Tips for parents of this years reception kids

[roseyposeysmum]

Just that really - it is a bit of a minefield.

How many items of uniform, packed lunch or school dinners ? Any tips to make it all easier ?

You will need atleast 2 school jumpers, 4 will be better.
2 polo shirts
2 long sleeved shirts
3 trousers/skirts
2 shorts/pinifores
Tights/& or socks x7
Fabric pen & or name labels to put on each and every item so as not to get mislayed
School shoes
Rain mac
Warm coat
2 PE shirts
2PE shorts
Plimsolls
Gym bag
School dinners around £2.20
Lunchboxes -wash out with sponge daily and stick in washing machine once a week
flasks/bottles always tend to leak so ensure they are upright in bag or your child will get wet frequently or buy cartons
Sandwich boxes also come in handy incase you run out of sandwich bags or foil
Try the routine out a week before school starts to get you and dc used to the daily thing of getting washed/fed/dressed on time
My dd3 is starting this september too, its gone so fast, it will just be dd4 at home still

Its not a minefield! its a child starting school who needs some uniform and a lunch box!

Come on people we are grown ups - lets not make a mountain out of molehill! Great advice on here but honestly getting some kit ready for school is not rocket science OP!

Love the tip of putting two halfs of a picture in their shoes so they can get them on right feet!

Givemeaclue, no one said it was 'rocket science'. Maybe show a little bit of empathy that starting school is a big deal for people and feeling 'organised' helps to overcome any nerves. I for one have seen lots of tips on here which will help me when DS1 starts school in a few weeks, so thank you to all suggestions.

Not only label school jumpers but also write your child's name in permanent marker on the inside of the waist band. It helps to identify it when some parent takes the name label out of it.

givemeaclue isn't the purpose of MN to share concerns and expperience? Have a heart besides even you found a good tip here.
I too love the half smilies in shoes :) in 12 yrs of teaching ive never seen this but will be sharing!

There are loads of things that are not 'rocket science' givemeaclue, it doesn't mean that a few tips shared won't make life a lot easier!

Do not buy white socks for September term,they will end up a dirty sludge colour by October no matter how much vanish you apply so just start with grey, navy, whatever ones and save your self the hassle.

Both my dds got away with knee length socks all winter last year becauses it always so hot in the classroom and they are only ever outside for 30mins max so didn't need tights

M&S print the sizes on their socks, invaluable if you have more than 1 school age dc

Put key rings on book bags so they can be spotted

Label everything in more than 1 place and make sure your dc can recognise their label

Make sure your dc can shut the lunchbox again as well as open it

Get lunchboxes with long straps so they can carry them but still have their hands free

Small uniform will sell out before the end of August

No one knows if girls have logoed polo shirts on under pinafores so get plain ones for under them (much cheaper)

Sainsburys uniform washes well but is on the short side so buy up a size

Be prepared for exhaustion to hit in the last few weeks of term

Check book bags as soon as you get in and deal with weekly letters, homework etc on the day or you will forget

If you can pay for school dinners in bulk, eg half termly so you don't forget

If you're using Easy2Name for name tags there's a Mumsnet discount code of 10% - 'mums-e2n'

I am definitely going to try the smiley face thing for DD (will be Y1 in Sept), who still puts her shoes on the wrong feet more often than not - although it could be hard to get it to show up on some shoes. I ended up sewing nametapes to the tongues of DS (Y5's) shoes as they defied all attempts to get labels to stick, were too black for writing to show up, and when shoes were being thrown around the changing room the poor child ended up comparing serial numbers to make sure he had a pair [proud of the initiative shown].

DD was the oldest in her reception class, broke up yesterday, and has just slept for 13 hours straight. I think maybe she wasn't exagerrating when she moaned "I'm too tiiiiired" as I bounced her out of bed at 7am every morning .

My DD loved starting school and never wanted to take off her uniform! ... DS on the other hand left the house in tears every morning!

Be careful what you start vis a vis after-school snacks as it will become a habit that your DC will not want to ever get out of. DC1 never had an after school snap and never asked for one, DC2 for some reason got an after school snack and still expects one every day and has tears sometimes if I have forgotten.
Also, don't spend the summer praticing handwriting or sums. Instead practice with your DC so that come september they can take off and put back on their own coat, shoes, cardigan etc.

