How much uniform do I need to buy?

[MarionCole]

I know I'm getting ahead of myself.

Surely I'm not going to need 5 of everything? I have no idea how messy they get in reception though.

[simpson]

I did buy 6 white shirts (2 packs of 3) and kept one for "best" ie school photos etc

DS (now yr1) has 3 school jumpers (one inherited from a friend) and 3 pairs of trousers and one pair of shorts which he did wear a few times in sept when weather was nice...

1 lot of PE kit including plimsols....

[MarionCole]

It's school polo shirts with logos at £7 a pop, so it could get pricey.

I must admit I was thinking of 3 sets.

Also - do they wear plimsolls (black ones) or trainers?

[Itsjustafleshwound]

I bought 3 of everything - one in the wash, one to be worn and one set spare.

If there is a sweatshirt, the school logo polo shirt is covered so you could get away with the plain ones ....

I didn't go mad about PE kit - my DS didn't really start doing proper gym until later and we had to provide plimsolls.

[Hassled]

It depends how often you put a wash on/how much time you have. Yes, they get very messy in Reception. At least 3 tops, I'd say.

I'm cross about the logo'd shirts at £7 a pop at that age. You could maybe write to the Head/Governors and draw their attention to the DofE guidelines which stresses affordability as well as The Local Government Association?s advice, which is that uniform items should all be available from a minimum of two different suppliers, not counting the school itself, school symbols and logos should be available as sew-on patches and parents should be given opportunities to buy and sell second hand uniform from other parents.

[beautifulgirls]

definately at least 3 so you have a bit of time to get washes done. It also does depend a bit on the child. My 5yr old comes home filthy every day and needs a complete change, but my 6yr old often comes home clean and able to reuse some of the items the next day, and she has been like this since she started. Needless to say I have more uniform for the younger one!

[Seona1973]

dd has 5 polo-shirts so I dont have to wash mid-week. She has 3 skirts and 2 pairs of trousers (in P1 she got very messy from eating lunch/getting whiteboard marker on herself so I liked to have enough clothes to do each day just in case). I got her trainers for wearing in-school as they have to change in and out of their outdoor shoes whenever they enter/leave the school building. Plimsolls just werent lasting as they were being worn all day. She has a couple of pairs of cycling shorts for gym days.

[MarionCole]

DS is always warm so will whip his sweatshirt off at the first opportunity. Perhaps I'll get 3 proper shirts and a pack of unlogoed ones as back up. £35 on t shirts is ridiculous.

[Seona1973]

p.s. we dont have to buy the logo shirts as we can buy bog standard ones from the supermarket. I do get the logo ones though - they seem to last longer.

[oneofthosedays]

I went a bit mad when DD started reception and got 5 of everything and 2 sets of PE kit. Now she's in Y2 3 sets is fine and can usually managed on 2 sets (especially summer dresses as they wash well, dry quick and don't need ironing). PE kit only gets sent home for wash half termly so really only need 1 set. For DS, starting reception this time I've got 4 pairs of trousers (came in packs of 2 and DS more messy than DD) and will probably get 3 tops/jumpers (when we know which school he will be attending) and see how we go, can always top up with cheap stuff.

[EldonAve]

I had 4 shirts, 2 jumpers (not tumble dry) and 3 bottoms
Depends on your child, mine get ketchup/yoghurt everywhere

[littleducks]

do you have a girl or boy? pinafores can remove the worries about logo polo shirts

Also depends if you are working or at home ime. In winter I am not about in the week really but am home for summer term.

So I had 2 pinafores/2 trousers/5 polo shirts/3 logo jumpers in winter but get by fine with just 2 gingham dresses and the 3 jumpers now its summer

[MarionCole]

Have just reread and they don't have to have logo shirts, can have plain blue ones.

[LetThereBeCake]

We have 4 polo shirts, 3 jumpers, 3 trousers, 3 shorts. 1 PE set. Infinite socks.

[uggmum]

We have 5 polo shirts (not logo, just m&s), 2pairs of trousers, 2 sweatshirts and 1 PE kit.

M&S have 20% off all school uniform and free delivery. I have ordered all mine for September already.

[bilblio]

DD has 2 jumpers, but we could do with 3. We often spend mornings sponging paint off then drying with the hairdryer.
We have 3 t-shirts and some back up white ones, and 3 pairs of trousers. Which we usually manage to get washed.

