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Original poster

school clothes-how to keep apart if more than one dc

24 replies

mausmaus · 03/09/2014 12:44

thinking mainly of unlabelled things/socks.
thinking of using a laundry net for each dc, but am wondering if there are other magical non fussy solutions.

OP posts:
mistymeanour · 03/09/2014 12:48

There were a lot of us and my mum used to put a dot or x or circle - some little sign for each of us with a laundry marker on white socks. She put a stitch of coloured thread on dark socks at the ankle or sole. pants the same or else she cut out the label, snipped the label in half etc

Oakmaiden · 03/09/2014 12:53

Socks are the bane of my life.

I make sure my husband buys ones which are solid colours, my eldest son gets the ones in Tesco that look like solid colours but actually have coloured heels and toes, and my youngest I try to get ones with coloured soles...

Original poster
mausmaus · 03/09/2014 13:15

we were many at home too, but no school uniforms so had a different colour for each child.
doesn't works with 2 lots of similar sized navy socks

OP posts:
Oakmaiden · 03/09/2014 14:59

Mausmaus - buy them in different shops? So then they are different makes and thus will look slightly different?

Or even better, buy them all identical, share them out randomly after washing, and insist if anyone asks that actually you can tell the difference and you sort them carefully and, yes, they are getting the right socks back.

ThinkIveBeenHacked · 03/09/2014 15:03

Just have a basket of navy socks at the place where they put their shoes on. Free for all.

RhinestoneCowgirl · 03/09/2014 15:05

Get the DC to sort the socks?

Floggingmolly · 03/09/2014 15:09

If they're the same size and colour, does it actually matter who they belong to? I have four brothers; for years there were five lots of interchangable black socks in the wash. Once they were evenly divided between sock drawers, nobody cared if they got the same pairs back even if they'd been able to tell the difference

Original poster
mausmaus · 03/09/2014 15:27

they are a size apart. so difficult enough to tell apart but matters fit-wise to the larger dc iyswim
lots of food for hought. thanks.

OP posts:
MiddleAgeMiddleEngland · 03/09/2014 17:49

When my DDs were in primary school, I bought some socks in Tescos and some in Woolworths (those were the days!) so they had different patterns.

At secondary school they had to wear black socks so I just bought dozens of identical ones. They all looked the same to me but they were convinced they could tell them apart and would sort them out themselves.

3stripesandout · 03/09/2014 17:57

DD has knee socks, DD2 ankle socks, DS grey socks. 5 pairs each. They come off everyday and go into their peg bag that hangs on the uniform hanger next to all their weeks uniform!

This is the communal uniform hanger (only half full because I'm still bloody ironing). Uniform is separated by a name tags (do not disturb type!)

school clothes-how to keep apart if more than one dc
ravenAK · 03/09/2014 17:59

My dds are 8 & 6. I have no idea whose socks & undercrackers are whose.

I put them all in a trug on the landing & they are claimed on a 'first come, first served' basis.

An awful lot of them are hand-me-downs from a friend's dd, anyway, so it's all good...I just make sure that we don't run out.

10yo ds pinching my socks is more of a problem now he has size 6 feet! Grin

addictedtosugar · 03/09/2014 18:25

Do they have to have navy socks?
DS1 has grey socks, DS2 has black socks.
Pants... were still on different patterns. I can tell whose are whose, so can the kids, but DH can't.
I'd buy them from different places - maybe one plain, and one ridged. Or someone with coloured toes.

Original poster
mausmaus · 03/09/2014 18:48

either white or navy.
but there is no chance of me buying white socks for the little pigs dc.

OP posts:
Primrose123 · 03/09/2014 18:51

I think if you buy school socks from m and s, they have the sizes on the inside of the top part, so they are easy to separate.

Monopolice · 03/09/2014 18:59

My 3 DS have the 15 pairs of the same socks between them. So I just pair them up two at a time as they come out of the tumble dryer and distribute evenly among their sock drawers. Start again every year with a new set.

I've labelled their pants because I have no idea whose are whose now as most are handed down and usually DS2 ended up with all the pants. I'm hoping DS3 will grow a bit so we can go for a similar arrangement as per the socks.

Shirts and trousers have an initial in, in sharpie - so by the time DS1 needs new shirts, I can move everyone up a size and re-mark.

furcoatbigknickers · 03/09/2014 19:01

My eldest dd wears navy or black socks, dd2/3 share white socks. Can they just have the same?

erin99 · 04/09/2014 10:10

We've had ribbed and plain knee length navy socks from M&S. Tights I'd label.

Or if DD2 is near the top size of her socks, try putting her into bigger socks now. If they are ok, go with the communal socks thing. Pants, let them sort them out amongst themselves.

Mumstudentbum · 04/09/2014 14:27

Ds just has plain black socks but dd1 and dd2 have to wear white. I buy plain ones for dd1 and ones with frills on for dd2 so I can quickly tell the difference

HowYaLikeThemApples · 04/09/2014 14:38

I have 4 DC's, 3 of which are boys who wear the same size socks. They can share, they've been through the washing machine and it's really not going to kill them is it. For underwear, for DD it's obvious. DS1 wears black trunks, DS 2 wears white trunks and DS 3 wears white trunks and some patterned ones.

Once they're all washed they get chucked in a basket and it's the kids responsibility to find their items and sort the shared ones into equal piles.

It's a much quicker job for all of us to do this rather than for me to have to do it for the 6 people that live in our house. I have a life and I'm not dedicating it to clothes sorting!!!!

superbagpuss · 04/09/2014 14:39

I have twin boys

grey socks, all washed and then plumped into a drawer as needed

pants are different colours so we remember who gets what

everything else for them is named.

Original poster
mausmaus · 04/09/2014 14:45

thanks all
pants not an issue as boy/girl.
I like the ribbed/not ribbed idea to tell the socks apart. have also seen socks with labels (white fabric inside on the top) but they were not in stock.

OP posts:
TinklyLittleLaugh · 04/09/2014 14:49

Mine have grey and navy socks, also as they are from next they have the size on the inside.

ThatBloodyWoman · 04/09/2014 14:54

Mine are different in age but same in size.
I get them to sort their own clean clothes.

wowfudge · 04/09/2014 16:43

Funnily enough, I was only thinking about these yesterday when someone was asking about bags for washing delicates in. These are from the US - there must be someone stocking them in the UK if you didn't want to order online from the US.

My sister and I had these (or something very similar) for as long as I can remember when we were growing up as we wore different size socks. At the time they came in packs of four colours and my DM allocated us each two colours. They were brilliant - can go through the wash and tumble dryer. Lasted ages too before any of them lost any 'teeth'.

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