How to Pick the Perfect Stroller For Your Baby

 The Never-Ending Debate: To Hang or Fold Baby Clothes?

There’s one question that never seems to go away: Should you hang or fold baby clothes? The short answer to this dilemma is, it depends. Here are some factors you should consider when making your decision

Hanging helps save space

A box of folded baby clothes can take up quite a bit of closet space, and can take even more if you’re hanging them on hangers. Hanging baby clothes keeps them off your closet floor and makes it easier to get at all of your baby essentials when you need them. 

Don’t have enough room in your closet for a couple dozen hangers full of baby clothes? Try these tips from organizing experts to make more room! But how do you maximize that space by hanging those baby clothes vertically?

 Folding saves energy

Many people hang up their baby clothes in storage to save space. While hanging clothes takes up far less floor space than folding them, it’s actually more energy efficient to fold them. 

Hanging requires twice as much energy (to heat and dry a dryer) as it does to simply dry a folded load of laundry on a clothesline outside. If you want to help save Mother Earth, go ahead and fold your baby’s clothes!

 There is no right answer - do what works best for you

Many parents prefer to hang baby clothes, while others fold. This is really a personal preference, so don’t worry if your choice doesn’t fit in with what everyone else does. 

You may also find that you change your mind as your child grows and their wardrobe changes. The important thing is that you take care of all of those tiny pieces of clothing and keep them organized until they can be passed down to another family member or donated to charity. 

Hanging them up or folding them neatly makes it easier for you to see everything at once, which will make it easy for you to grab whatever you need when your little one needs it. Plus, since most people tend to hang items by size (top row = 0-3 months; bottom row = 3-6 months), hanging helps ensure that things stay organized even after many washes and wears.

If you have enough room, go with hanging!

One big advantage of hanging your baby’s clothes is that you can easily see everything you have without having to rummage through stacks and stacks of tiny onesies. 

This will help keep your main storage areas—like a dresser in their nursery or closet—from getting too full, which makes it easier to find what you need when it’s time to dress baby. 

Plus, if you’re using clear bins (or even just large plastic bags), you can also see how much room you have left for new purchases. And while we love folding our little one’s clothing as a way to save space, there are other ways to do so besides stacking things on top of each other; for example, fold items lengthwise instead of widthwise so they take up less space in drawers and closets.

If you need more space, folding works better than hanging

Folding is faster and saves more space than hanging. When you fold, things take up less room in your drawers—plus, they’re easier to stack when you’re done.

 A baby only needs a few of his favorite outfits at any given time anyway. If he doesn’t need it now, he probably won’t need it later either. 

It’s best to store clothes that are rarely worn out of sight; otherwise, you may forget about them and be tempted to use them again before they can be properly cleaned. This isn’t just unsanitary; it can also lead to mildew buildup if clothes aren’t properly dried after washing.

How to store folded items

If you’re hanging up your baby’s clothes to store them, be sure to fold items properly. While you might have learned in elementary school that a simple triangle fold is best for shirts and t-shirts, you’ll want to avoid folding many of your baby clothes that way—even when they're not being hung. 

Smaller folded items such as socks are especially susceptible to damage if folded into triangles, which can cause scrunched edges and stretched fabric over time. Instead, opt for a method called rolling to keep your small clothing pieces safe from harm. 

Start by laying out each item flat on a table with its seams facing down; roll each item from one end to another until it resembles a short cylinder shape (like an old-fashioned paper towel roll). Be sure not to stretch any part of the clothing while rolling it up, as doing so could cause permanent damage.