Make sure they can do the basics most of all. Go to the loo by themselves, wipe their bums, only clothes and shoes they can do up and put on themselves. Name everything, Teachers get shorter tempered with the kids that lose stuff. They HATE parents who give kids laceups if they can't do them up. I split DS name "in two" in his shoes at that age so he knew left and right. So one shoe says DA- the other says VID. Velcro shoes NOT laces etc. Do they have to do lunch by themselves? Can he carry a tray with his lunch on? We practised that before he went as he was worried about it (was in nursery at same school and had to make the move to dinner hall as nursery were fed away from teh scary bigger kids in their classroom)

Playtime is massively massively important. Much more to the kids than the lessons. Practice with DC how to make friends, watch at the side a little then ask nicely "can I play", or "my name is xxxx". Work on sharing, compromise, taking turns.

Most important of all - Don't get too involved too quickly in school, PTA and other Mums until you've sussed everything out a bit!

I'm going to say this and duck - so here goes -

Does everyone who says "go for school dinners" realise that their little darling is hungry later because they don't like most of the food and chuck it in the slops bin. We CANNOT make kids eat food they don't want to eat - excuses given range from "I don't like that" to "mum says if I have a mouthful it is fine" to "I feel sick"

Most kids will not eat the veg (ANY veg) - I wouldn't either it looks vile..., if they go for a baked potato option they eat about a sprout sized portion of the potato and don't generally like the fillings. Only days the kids REALLY eat what they tell their parents they eat are on roast dinner day and on fish and chips day. Spag bol is popular, macaroni cheese I am told by most of the kids "tastes like sick". Portions are too big for reception, too small for Y6.

When the kids have packed lunch ANYTHING not eaten goes home with them, so you know what has been eaten that day - hot food could ALL have been dumped (one little one managed to hide a whole plate of food under the gymnastic "horse" in the hall for a WEEK!! - teachers were wondering where the smell came from....)

And before anyone asks "aren't they being watched" well - 3 staff indoors for 200 kids..... maybe one called off for first aid, or sick clear up duties.... that's before opening oranges, clearing up "conversational" yoghurt tubes (open end and wave around whilst you talk) or cutting up roast potatoes with a child screaming "don't let it touch the yuccky broccoli" mmmmm 'tis a tricky job.....

ByTheWay1 - that is a "realising what I pay for" post for me (half joking - there are lots of reasons my DC are in an independent school and I realise I am very fortunate to have that choice).

My DC eat "family style" on tables of 12 with a teacher or TA at the head of each table serving, and the DC taking it in turns to clear away / fetch the next course / etc. Mixed year groups on the table, so max 2-3 YR or nursery, and the teachers do know what they have eaten and will alert parents to a child consistently not eating much/enough. They are encouraged but not forced to at least try everything (for example, DD doesn't eat cooked fruit. She just won't. When there is apple crumble or similar for pudding, she just has custard). Everyone has school meals, so no packed lunches to deal with, and allergies can be catered for.

Teach them basic hygiene including how to wipe their bottom after going to the loo. I really can't think of any more basic preparation for school and I know teachers are not keen to find themselves doing this for the children because it wasn't taught at home.

We have a rotating menu each term so I can book DCs in on the days when I know it's something they really like roast dinner or spag bol. This way I can be fairly sure they will eat it. But I wouldn't do school dinners everyday as DD1 would be traumatised by having to eat Moroccan vegetable tagine and it might end up under the gym horse!

Used to give mine a snack on the way home. Otherwise we had meltdown. Biscuits did the trick. Named everything and had a symbol on the name tag as thought when tired they could look for the spider etc. avoided after school clubs and kept weekends for R & R where poss. Plenty of time for activities when they are older. Tried to have an extra early night Thursday, it helped everyone.
it is not a minefield...mums can be helpful as can schools. :)

shebird - lol you just made me snort my coffee!!

The meal that gets left the most is macaroni cheese - parents think their kid loves it - the kids do love it at home - but not like they make it for school dinners!!

