DS is about to start reception, how much uniform do I ACTUALLY need?

[NotSayingImBatman]

My mind is boggled. Embroidered jumpers, obviously, but how many? I want to say 3 because then there's one in the wash, one in the drawer and one being worn and that seems right but I could be thinking of moses basket sheets.

Embroidered polo shirts. Any point from September when it starts to get chilly and he'll be wearing the school jumper over it anyway? Plus he's skinny as fuck and all but slim fit polo shirts swamp him.

PE kit? Really? I mean, he'd look cute, I guess... And I'd only need one, right?

Having read the AIBU thread I will not be buying the bookbag, so that saved us a fiver. School ties are mandatory from KS2 but only 'advised' for KS1. Unnecessary faff. However, I return your attention to the 'will look cute' aspect above.

School coat? Fleece? Jacket? Or one from M&S? PE bag? Gah.

Help me!

[FemaleDilbert]

Watching with interest, same situation

[IneedAdinosaurNickname]

My 2 have always had 2 pairs school trousers. 5 shirts (never had embroidered polos as they wanted 'proper shirts'
2 jumpers. Plain. Not logoed. I did buy a logo one for ds1. It lasted less than a term before it was faded and bobbly. 1 tie. 1 pe kit.
If your child is likely to get dirty then I'd say 3 pairs of trousers and 3 jumpers.

[MaisieDotes]

2 jumpers, 5 or 6 polo shirts, 2 trousers/ skirts, 1 tracksuit.

Loads of socks/ tights.

[IneedAdinosaurNickname]

Sorry. Never had school logo pe bag. Ds2 has a rucksack that came free with his coat. His school keep their pe kits there and send it home for half term to be washed. He has one coat that he wears to school and and weekends.

[formerbabe]

I think it depends on if you are a wohm or sahm.
If I was a working mum, I'd have 5 of everything so during the week I wouldn't have to panic about doing washing in time.
Im a sahm so my kids have enough uniform for 3 days, as I have time to wash and iron it during the day.
As for PE kit, my dd didn't need one for her first term but every school will have different rules...have you asked if he needs one?

[MaisieDotes]

Although I did have a dryer so a jumper or skirt was wash and dry-able in one night. That's how I could get away with 2 of each.

[MidnightVelvetthe5th]

Ha, here's what I use, I have one DS in year 6 & one in Year 2 & this has been OK for all that time:

• 2 pairs of trousers
  
  
• 5 polo shirts, one for every day. I don't use the embroidered ones as plain ones are cheaper & with infant school dinners there's lots of tomato stains on them & they need to replaced as & when
  
  
• 2 school jumpers (be ready to replace as & when they get lost)
  
  
• PE kit - bag, black shorts, black pumps/plimsolls, white t shirt (my DS lost one entire kit including the bag, I had to replace everything)
  
  One warm & waterproof coat. NOT a school coat as your coat will be one lost coat in 500000000000 other lost identical coats & you will never find it again.
  
  :)

[nilbyname]

We always just had masses of the non branded stuff and 2 branded sweatshirts. Never bothered with branded polo shirts, or official or kit just bought the supermarket stuff.

I would have 4 shirts, 3 jumpers, 3 bottoms. 1 PE kit. That's what ds had

[WonderMomma]

5 of everything, 1 of PE kit

[Cakescakescakes]

My DS comes home with yoghurt on his jumper most days! So next year I will get three jumpers. But for this year I have two pairs of trousers, 2 jumpers (have to be logo school ones), 6 slim fit polos from m&s (regular fit ones swamp him), 5 pairs of socks, 1 pair black shoes and one pair of plimsolls for PE. No special PE kit needed. He has a backpack for all his stuff and a lunch bag which fits inside his backpack. He has a winter coat which is not school specific so he just wears it to school and at weekends etc. (he's almost 6 and just finished first year of primary school)

[TelephonicsSuper]

How much washing during the week do you want to do, that's what it boiled down to for me... I didn't want to be faffing around in the laundry mid week as I work... they take jumpers off in class even in winter ( I gathered from the state of the stains on the polos...) and DS always comes back with stains on shirts/trousers. The little lot lasted all year:

4 pairs trousers/shorts
5 pairs socks
4 school polos
2 school jumpers

PE kit - one shorts, one tshirt, joggers, plimsolls in a PE bag - they only bring it home once a term for a wash.

Normal coat - though we did get DS a school fleece cos he was desperate for it.

Book bag. - haven't seen the bookbag thread so not sure why you wouldn't get one. It's the only bag they're allowed at our school anyway, no backpacks or anything allowed...

