How many items of school clothing do you buy?

[SunshineAndFizz]

My DD is starting reception in September so we're buying uniform for the first time.

She'll be wearing a cardigan, polo shirt and skirt or pinafore.

How many of each item do you recommend we need to get through the week?

I can wash her clothes whenever if needed but ideally would just do it all at the weekend ahead of the next week.

In YR my DSs needed a full change every day some weeks (mud kitchen and forgot to wear an apron, yep). But they may wear PE kit all day some days?

We are past that stage now but it used to be:

2 cardigans
2 or 3 skirts/pinafores
5 polo shirts
plenty of socks and pants
wash them all Friday evening and very quick iron if necessary Sat.

Buy 2-3 cardigans, 3 bottoms (shirts/dresses/pinafores) and five polos.

My DD had to wear PE kit to school twice a week so black leggings and plain white T-shirt for that (we've got two sets)

Top tip - set one polo shirt aside for photo day (you'll get told when it is a week or so in advance) and then your child will look as fresh in the photo as they did on their first day!

Oh I love that tip about school photos!

At that age it was three cardigans
Five polos
Two skirts
And obviously five pairs of pants and socks
But label the uniform because we lost all three cardigans within the first month!

I have five of everything, just because I don't like to have to do a wash mid-week.
And YES to the labels on EVERYTHING.

I tried to get by on minimal uniform but my DD misplaced or forgot so many items in reception and year 1. Even labelled they don’t always make it back, so unless it’s unaffordable, it’s worth having a couple more of the items that are easiest to lose - cardigans in particular! She once lost 3 in 3 days!

3 jumpers/cardigans. Two skirts/trousers/pinafores. Polos depends a bit on whether they wear PE kit all day on PE days. Mine did, so they only needed 3 polos to allow me to wash uniform only at the weekend.

My top tip: label everything with a label that your child can read/understand, and in a place where they will see it. So DS1 had a name labels in the neck of his jumpers with just his first name and a little graphic of a giraffe (favourite animal). He could easily see the jumper was his (and see that if the label wasn't there, the jumper wasn't his!) If the name is the child's surname written by hand on the care instruction label, your four year old is much less likely to realise they have the wrong jumper!

2 x skirts
5 x shirts
2 x sweaters

1 x pe top, shorts, hoody & socks

I have enough for everyday, just because I don't want to be constantly washing and the items last longer.

I also had 3 coats last year as it came back filthy and full of mud every single day in the winter!

I have four bottoms, five tops and four cardis ( three jumpers for my boys) I'd rather not have to wash them during the week in case there's an emergency keeping me busy. I think three of each is bare minimum. One on, one in wash, one ready for the next day.

I get nearly everything second hand. Jumpers and cardis all get lost very easily named or not

I didn't even think of multiple coats.

It's an expensive business isn't it!

Off to search Vinted.

It certainly is!

We bought a new winter coat for starting school, but ended up using his old one from nursery too as I couldn't keep up with the washing and drying every day. I also bought a good quality waterproof one second hand off vinted.

I'll be doing the same this year, keep back his school coat from last year and buy a new one. It doesn't help his school has a massive mud pit in the playground 😂

5 X jumpers / cardigans 3 the current size and 2 extra the next size up. That way after the first batch you only need to replace three at a time but have enough for each day.

5 X everything else, M&S do pull up jersey trousers that saw DD through from Yr R to yr 6 obviously not the same pair but she found them very comfy and they look smart. Sainsbury's did a similar pair but they were thinner and good for warmer weather.

You get what you pay for with uniform, M&S really does outlast the supermarkets.

My starting school tip would be to take a large bag a similar size to the bigger supermarket ones that way you can fit book bags, Pe Kit, school bag, random drawings all in it without having to juggle them all.

I found patent leather shoes lasted far better especially when they kneel and scrape the toes up it would just buff out. Or geox do a pair in the boys range that have a bumper on the toe area but they are quite clunky.

Mountain warehouse are great for affordable All weather coats.

For reception, I had 5 sets and 2 winter coats for mine as they get sopping playing in the water tray outside.

2 cardis & 2 pinafores, 2 skirts & 2 jumpers, 3 ties and 5 shirts for year 1 due to packaging.

They wear PE kit all day for 2 days, so 2 hoodies, 2 shorts, 2 joggers, 3 pairs of football socks and 4 polos, because one DC puts holes in them like nobody’s business!

