Kids need clothes, that's inevitable. We all do. I've been hearing a few things lately that boggle my mind... friends with small children talking about laundry... lots and lots of laundry.... needing to wash several loads of laundry every day... I don't get it. Let me go on record to say that it is totally possible to raise a family with three little children and not feel like a laundry maid.
My strategy is energy conservation. I'm not talking about hanging laundry to save on running the dryer, I am talking about saving *MY* energy. Towards those ends, I try to do laundry as infrequently as possible and smile as I see the laundry hampers pile up.
The truth is, there are two competing ideas out there about how to minimize your workload in dressing your children and taking care of their clothes. Hear me out, I actually think both of these would work... it just depends on what kind of mom you are,
The first idea is to be a minimalist... only buy a few outfits for each kid per season... something like 3,4 or 5 weekday outfits and a Shabbos outfit. So yes, you will need to do laundry twice a week, but the magic is that one washer full of clothes gets all the kids clothes done! The idea is that you are organized and you know that you always wash laundry on such-and-such day. You make a plan, you have a routine, your life is easier because you never have to think about when you will do laundry... you already know when you will be washing your next 400 loads. Also, you have less clutter in your kids closets and it doesn't take so long to put away all the laundry. I also think this idea is cheaper, since you are buying fewer clothes.
Also, your house won't be a forest of outgrown clothes in boxes and bags. The idea is that your kids have a few outfits that they wear each season (if you're clever, you buy pieces that mix and match) and when your kids outgrow the clothes, they've probably been worn to death and can be given a proper military burial because they have done their duty. (you could also save any clothes that still look ok, it won't take up so much space, since it's only a few outfits)
This also solves the problem of kids who don't like hand-me-downs or kids who have a totally different sense of style than their older siblings. Also, if you have a large gap between two kids, you may end up making the younger one an unwitting fashion victim if the hand-me-downs you've been dutifully saving have gone out of style.
The second idea is completely the opposite... to have 2-3 weeks' worth of outfits for each kid. As such, you don't touch the washing machine until you use up every. single. piece. of. clothing. Doesn't it seem silly to wash the same few outfits when your kids have other clothes they could wear? What's the point of having those other clothes if they never get worn? I don't get it. So yes, you let the dirty laundry pile up... buy another hamper if you need to.
Realistically speaking, you will probably need to do one load during the 2-3 weeks for socks/underwear/PJs... but you don't touch the washing machine if there is something clean (and appropriate for the season and occasion) for your kids to wear. I actually enjoy the challenge of trying to make cute outfits out of the last remaining clean clothing items.... and pondering the deep existential question of whether orange and grey and pink go together.
This is a great strategy for someone who isn't good at juggling many tasks at the same time and leaves a load of wet clothes in the washing machine for several days because she got distracted while she was doing laundry and then this other thing came up and then she forgot.. or if you're an 'all or nothing' personality type who has a hard time getting herself motivated to do laundry.
If you're a master bargain hunter, this strategy is for you... or if you get lots of hand-me-downs from stylish family members or if you like shopping and have the money to buy lots of clothes. The point is not to think about laundry all the time.... if your kids have clothes in their closet, then there's nothing to worry about. Also, when the inevitable laundry day rolls around, you will have an easier time sorting and folding... if you fill up a whole washing machine with only one child's clothes, you take them out and put them all in that child's closet... there is no guesswork about who a particular item belongs to.
Personally, I am a devotee of the second method. This was my strategy when I was in college... I wore every piece of clothing that I could wear before I went to the laundromat. And yes, I still do this for my own clothing too.... also household stuff like towels and sheets and tablecloths. Some people are minimalists in this area too... they will wash the same Shabbos tablecloth every week and use it until it's worn out and then buy a new one. As for me, I have a silly amount of tablecloths.
I think most women I know are neither the minimalist types nor the laundry-binge types
... they're always tripping over piles of kid clothes, but also it seems like there is never anything for the kids to wear. Also, they feel stress every time they see an overflowing laundry hamper... that's no way to live! I think it makes more sense to streamline your kids' wardrobes or to delay laundry day as long as possible. Either way, the name of the game is 'easy'.
Let me add one more thing on the subject of washing clothes, I love my dryer!!!! You couldn't pay me enough to hang clothes outside on the line. Sorry if that sounds snobbish, but snobbishness is not at the root of this disdain for line drying... line drying is more work! If you know me, you would know that I am a big fan of shortcuts, especially for moms with small children. Running the dryer costs money, but money is something that you can make more of... your time and energy is a scarce resource. If you wear yourself out doing household chores and have no energy for your kids, then your priorities are misplaced.
Like I said, I am a big believer in energy conservation.... you do what you can to save *YOUR* energy and don't worry about your carbon footprint.
