically.
Storing everything āfor laterā out of sight
If you canāt see it, it doesnāt exist. Then you rebuy it.
Over-organizing too early
Your baby will change sizes and routines quickly. Your system should be easy to update, not precious.
Treating clothes like outfits, not tools
The best baby clothes are the ones that make changes easy and keep your baby comfortable.
How Often to Reorganize Baby Clothes as Your Baby Grows
Forget āevery X weeks.ā Use triggers.
Reorganize when:
Youāre cycling through the same few items (everything else is āwrongā)
Drawers stop closing easily
You notice diaper changes creeping toward āwrestling matchā
Youāre doing laundry early because you canāt find basics
Also, remember: babies can go through multiple outfits per day, so your daily-use drawer should never run empty. Thatās the drawer to protect.
Wrap-up
A good baby clothing system wonāt make parenting easy. But it will remove a bunch of unnecessary decisions from days that are already full, and thatās a real quality-of-life upgrade.
Our commitment to you extends beyond just the our clothing - we prioritize the well-being of your children, the environment, and the workers who craft our pieces.
Two things most parents quickly learn:
Most parents accidentally do this backwards, hanging the stuff they use constantly, and stuffing daily basics wherever they fit.
