to not want to buy a uniform?

[firsttimemum77]

Okay maybe IABU - but I would like your honest thoughts as the nursery is having a meeting on Wednesday for parents who may have any questions.

My DD attends a private nursery/preschool 4 days a week and this is her last year there (she will be starting Reception next September).

The nursery have never had a uniform but from this September they want the children to all wear a uniform, which ofcourse I have to buy - probably a few off seeing as how messy her clothes are by the end of the day.

I don't think I should have to for just one year, seeing as she is leaving next September and I would have to buy her a uniform for a whole new school and think the nursery should let the children who only have a year and under to go 'opt out.'

AIBU? DD has so many clothes and she mainly gets to wear most of them to nursery, if she was in a uniform most days then all her other clothes would go to waste as she would really only be out of uniform 3 days a week. When she goes to school thats a different matter, she will be wearing a uniform 5 days a week, so I won't be buying her LOADS (like I have been) clothes because she would really only be out of uniform on the weekends and school holidays iyswim. I just don't want to come across as a 'defensive' parent...

Yup - the notice just went up on the front door yesterday!

Hmm I spent about £20 on DS and got enough for a whole week - five polo shirts, shorts, jumper, trousers...He loves wearing it and being part of the nursery and wearing what his friends wear. Makes him feel really grown up and they look adorable.

Is it really worth the fight?

Well ,an entire uniform is unreasonable for littlies imo, but I think the nursery wants to look upmarket!
A T-shirt or something would be reasonable.
I think a private nursery can make it a rule tho.

our nursery has an optional polo-shirt and sweatshirt with logos on but not everyone buys them. I would be a bit put out to have to buy skirts, trousers, etc too as ds just wears his jeans, jogging trousers,etc

1. I did say that if it was just a matter of a sweatshirt I would have no problem with that - this is an entire uniform.
2. Again sweatshirts not a problem - buying an entire uniform wouldn't break me either - its just the principle - the fees for the nursery are not cheap.
3. Most of the bought clothes have been bought for over a month and return period is 14 days in some stores and 28 in others - besides i do not keep receipts for everything I buy. The clothes are to start wearing starting from now 3/4 years and would last her until she starts reception next Sept.

you think you have problems....

our local huge secondary school is totally changing their uniform this year, so all those with siblings willnot be able to pass things down, though pupils can carry on wearing the old uniform till its too small, as they are phasing it in gradually with Y7

I think unifrom looks tidy and gets kids into a routine, no harm in that even for tinies

'our local huge secondary school is totally changing their uniform this year,'
This happened here last year before they had a dress code and some wore the sweatshirts but most just wore dark jumper and trousers.Now they have shirt and house tie school trousers/skirt not above the knee[don't make me laugh] and school logo jumper/cardigan we told them we would buy a normal cardigan for dd2 as did a lot of parents,dd2's friends parents have replaced the school cardigans already as they are shite poor quality.

My DCs playgroup has a 'uniform'...just a sweatshirt/collared shirt in a particular colour (red), then their choice on bottom. I find it so much easier to get them ready in the morning!!

Also, I am American, and I LOVE the uniform tradition in this country. Don't lament it too much...lots of schools in the US are pushing for uniforms because statistically, there is evidence to suggest that students in uniform behave better and get better marks.

Plus...when you just have a 'dress code' and no uniforms, you would NOT believe the clothes that students will try and get away with.

Okay...so it IS slighty OTT for the littlest children to be in full uniform, but I think you're being a bit U.

I think a full calendar yeaqr is actually a fairly long time - your DD will be there for a full year after uniform is introduced.

If it was a matter of weeks I'd sympathise but I do think a full year is a fairly long time.

YANBU it is just amoney making thing

It is annoying, but you can afford it, the uniform will be relatively cheap, you'll get a year's wear out of it, her home clothes will be kept nicer and it's not worth arguing about really. Just get on and buy it rather than making yourself look difficult. You don't want them to form a mental image of you as unapproachable (even if it's unconscious) when you rely on them for communication about your LO.

Ridiculous for a nursery to have a uniform. How silly!

I think YAB a little U - surely, (and I'm aware that this is a tad assumptive,) if you can afford to shell out the cash for a private nursery - assuming it's the kind attached to a pre-prep/prep school, then having to buy uniform should be a splash in the ocean of the cost?
I work at a private school and know what it costs! I'd love to be able to afford to send my kids private (not that there's anything wrong with their schools, they're fab!) but we'd never be able to afford it in a million years!
Seriously, not that big an issue?
I do apologise if you meant a standard nursery that is run as a private business, which most of them are.
But even if it's one of those, I'm sure it's been decided for good reason - as an ex-extended schools co-ordinator I remember how snarky some parents got if their children got paint on a home jumper at holiday club.
And, as others have said, it's really not that expensive anyway, unless you have to get speciality blazers!

YANBU! Uniform for a private nursery is ridiculous. What's the reason behind wanting the uniform? Is it so that the kids can provide free advertising on their way to and from nursery? Presumably they will be selling the uniform and making a margin on this as well!

I think YANBU if they aim to have all the children in full school uniform. Why would it matter about skirts/trousers?

DD1 goes to pre-school two days a week. They have an optional uniform (sweatshirt and t-shirt in red or blue) and DD1 insists on wearing her uniform every time! I give her the choice and can only recall one time in the past 15 months when she has opted not to wear her uniform. She also likes to match the red sweater with the blue t-shirt and vice versa!

As for shoes, her pre-school has recently put up lots of notices about wearing suitable footwear (not open-toed sandals or crocs) so maybe that is their reasoning behind wanting to specify footwear as part of the uniform - but surely trainers or normal shoes are fine. DD1 has tiny feet and would not get anything other than black patent shoes if she had to get school shoes specially.

Most schools when instigating a change of uniform policy alloow kids with a year or less to stick to old uniform.

Our nursery has a t-shirt and sweatshirt, but is entirely optional - as is all school uniform here regardless of age.

I havent bothered for DD2 as we only moved here in April and she starts school in august, but DS will start the nursery in January, and I will buy him a sweatshirt and t-shirt as he will be there for a good 18mnths before starting school.

DD1 tried to back out of wearing school uniform at school, but I put my foot down. She has uniform, and she will wear it. I think it cuts down on the "I want" for the latest trends and fashions.

our nursery did a similar thing about 2 years ago. Everyone bought the uniform but within about 6 months the whole thing had been forgotten about and now most children wear normal clothes again!