[tribpot]

Similarly we have a choice about logo/non-logo for sweatshirts, poloshirts and PE t-shirts too. Ds had a mixture of both when he started reception (now finishing Y1). What I'm doing for next year:

• 3* logo sweatshirts - his existing ones (the smallest size) still fit him but have started fraying badly round the cuffs, not surprising after 2 years of hard wear, the non-logos have long since vanished. But I would get a couple more if need be.
  
• 1 logo polo shirt (this really for the summer class photo as much as anything else). The polo shirt is nearly always covered by the sweatshirt and the M&S stainaway ones simply wear much better. I've gone for 3M&S polo shirts from M&S (pack of 3) - his old logo ones still fit, albeit they're a bit grubby in parts.
  
• 2*trousers
  
• his 2 logo PE t-shirts still fit him as the smallest size the school does in everything is comical on smaller/younger kids
  
• socks and pants galore, as usual
  
• plimsols, school shoes. Don't forget wellies as no doubt the snow will start practically in September like last year.
  

Label everything (laundry pen is your friend), don't forget a water bottle and start saving up your 20p and 50p coins for the endless 'stuff' like wear what you want day, healthy tuck shop, cake stall, etc. Also if you don't have time for baking (like me), source buns and cakes that can be bought at a moment's notice when you realise it's cake stall that day and every other mum has been hard at work over a baking tray whilst you've been MNing swanning about.

I don't know what your school is like but ours has a standard book bag they like kids to use for homework, cheap as chips from the school shop.

Whatever you do (and you're not likely to given you're asking the question in June!) don't leave it til the day before school starts to look for uniform. I did this. And had to call in armies of people across Yorkshire to check out their local supermarkets for me, it was a nightmare.

Hassled, interesting guidelines. I'll be mentioning these to a parent governor as we don't get most of those options. I want to find a good home for those of ds' non-logo polo shirts which still have some wear in them.

[simpson]

also double check whether they have to wear logoed jumpers as in reception DS had a couple of plain ones in the same colour iyswim and nobody said anything and he was not the only child to have a plain one...

In DS's school they have to wear plimsols for PE as they do a lot of it indoors...

[simpson]

Also in Ds's school they have to wear ties (elasticated ones in infants) so he has 2 of these

Boookbags - you will only need one (I put a keyring on his so he can spot it in the pile)

And a lunch box if having packed lunch....

[MayDayChild]

Please someone mention tights. Do they need a clean pair everyday?

[dyzzidi]

OK at the risk of going against the grain here I always have five of everything. DH persuaded me in nursery to make do with three and tbh it was a nightmare. Her uniforms are nearly alway mucky and could not be worn again. I wear suits for work (dry clean mostly so not lots of washing)and DH works away from home(does his own washing). I find it loads easier to just do the washing friday night, ironing saturday teatime then i get sundays off from housework.

I know everyone s different but with buy one get one free offers and the price of some of the supermarket its well worth buying the five sets for me. I am obviously a lazy slattern who cant be bothered to wash and dry midweek!

[MarionCole]

Do we have a view on Saino's uniform? They have loads in at the moment and every time I'm in I toy with buying trousers. And now potentially also polo shirts.

[dyzzidi]

Tights dd loves them i hate them she spends half the day dragging them up so they dont sag around her ankles. I would put clean on every day but tbh last year i refused to buy any as i bought trousers which lasted longer and were more comfortable. They were also cheaper as i didnt buy both skirts and tights.

[LawrieMarlow]

Tights should be clean everyday I think. I generally stretch clothes as far as they will go in terms of being worn, but tights do need to be changed every day.

It will probably be warm in September. It generally is as school starts again . DD started in reception wearing summer dresses and wore them for a few weeks. I got them on the big size and even after her sudden growth spurt (feet grew by a size in about a week or so it felt) they are still fine now.

[tribpot]

I only wash (the uniform!) once a week as well, I'm a great believer in 'well it basically looks clean, that'll do' :) But then ds isn't one of the kids who likes rolling down the hill in the wet grass or stuff like that, in which case I'd definitely need more uniform.

Re: tights - I don't have a dd but the girls in ds' class tend to do skirts and tights some days and trousers others. Particularly in reception, I think they found trousers easier to do on their own before and after PE.

[montmartre]

Sainsbury uniform always looks like good quality- their other clothes wash well.

We have 3 sets of everything.