Buying school uniforms

Jo_R_2

For DD1 aged 5 she has:

6-8 shirts
2 skirts
2 pairs trousers
1 pinafore (did have 2 but outgrew one)
2 gingham dresses (only supposed to wear these in summer term)
numerous pairs socks all the same
2 pairs tights
1 jumper
1 cardigan

Points I have noticed:

• short sleeved shirts all the way - every long sleeved shirt has had the cuffs destroyed by any and every art material you can think of!
• she much prefers cardigans, easier to get on and off and also because most of the other girls wear them
• in summery weather she wants to wear dresses every day and loves the matching gingham hair bands and scrunchies that come with some of them
• for some things I have found buying better quality is worth it, I had to buy another pinafore (got Marks and Spencer) as the zipper went tarnished and icky quite quickly. Also the M & S shirts are much better quality for not much more (I've found after a few washes the Asda ones are almost transparent in comparison) - they have online offers on quite often

Other things I have found useful:

• at least two lunchbags/boxes
• raincoats/wellies/umbrellas
• hats/gloves/scarf

dizziblonde

Another vote against those shoes with the toys in the sole... added to the fact it encourages them to pull their shoes off and get the toy out constantly - they look AWFUL quality when I've seen them on kids' feet to be honest - and the insoles seem to be on a par with Primark shoes not normal Clarksies stuff.

With jumpers and things - most teachers have a place they like them to go (in trays - I don't like this because then the kids above can't open their tray, or in a storage box - requires name labels so tends to fall down etc)... I tend to encourage them to dress their chair with their jumper so it doesn't fall off the back or anything and stays where they put it.

With the PE pumps getting muddled - it doesn't help much but it's because at the end of PE they all fling their PE kit on the table and then at the end bundle it up and shove it in the bag - and pick up the wrong PE shoes etc... I'd guess if you got your child to check with the kids who sit on their table, the missing shoe will be in one of their bags (it's what I usually do). As for sending PE kits home - I used to always just encourage them to leave them in school (unless mums had requested they go home for a wash) and send them home after the last PE lesson of half term for a good unsmellifiy then (unless teaching further up the school like in year 6 where they could get a bit "ripe" at times) - the time I found a swimming kit in school that had been left over the long summer holidays (it was wet as well) will haunt me forever.

If you get pinafores - might be worth checking she can get them on and off ok - there's one of the supermarket brands that have them and they're quite narrow fitting on the body so I know a lot of kids have struggled with getting them on and off (I think it's Asda ones off the top of my head) - I just know I've seen it a fair bit so it's an issue with the cut... not really a massive problem but if they're the sort of child likely to get freaked out by not being able to do them themselves it's worth having at the back of your mind (it's sorted out easy enough by an adult just doing the pull over the head part - but some kids get bothered if they feel they're "stuck" in some clothes).

When we were at school we generally got by with a couple of sweatshirts and non-school logoed polo shirts - I think schools that quibble about having logos on white polo shirts are incredibly rare... mind you we did tend to run on minimal uniform and were greeted on a Friday night by my mother demanding we detoured via the washing machine and stripped! I've always tried to plan things like art on a Friday when I've done class timetables to try to minimize mid-week washes for parents for that exact reason wherever possible.

tajna

We got almost everything DD needs for her starting school in September from M&S.
4 Polo T-Shirts
2 Trousers
2 Skirts
1 Pinafore
3 Short sleeve blouses
loads of trainer and normal socks
5 tights
5 knee high socks
loads of knickers and vests
:rotfl:

All that is left to get is:
shoes (Clarks maybe?)
trainers or plimsoles
name labels (researching online sites)
lunchbox ( have no idea where to get that yet)
PE kit (again, no idea where to get it, did not see it in M&S and in Mothercare they had awful boys shorts)
cardi (£13 from the school)
school bag (£? from the school)

Gosh, hopefully that is all.

Janepig

Just by way of info, MIL bought DD some school trousers from Mothercare on the weekend. They're age 2-3, but are in actual fact slightly longer than the M&S age 3 ones . Maybe if you (like me) have got short leg issues when buying school uniform then it may be worth shopping around with a tape measure before buying.

What I've got for PE for DD is lycra shorts from Matalan - they're a bit like cycling shorts, but not quite as tight, they've lasted ages, and in all but the hottest weather she can wear them under her school trousers/skirt, to save on having to carry them into school.

Jxx

horseykitty

I would suggest enough for one on, one in the wash and one spare to start with for her main uniform - if she doesn't need to get her uniform from a specialist shop then supermarket/chain store uniforms are so cheap. That said I bought my youngest two multi packs of polo shirts in a sale at Tesco I can't remember whether there were 5 or 7 in a packet - yet some days we are still scrabbling around for a clean white shirt!

ladyV

MrsAnnie wrote: »

I use a fine Sharpie pen to put names on the label tags of uniforms. Sharpie ink is waterproof and never washes out - the name stays in all school year. And when I hand them down or give them away I just cut of the label.

I use a Sharpie pen on the label tags too, but have found it does fade over time - maybe 'cos I wash at 60 degrees (40 does not get stains out). As an aside, hairspray removes Sharpie pen from leather settees. Yes really - pink Sharpie on cream leather. You do need to rub quite hard though!

ladyV

Kickers are good for school shoes. I find other shoes get scuffed or the sole comes away but Kickers last until they grow out of them. There is a sale online on their website at the moment. I got my 5 yr old some 2nd hand Kickers (in almost perfect condition) off Ebay in September and they are still ok now. In fact, when she grows out of them they will still be good enough to sell on. I know Kickers are expensive but they last all year and can be sold on after.