What do your dc's wear to school if there is no uniform?

[Ilovebunting]

Dd's school doesn't have a uniform, which I had rather been banking on! What do you dress your dc's in for school?

Lola suggests stripes

Why dont you go and take a look at what they are wearing? Sorry, not much help am I!

I wouldnt like that tbh!

I certainly wouldnt let ds wear what he wanted all the time and use up all his wardrobe.

I think I would buy some plain polo shirts and put them with some dark navy or black trousers and a plainish jumper/tracksuit top.

At dd2's school there is no uniform. One gets the distinct impression that most children pick their own clothes out of the drawer. There are some quite innovative combinations.

Just don't send her in anything that you don't want covered in paint/glue/playdoh, and make sure you label all removable items (coats, jumpers, blahdiblah).

He he thanks. Went to the meet and greet this evening and by the look of it alot of the children will have quite extensive (and expensive!) wardrobes! We have nursery clothes and best clothes, so am worried she will be a poor relation! On the other hand one of the teachers did say she got someone constantly dressing as a fairy!

ds wears polo shirts + jeans/cut offs Monday-Thursday, and he gets to choose on Friday (dh and I have dress down policy at work).

oops just noticed you have a dd! The girls at ds's school seem to wear mostly trousers/jeans/leggings and tops.

dd1s nursery have 'optional' uniform sometimes i make her wear it other times she picks her own. she did well today and picked a white top and skirt she usually goes looking she she been hit by a rainbow an has been known to team summer clothes with wellies and winter scarfs! although i put my foot down at the last bit

They do have polo shirts and jumpers with the school logos on, but most kiddies ditch them after the first 1/2 term apparently. She's usually in jeans and t-shirt for nursery as she is really active, and I don't feel it is right for her to be in a skirt rolling around and being upside down (they use the adjoining public green as the lunchtime playground-fully supervised of course!). I know it doesn't really matter, but I just think it is more ladylike! . We have been TOLD to bring wellies in the winter!!

Sounds like a cool school. Just get her loads of cheap tops and trousers, and heave a sigh of relief that you're not facing 7 years of grey polyester.

DD's school doesn't have a uniform until 6 yrs.

For winter I dress her in sturdy boots, navy blue cords with elasticated waists (she has four pairs from Children's warehouse) white vests (like thin t-shirts) and long-sleeved plain-ish t-shirts with optional cardigans or zip-up fleeces(they wear an apron-thing on top of clothes). I like the fact that all the trousers are the same and plain and then they go with everything). Less hassle in the mornings and everything goes in same wash.

For summer it's the reverse and the tops are just one or two colours : she wears short-sleeved white or pale blue t-shirts or polo-shirts with bright legging or capri-type sturdy cotton trousers in a variety of colours plus t-bar sandals. However, she does have a couple of Boden (sorry!!) skorts that she wears to school on hot days so that she can roll around with decorum + plain coloured sun-hat for those days too.

In summary my advice would be: keep everything as plain and simple as poss so everything goes with everything else (but I'm a bit anal about this!). No complicated zips, buttons, laces or belts, so visiting lav and taking off shoes and layers is as easy as possible. Keep one element of the outfit the same (buy in multiples). Fabrics should be durable, easy to wash and then to fold rather than iron. I tend to fairly pricey clothes (NOT designer but medium to good quality) in sizes that are far too large initially so they last a long time and then just wash 'em and wash 'em. Also, all the cords I've bought have a turn-downable hem for when dd grows. But I'm an old crock and have old-fashioned habits!!...

Crikey I wrote an essay

He he, don't worry, it is a helpful essay! I usually get the pants with the buttons midway up the calf for rolling the bottom up (to turn them into capri pants, but I get them so that originally it is full length and then after a year or so they get rolled down!!) ! Am a bit worried as I do have a bit of a tendency to keep up with the Jones's, argh! She tends to have a lot of khaki, a lot of brown, and a lot of pink, so most things go with most others, but I'm sure by 1/2 term I will be well into the swing of it all! I hate the feeling of polyester trousers and skirts!! !

Also, does no logos/motifs mean no Reebok slogan strewn across the child's chest? Or no decoration at all? A lot of her clothes have a little bit of decoration on them as they tend to come from fat face or monsoon, (I always always always bulk buy like mad in the post xmas sales!) and so tend to be sequinny or surfery, but they would be ok wouldn't they? They tend to be very minimally decorated, but they look so pretty!

That's a good tip re the roll-ups (funny, that term meant something else entirely pre-dc!!!) and couldn't agree more about polyester ....

Not sure about the logo/motif thing though. Live outside of UK so not up-to-date with what is usual there

... bumping for you

Extremely expensive and fashionable clothes, and No Mummy, Im not wearing that.

Our primary has optional uniform and only the odd child wears it. Lots of reception children start off with it then abandon it.

In reception my dd wanted to wear any clothes she could manage herself for changing for games and going to the loo.

There is a big mix of what kids wear and it is seemingly of little interest to any of them; they are not competitive about clothing.

My dd is 8 and wears a lot of skirts and dresses and turns a lot of cartwheels. I think it is very sad that you would find this inappropriate for your dd . Showing your knickers at school whilst upside down is no big deal in primary and imo nor should it be.

In reception and Y1 there is a lot of messy artwork so it is sensible not to send them to school in anything which would bother you if it got marked. They have to sit on the floor a lot and skirts/dresses/soft trousers are more comfy for this than jeans or ordinary trousers.

I tend to go to H&M in August/September and buy loads of fun stuff at the beginning of term for relatively little cost.