Great tips here. For the experienced mums out there - what kind of shool bags/ book bags/ lunch boxes/ water bottles did your DCs carry in reception? Any linkies much appreciated!

To elaborate on my query, I didn't grow up here, and anyway as an older mum, my childhood is a far and distant memory! So guessing that school stuff is drastically different from what I had as a child, and also I don't really know any other school going children.

The "character" school bags tend to be of poor quality and don't last I believe but I have never bought one - that's what i hear from other parents.

If your child like a character then you can get them the pencilcase or lunchbox rather than the school bag.

My boys had the smaller backpacks that GAP do and it lasted them all the way from age 3 to age 9 and actually they only got binned then because they had outgrown them not because there was anything wrong with them. they also took them on holiday and when they went away for a weekend etc so although slighty more expensive, we did get our monies worth - they weren't completey boring either - one had like a space pattern and the other was camoflage style.

Then they got a sports backpack (one Animal and one Adidas) and they have lasted over the last 3 years too with no damage. maybe it's just that I taught them to take care of their stuff!

If your child needs to have gym shoes, I would recommend the clarks fitted ones as they actually last - usually the velcro gives out the last week of the year :). i found the cheaper ones are false economy.

Dont get a drinks bottle with a rubber sports top - they chew it off!!

Either use sports cap bottled water bottles and then replace them every week or buy a decent metal one with a hard plastic sports cap - they go through the dishwasher as does a hard bodied lunch box.

Some brilliant tips here - wish I'd seen a similar thread this time last year. I've got two additions.

First, read the school newsletter carefully - hidden among the chit chat and reminders about labelling uniform are a few important bits of information that you won't get reminded about if you miss them. Don't be the mum who blithely binned the newsletter and then forced their child to spend all day in school uniform on a non-uniform day...

Also, if you see another parent smiling bravely as they leave a sobbing child behind, and then see that child sitting down calmly on the carpet - tell the parent when you next see them! It makes all the difference to know that the tears stop once you're out of sight.

Lunchboxes etc - I've moved to foil for sarnies. DS then 6, had too much touble with tupperware etc. Advice - Get them to choose and check they can open whatever plastic you give them! Cheap Ikea ones working well for us. At the moment ours are in one of those cheap triangley ones from the supermarkerts. like this I have two or three and can clean, wash etc and chuck when manky. £1-£2 only. Packed lunches at our school are put straight on a trolley so tupperware/tough lunchbox not necessary for us except for really soft things like strawbs. I use these resealable/useable bags for veg, fruit, cheese cubes etc. www.google.co.uk/#q=baco+rainbow+snack+bags&hl=en&prmd=imvns&source=univ&tbm=shop&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=SxL_T92lBKfA0QXxi72oBw&ved=0CF8QrQQ&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=bc868340c4908156&biw=1088&bih=579 He can close but doesn't need to as he eats it and stuffs it in lunch bag. I hate water bottles - they all leak imex, so I buy small plastic ones in bulk when on offer at supermarkets. I resue for a week then chuck. Sorry Greenies.

ByTheWay1 - I am soooo grateful for your thoughts. Finally moved DS to packed lunches because he clearly wasn't eating anything and wasn't allowed to try a pudding unless he ate it all. I dreaded making it every morning, but it's now in the routine and takes five mins. I hear about frubes and I am sorry!

Afterschool snakc. Key thing is on school dinners for 3 years DS was an afterschool snack monster as others have said. Total meltdown without it. That stopped almost the day he moved to packed lunches. BUT he is now at school where lots of kids have packed lunch. BEfore that I didn't want him alienated and also trying new food. It's still the only place he's ever eaten curry - and he liked it.

Second the newsletter advice. They hide stuff in there on purpose to catch parents out you know. Write things down on calendar as soon as you see Assembly/nativity dates etc as sometimes they disappear. Try and ask experienced mums for any other access that happens is allowed. Took me forever to discover school allowed parents to book in and have school dinners with their kids, that they school have regular family learning afternoons, that you could go to any friday assembly and that they wanted parents to help regularly or intermittently with things like reading.