I never realised what an ongoing project my kids' clothes were going to be - choosing, buying, washing, putting away, washing, getting rid of the old, washing again ... it all takes a lot of time, energy and money

So these are my top five tips from my

1.  Choose clothes you like and your kids like. I get a lot of pleasure seeing my kids in clothes that are comfortable, cute and express their personality. It makes the work worthwhile if you get that buzz (at least for the 5 minutes they're cleanish).  It's better to have fewer things that are loved to death than to have unworn clothes sitting around.

2.      Work out how many clothes of what kind your kids need. You may not need as many as you think. And if – like me – you’re washing every day you may need fewer items than you think. I rank clothes in three levels:

•   “Good” clothes suitable for family functions, special occasions, going out. One outfit per season is enough in my opinion.
• Day-to-day wear for play, kindy or out and about. You want these clothes to be fun, durable and un-fussy. How many sets depends how dirty your kids get and how often you wash. My 3 year old usually goes all day in the same clothes now. For winter he has about 6 pairs of pants and 6 long-sleeve t-shirts plus 3 hoodie tops. My daughter who is 18 months still often goes through 2 outfits a day as she is a hands-on eater. She has about 5 pairs of pants, 10 long sleeve tops and 3 dresses/ skirts/ overalls. She has 4 warm jumpers.
• Spare clothes. I keep a couple of sets of clothes that are old or worn enough to be disposable. These are useful for messy activities, for giving to visiting kids who get dirty, or as permanent spares in the kindy bag or going out bag. I usually source these from hand me downs or secondhand.
  

Buy outfits wherever possible, as you'll often be washing tops and bottoms together. For girls, basics like a plain pinafore are versatile, and let you show off a range of tights, tops etc. Similarly with hats and shoes, check if they go with the outfits they’ll be paired with or again they may not get worn.

3.     Buy secondhand and accept hand me downs. Ebay is good, but it is addictive - see other posts - know what you want and search specifically. Car boot sales and specialist baby and kids markets can be great – if you strike someone who is selling a whole lot in your child’s size it’s a bonanza. Op-shops are patchy for children’s clothes, but you may be lucky to find one that keeps a good selection. Hand me downs are also great, but make sure to have a clear agreement whether they are to be returned.

It’s easier to buy secondhand in the range 000-2, as babies tend to outgrow before they outwear clothes. It’s also easier to shop secondhand for girls, as parents (mums!) tend to overshop for girls. Boys’ clothes from size 3 upwards tend to be either brand new or destroyed, as they wear their clothes pretty hard.

4.    Buy ahead, and don't buy anything full-price. The major chain stores have regular 20% discounts now, so hold off before buying new season clothes at Kmart or Myer. You can take advantage of major sales and buy at 30-60% off if you buy ahead for the next season. You need to understand the sizing of the clothes you are buying, and also be able to estimate how big your child will be in a year's time. Looking at growth charts can be helpful. If you keep the items with tags on you can put them on Ebay or give them to someone else if they don’t fit. Keep an eye out for socks and underwear on special too.

5.      Have an incoming and outgoing system. It’s useful to have a particular drawer or bag for “incoming” clothes that are the next size up or the next season, that you may have bought or been given. Keep them accessible enough to review every month or so as your kids grow or the weather changes. That way you will get maximum wear out of the clothes you do have. Similarly, don’t crowd the drawers with things that are too small or worn – keep another bag at hand to gather the outgrown things as they come out of the wash. Then you can put them away for the next bub, sell, donate or ditch them as you need to. Do this often too, every couple of months.