4 school dresses in the summer term, due to 2 packs, I’ve found M&S the best quality for these, everything else is Asda or the uniform supplier for school cardis, jumpers and PE hoodies.

Five of everything as they get messy. We have a mix of bottoms though i.e. two shorts/trousers, two skirts and one skort. In winter we find trousers better than skirts on PE days as no tights for ease of changing and not having to have socks in PE kit as already on feet.

10 of everything because DS needs a new outfit everyday (comes home covered in mud, dirt, pen, his lunch). I don't have a tumble drier so in the winter it can take a couple of days to dry a load of washing hanging it up in the house. Everything gets passed down to younger DS though so I get my monies worth out of everything. Anything left in good condition after younger DS gets donated to the school thrift shop.

When ds started reception he had 5 tops, 4 jumpers and 5 trousers...
but when dd started reception she had 5 tops, 3 cardigans, 2 dresses and 2 skirts (she never once wore the skirts)
But after the first term I had to buy her another 5 tops because she'd ruined them with her art and crafts...

It really depends on your budget, how often you're able to wash the clothes and also how clean your child can be...

School dinners spillages... all that gravy, custard, yogurt and baked beans mess
forget to put a paint apron on and have a paint fight mess
Don't use aprons when coloured water play mess
Cover their clothes in glue mess
Roll on the field grass stains mess
Mud wars in the mud kitchen mess

I think DD was at the other end of the spectrum as she hates getting dirty so in Year R she had 2 jumpers, 3 polo shirts, 1 pinafore and one pair of trousers. (She only wears uniform 4 days a week). She also only had one coat which has lasted until the end of Year 2. Usually she wore the same clothes two days in a row.

My DD has just finished Reception. I bought 6 polo shirts (came in packs of 2) 4 pinafores/skirts and 3 school cardis with logo and a plain one for spares. They had a spares bag they kept at school so that had a full change in there, she wore PE kit once a week. Polo top changed every day and some weeks I could get a full week out of a skirt/pinafore but other weeks clean one needed every day so glad I had more. We finished the year with 1 cardigan left so be prepared to lose a few. Luckily the pta sold old uniform for £1 so bought a couple to see us through.

Just completed our first year of school with the eldest. In the end she had 3 cardigans (to allow for there usually being at least one left at school), three pinnies, five polo shirts, and two pairs of trousers as well. All supermarket multipacks except the cardigans so wasn't too painful. PE kit once per week but had two t shirts and two leggings because of multipacks, and one hoody.

The only thing I really had to replace as the year went on was the PE t-shirts. Pinny dresses really protect the polo shirts from the brunt of most of their activities! I did end up buying a new pack of polo shirts half way through the year but that was to size up as much as anything else. She had a pair of summery shoes, another sensible pair for winter, and her PE trainers which are her weekend ones anyway.

Velco or slip on shoes!! Unless they can tie them independently, mine has to take his off and on through out the day for his ' indoor' plimsoles.

DS is starting reception this year too. I've got 5 of everything, plus PE kit, because I read a great tip (on here?) to get a small 5-drawer storage unit, label it Mon-Fri, and at the weekend, stock it with whatever clothes and other miscellaneous items they need to remember to take in each day.
I'm hoping it will cut down on the frantic "oh no, it's PE day / bring £1 for the cake sale / forest school / dress like a pirate day and I can't find what I need!" in the mornings 🙈
We have a mix of school-branded and supermarket stuff, so just about affordable!
Great tip upthread about multiple coats - I hadn't thought of that!

We did 3 jumpers, 3 trousers, 6* polo shirts, 2 ties, 1 PE kit

3x packs of 2, as PP has said, set back a white shirt but also keep a jumper back for photo day. Ours was beginning of October, and with jumpers having been washed after each wear (lunches, paint, whiteboard marker etc) since beginning of Sept, there was a noticeable difference and i was glad I kept a jumper back too!

We have 2 winter coats, as on a day of heavy rain there's no guarantee it'll be dry again by the next. I always go with something bright and distinctive so DC can easily identify it.

Also, if DC is having school meals, practise carrying a plate of food and a drink on a tray this summer

We had four sets of uniform, clean set for each day as my child was filthy every day. Fifth day was forest school so own clothes.
My only advice is if you have option of white or coloured polos, choose the coloured ones. White can often be cheaper but there’s no way I’d ever keep them clean.