[MooPointCowsOpinion]

we are just finishing reception.
We got:
Bookbag, PE bag, 2 PE tops and shorts, plimsoles, 5 x white polo shirts (standard pack of 5 from somewhere or other, no school emblem), 1 jumper 1 cardigan, and about 20 different pairs of trousers because none fit my daughter, so ended up getting 3 x pinafore dresses and 6 pairs of tights.

Lessons learnt: buying better quality trousers pays off, for the fit of the things.

Book bag has lasted the year fine.

T-shirts shrink, go grey, etc very quickly. I'd buy less but more often next time.

Kids grow bloody fast. Don't get more than two jumpers, you'll need two more in January anyway. Ditto shoes.

In May time you'll be wanting him in shorts, bear that in mind when buying socks and shoes replacements in January, so they aftually go with shorts.

Who the bloody hell puts a tie on a 4 year old?

[NotSayingImBatman]

I'm WOHM and I was feeling inclined towards buying at least 3 pairs of trousers and 5 polos so he can have fresh pretty much every day. Feeling more inclined towards 3 jumpers for now and reviewing the situation re: branded polos in the summer when a) I can ascertain how messy he is with school meals and b) people may actually see them.

[NarcyCow]

DD has two shirt, two pinafores, one crested cardigan and one tie, and one tracksuit. But she wears the tracksuit on mondays and fridays (so it can always be washed in between) and only needs 3 days out of the actualy uniform. She has the school coat as well because it's compulsory.

We're moving to a different school in september and my two will have two pairs of tracksuit bottoms, two polo shirts and two crested jumpers each. There's no separate sports gear, and no school coat.

[MidnightVelvetthe5th]

(Oh also you may find that most of the PE stuff comes in packs of 2, so you may have spares anyway.... a pack of 2 shorts, a pack of 2 t shirts etc :) )

[OhHolyFuck]

DS has 2 official school jumpers, 1 official school fleece and 3 supermarket ones
3 official school polo shirts and about 10 supermarket ones
Maybe 5/6 pairs of trousers, all supermarket
1 set of school shoes, 1 book bag, 1 Pe kit at school and one at home (to replace as the one at school will inevitably go missing at some point) and loads of grey socks
One thick coat and one thinner Mac type

He's just coming to the end of reception now

[MidnightVelvetthe5th]

Right this is my last post, I promise :)

In the first couple of years I replaced the polo shirts in the summer holidays. What I do now is replace them in June so they are fit for being seen all summer & into the autumn then once they get a bit stained/grey they will be hidden by a jumper. The following spring they are replaced again so are ready for jumpers off weather :)

[RatOnnaStick]

We started last year with 5 trousers, 6 polos (2 double packs and 2 logo shirts) and 2 sweaters. This year (y1) I will be happy with

3 pairs of trousers
2 sweaters
5 polo shirts but only 1 logo for pictures/trips. Have 5 available at any one time and get larger sizes whenever you see a sale.

The polo shirts get filthy in reception. Dinner, mud, pen and paint, blood stains () and grass stains wreck them reasonably quickly plus the little blighters tend to grow so what's far too big in september is suddenly indecent in january. Consider them disposable from one term to the next if you have to and don't spend lots of money on them. Supermarket cheapies are just as good as expensive polos at this age when they are wearing a clean one every day and taking no care of them whatsoever.

1 pe kit and a cheapy drawstring bag from amazon will be fine.

[cathpip]

My ds had;
1 pe kit with rucksack (drawstring bag fits pe kit but only when folded neatly)
3 jumpers
5 t shirts, they will get heavily stained so skip the logo ones and buy cheap!
4 trousers
3 shorts
Lots of socks, in the next size up as they do shrink and depends on how easily your ds can get himself dressed.
1 spring/summer waterproof
1 winter coat, not with the removable fleece! (All coats must be waterproof and warm and not expensive, they do get some serious treatment in the playground)
1 pair of cheap wellies (Forrest school sessions and outdoor play, yes they go out when it's raining)
1 pair of school shoes preferably with the rubber toe bumper as they use their shoes as brakes on the scooters)

[Micah]

2 of everything.

One pe kit, and yes they do need pe kit.

If you find you need more you can buy it later on.

[StickTheDMWhereTheSunDontShine]

Depends how often you do laundry and how mucky he gets.

If everything is trashed at the end of the day, then 3-5 of everything, depending on your chances to wash stuff midweek.

[RatOnnaStick]

Also, DS's jumpers have barely been worn. Even in deepest mid-winter it stayed resolutely in his book bag. Just make sure he has a nice warm coat. 3-in-1 types are good so he can just have a waterproof coat or just a fleece or put it all together for a nice warm winter coat when its really cold.