How To Fold Baby Clothes – Traditional Or KonMari Method?

There are several ways you can fold baby clothes. In the past few years, the KonMari method and KonMary style of folding has become the most popular option. But it is not the only one. New parents have so much to worry about, but taking care of the clothes for their little ones is crucial as well. Today, we will talk about how to fold baby clothes.

Baby clothes are tiny and often the shape can make them difficult for folding. But do not worry, there are ways to get them right.

Benefits Of Well-folded Baby Clothes

Do we even need to say it? A tidy baby dresser is the biggest stress reliever you can have. Keeping your baby’s clothes neat and organized will help in many ways. For starters, if you are tight on storage space, it helps you save space. And when you need to get up in the night for diaper changes, an organized dresser will come in handy.

So, take the time to fold your baby’s clothes to combat the biggest challenge, exhaustion. Keeping baby clothes organized saves so much time and energy. Think of it as investing in your free time.

The Traditional Method

The traditional folding technique is something most of us are used to. This folding method has the clothing stacked on top of each other in separate drawers.

Read below to find out more about how to fold baby clothes using the traditional method. But first, we will talk about something that has taken the world by storm, the KonMari folding method.

What is the KonMari Method For Folding Clothes?

The KonMari method of organization can be applied to any piece of baby clothing you have. That includes baby clothes as well.

It was developed by Marie Kondo, a Japanese organizing consultant, author, and TV presenter. She has written four books on organizing. Marie Kondo came up with a method that encourages tidying by category, not by location.

Before you start, you have to empty the dresser drawer. It might sound and feel overwhelming at first, but you will love it later on.

This folding method has more folds than other folding techniques. Then, each item becomes a little square that can stand straight up on its own. As a result, you get a lot more storage space.

How It Is Different Than The Traditional Folding Method?

When you follow Marie Kondo’s folding technique, you will spend less time looking for outfits. It differs from the traditional method in its approach. You fold baby clothes in a few ways. And that applies to how the clothes are folded and then how are they organized. The goal is to fold clothes in a way that saves closet space and reduces wrinkles.

KonMari folded clothes are filled into the dresser drawer, not stacked. This way, you can see everything in the drawer at the same time. And it is easier to remove an item without disturbing everything else.

How To Fold Baby Clothes Using The KonMari Method?

Now let’s talk about how you can fold your baby’s clothes. We will go item by item since every item is different.

How To Fold Onesies?

Every new parent knows this. You need a lot of baby onesies. With the KonMari method, you can have them organized and easy to find later on. Here is the step-by-step guide for folding baby clothes.

1. Lay the onesie flat on a clean surface. Smooth out any wrinkles
2. Fold it inwards lengthwise, in a way that the sleeves are stacked
3. Tuck in the sleeves, and you are left with straight edges
4. Fold the onesie in half horizontally by bringing the bottom to top
5. Then, fold it into thirds. Depending on the size of the onesie, you might need to do more or fewer folds
6. When you are done, you should have a compact square or rectangle item. Check if it will stand upright

How To Fold Long-sleeved Onesies?

With long-sleeved baby onesies, you need a few extra steps. It is the same up to a certain point, but then you have to make sure the sleeves are folded additionally.

1. As before, start by laying the onesie on a flat surface and smoothing out any wrinkles. Smooth out the sleeves as well
2. Fold in half vertically. Line up the sleeves so that they are stacked
3. Fold both sleeves across the body of the clothing item
4. Fold the sleeves in toward the body. Fold them an additional one or two times across the body of the onesie. In the end, you should have a neat rectangle shape
5. Fold in half horizontally, bringing the bottom of the onesie to the top
6. Fold into thirds horizontally. Adjust the folds depending on the size
7. You should get a compact square or rectangle that stands upright on its own

How To Fold Pants And Shorts

You fold baby pants and shorts the same way you fold adult pants using the KonMari method. It is not much different than the traditional method. But you will get a compact shape that can stand up on its own.

1. Lay the pants flat on a clean surface. You notice this is the first step for every item
2. Fold the pants in half vertically, with the pant legs touching
3. Tuck in any fabric that might be sticking out. Pay attention near the bottom and crotch of the pants. Your goal is to get to a uniform rectangle
4. Fold the pants in half so the bottom meets the waistband
5. If you have long pants, fold them into thirds from bottom to top. For shorts, simply fold them in half. Adjust the number of folds depending on the size of the baby clothing item

How To Fold Baby Dresses

This is the biggest challenge when learning how to fold baby clothes. Dresses are prone to becoming wrinkled when folded. Yet, the KonMari technique tries to minimize wrinkling.

1. Lay the dress as flat as possible before you begin on a clean surface. Make sure to spread the bottom of the dress out. Usually, the bottom is wider than the top. Spreading it will minimize wrinkling
2. Fold the sides of the dress including the sleeves in toward the middle one-third of the way each. When you do this, you should be left with a rectangle with nice, straight edges
3. Fold the bottom of the dress up toward the top about one-third of the way
4. Fold up horizontally one more time. Depending on the size, you need to adjust folding more or less to get the right size
5. You should end up with a rectangle or square similar in size to other baby clothes. If the size is not right, experiment with more folds

Traditional Folding Method And How To Use It

We talked about how to fold baby clothes using the KonMari method. Some people prefer it. Others, stick to their traditional folding method. To make a decision, try to fold clothes using both methods and see what works more for you. Now, let’s talk about how to fold clothes using the traditional method.

How To Fold Onesies

1. Find a large and flat surface, or you can spread a clean blanket on the floor
2. Lay onesies and bodysuits flat with their fronts down
3. Fold each sleeve in so that they are resting on the back of the garment
4. Grab the bottom, bring it up, and fold it in half by lining it up with the top
5. Flip the folded item over in a way the front is facing up and start a stack of onesies
6. Fold short sleeves straight across the back of the garment
7. Fold long sleeves at a downward angle along the back of the garment

How To Fold Pants

1. Lay pants on a flat surface with fronts facing up
2. Grab the left leg and fold it over. It should rest directly on top of the right leg
3. Take the bottom of the pants and line them up with the waistband
4. In the end, you should have a fold around the knee area of the pants

How To Fold Dresses

Unlike the KonMari method, the traditional method doesn’t fold dresses. Instead, you hang dresses up in the baby’s closet. The traditional method avoids folding dressy items to prevent wrinkling.