Stupid question about uniform size

[FrozenAteMyDaughter]

DD is starting Reception in September. I have been buying her uniform. I am not too bothered about the generic bits but the branded stuff is a bit more pricey.

The cardigan comes in 4-5 and 6-7 etc (whereas oddly the sweatshirt comes in 3-4 and 5-6). I have bought DD a 5-6 sweatshirt, which is a bit big but ok, and at the moment, a 6-7 cardigan. It is really big though with long sleeves. The 4-5 is fine but she will grow out of it pretty quick I think.

Thing is, I am beginning to wonder if the length of the cardigan and particularly its long sleeves are going to be a hindrance for DD day to day until she (finally) grows into it.

So I thought I would see what most people tend to do. Did you buy your children over-sized clothes to grow into and was that a pain for them? Or did you tend to get them stuff that fits now?

I said it was a stupid question...

DS's friends all have stuff that is massively big at the beginning of the year. And in sports kit, some of them will be wearing their cricket whites for the next 3 years

Thanks for your replies.

Yes Travel, that is another concern. Unfotunately, there doesn't seem to be a slightly big option. It either fits now (so may not even by September) or is massive.

CMOT , that is quite reassuring, bless them. I must admit thinking back, my Mum bought me a PE skirt when I was 10 that I was still wearing (and only just above the knee) when I left at 18 . I must have looked like a relic from the Victorian age for most of my school years.

I've bought my DS sweatshirts in 3-4 because the 5-6 so was just so huge it probably won't fit him for at least a year. I'm hoping he'll get most of the way through Reception before outgrowing the 3-4 size.

I know you want things to last but I could see the 5-6 would get in his way and hinder him - it looked like he was wearing a sack and the sleeves where just ridiculous on him.

cardigans tend to get worn out before they get outgrown, even the branded pricey stuff, esp at the cuffs, more so if they are long, so i would keep this for the future and buy one that fits well now. Also lots of new school photos in reception!

I find they do shrink a bit if they are washed and tumbled dry so that would be worth bearing in mind if it only just fits. Could she just start with a couple of sweatshirts and grow into the cardigan? Do they have to be logo items or could you get a generic cardigan.

Thanks again for your replies. I take the point about things wearing out before the child has grown into them, so I think I will go back and get a 4-5 and, like you say, tess73 keep the bigger one for the future. She is going to grow into it eventually (hopefully not in the summer holidays next year)!

We don't have a tumble dryer unfortunately, Eva50, so shrinking is unlikely which is a bit of a shame really in some ways. Also she has unfortunately decided she wants a cardigan as well as a jumper - she will need two warm things to swap about I would think - and many of the girls do seem to wear cardigans rather than jumpers so I see it getting more wear to be honest. I haven't seen any child in a generic cardigan or sweatshirt so I expect it would be frowned on (having seen a recent thread on this topic on here).

DD is ok in the 5-6 jumper hiccupgirl so I will keep that, but the 6-7 cardigan sleeves are ridiculous so I think I will bite the bullet and get a small one.

I have just been back to M&S to change all the generic stuff I panic bought in their sale - it is hard when they are between sizes and you don't know how much they will grow before September - I should have just left it until then but I worried about it all being out of stock.

I always go for the size that fits, I think clothes look scruffy if they are ill fitting. Will be more costly at secondary but worth it I think for looks and comfort.

With DD1 she was nicely sized in that 3-4 was slightly too big, so we got that.
DS1 I have been hoping he will grow as he fits 3-4 exactly, 5-6 is massive. He hasn't grown so I've ordered 3-4.

Our school is all generic items so most people these days do buy to fit. Other (much younger) mums found it odd I might buy with "growing room" but it really was so different in my day!

Now school uniform is usually cheaper than havinh multiples of normal clothes so people usually buy to fit and replace each year....

RainbowTeapot, it must be my age showing. I am definitely an older mum. I had better go smaller in that case or DD will look ridiculous with the growing room in the clothes I have bought so far.

The other thing I found is that as our uniform isn't branded people tend to buy lots of cheap uniform so fresh most days..rather than the "making it last another day" I was used to!

Making it last - oh yes, I remember that. Our school skirts were vastly expensive and pleated with lots of tiny pleats which had to be ironed in. Not a fun job so they were rarely washed and I don't think anyone had more than one. I imagine a whole classroom of us must have been choice (particularly after it rained).

The thing that wears out on primary jumpers is the cuffs. If they are too long this happens quicker, so by the time they fit they look a mess.

If they are sweatshirt style, they are impossible to mend and too large tops are a false ecconomy.

Our knitted secondary jumpers are a bit better, the cuffs will fold back and a single strand of embroidery thread and a needle works wonders.

Old glimmer here too, I was delighted when a DF poured acid down my idiotically too big jumper.

Her parents were better off than mine and I got a replacement that fitted (for several years, why DM had insisted on the bigger one I can't imagine.)

Elephants, well done your DF! One of my friends sat on my hideous NHS glasses as a "favour", albeit without asking me. The (also NHS) ones my Mum replaced them with were marginally better so she did do me a bit of a favour.

I will definitely swop the cardigan for the smaller size but I think the sweatshirt is probably just about ok especially as DD has decided she will wear it on colder days only to keep her warm.

It is exceptionally difficult to keep her still long enough to try any of this on, especially as she is highly indignant she is not getting a blue dress like the girls we met at the school until next summer.

It was excellent as it was a total accident and her DDad wasn't massively annoyed at getting me a new one.

I was forever grateful my DParents managed to find the money to get me non NHS specs. They were not nice.

Have a look through all the bumf you were sent/school website/ask a family about secondhand sales shortly after the start of the year. Our old state infants used to sell everything for £1 (s/shirts were at least £10 new). Private is now flogging things at about 1/2 price.

I "oversized" in reception (and I think I still do) because DD seems to shoot up in random spurts. I have been known to pop in a few tucks and take up some hems...but I don't mind a bit of handsewing in front of the TV.

All of dds uniform is miles too big. She's smallish anyway and only turns 3 on Saturday. The smallest size they do in the school cardigans is 3-4 and it almost reaches her knees. I'm sure she'll be ok, they tend to take jumpers and cardis of as soon as they go into the classroom anyway.

By 1/2 term most of tbe girls in DD2's class had bought supermarket cardigans and saved the school ones until they'd grown a bit, they just looked silly.

By 1/2 term most of tbe girls in DD2's class had bought supermarket cardigans and saved the school ones until they'd grown a bit, they just looked silly.