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Secondary education

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Original poster

Boys - how many pairs of school trousers do you buy?

46 replies

outrage · 08/01/2017 20:20

DS is in Year 8, and I reckon our optimum number is 3 - but M&S trousers come in packs of 2 so I always have a dilemma whether to go for 2 or 4. Just about to up-size again and I'm hovering over the shopping basket wondering whether an extra £17 is worth the reassurance of a surplus. What's the Mumsnet consensus?

OP posts:
DriftingDreamer · 08/01/2017 20:39

My youngest had 2 pairs that fit and due to my disorganisation not enough.
Went into school with age 5 trousers recently... he is 7.
My eldest has 4 pairs- much better.
Yesterday bought 1 extra pair for youngest from Tesco.

MilkRunningOutAgain · 08/01/2017 21:20

Just 1 pair here, used to have 2 pairs at primary, more in KS1. But we can't get them from M&S, have to buy school logo embroidered pair from a specific shop. Cost £14 a pair.

Looby4 · 08/01/2017 21:36

4 pairs here and 6 shirts - to cover losses at PE and washing crises!

AtiaoftheJulii · 08/01/2017 21:44

Two. But we have a good secondhand uniform shop, so I can replace one by one.

228agreenend · 08/01/2017 21:56

Three - one in the wash, one in the ironing pile, and one ready to wear

dalmatianmad · 08/01/2017 21:58

Three pairs of school trousers and 5 shirts, normally works OK here.....

TheSecondOfHerName · 08/01/2017 22:05

Two pairs of school trousers have always been fine for DS1 and DS2. DS3 seems to come home covered in mud more often, but still manages with two pairs.

DS1 now wears suits, so I deliberately bought two pairs of trousers to match the jacket.

angelcake20 · 08/01/2017 23:52

DS had 4 in year 7 but I decided we really didn't need that many and only bought him 2 of the next size up when he grew out of them during year 8. Managed so far, though I've kept a couple of the too small ones in case of emergencies.

Lazybeans50 · 09/01/2017 07:37

I like to have three pairs so get the M&S two pack issue. The last couple of years I've managed to spilt a second two pack with a friend who has DS in same school and same size!

Chasingsquirrels · 09/01/2017 07:43

Yr 7 & 8 - 4 pairs due to 2 pack issue (actually for only 4 days as he is at his dad's 1 night a week and had a pair there). Didn't wear a clean pair every day though.
Yr 9 - school has introduced logo trousers at £15 a pair. Was just going to get 2 bit ended up with 3 due to an ordering cock-up and it means he always has a pair, but 2 would be fine.

DustyMaiden · 09/01/2017 07:46

Five of everything, a weeks supply.

AndNoneForGretchenWieners · 09/01/2017 07:51

Used to get 2 pairs. Now he's in adult sizes he has a pair at a time as theoretically he's less hard wearing in sixth form, but in reality he's on his second pair this year. I buy him M&S or Next as they seem the best quality. When he was in kids sizes he always wore M&S.

NotThrowAwayMyShot · 09/01/2017 07:55

DS has to have specific school suit trousers that are expensive so only has two pairs.

user1471537877 · 09/01/2017 08:19

Year 8 DS here, we have 2 pairs from m&s but the single pairs as colour is only available as singles

If you need 3 could you buy singles or 2 packs of 2 and eBay the spare?

ttlshiwwya · 09/01/2017 09:59

Used to buy 4 but now I buy 2 but I keep a pair of their old trousers or have the next size up in reserve just in case. As both of my DSs consider it social death to wear too short or too long trousers then this was effective at getting them to put the dirty ones in the washing machine immediately so very rarely did they run out with 2.

CremeEggThief · 09/01/2017 10:01

2, but 3 would be perfect.

BigGreenOlives · 09/01/2017 10:02

2 prs. Doesn't play football/rugby at break and light on his clothes. Has never gone through the knee of uniform trousers, even in primary.

bumblingbovine49 · 09/01/2017 10:16

In primary he had 4 pairs. I tried to get by once with fewer and was always scrabbling to wash and dry one or two in the week so rapidly went to 4 again. Now in secondary he seems to be fine with 2 pairs, though 3 would be better really.

I prefer to wash his uniform on Friday evening or Saturday morning, all in one go, ready for the following week and he seems OK with two pairs as he can wear one pair for 2-3 days at the moment (unlike in primary when they always seemed to be filthy every day !!) .

The white short sleeve polo shirts are another matter. He definitely needs 4-5 of those even now. I usually have 2 of them in the next size up so they can still be worn if needed but will last longer. I also sometimes keep one small one of the ones I have mostly discarded as being too small for absolute dire emergencies

Tigerblue · 09/01/2017 10:25

I have a DD and have gone down to two skirts for her last year. It's do able, but it can be hit and miss if they're put in the wash basket, so we have occasions when one has been worn and needs washing (doesn't look dirty though) and the other is crumpled up in her bag after going back to a friends house.

golfbuggy · 09/01/2017 12:26

Two, but I've been mostly thinking this year that 1 would have been sufficient ... Unless your DC is regularly playing football in the mud or something can't see why they would need washing more than one a week ...?

TanteJeanne · 09/01/2017 12:43

2 is enough because they wash and dry so easily

Pythonesque · 09/01/2017 15:57

I'd thought when my son started school that we might need more than 2 pairs of trousers, but in fact all the way through he's been fine to wear them for a week between washes so 2 has been plenty.

MrsBernardBlack · 09/01/2017 18:01

2 pairs have always been fine, especially with the modern fabrics that wash and dry really quickly.

TeenAndTween · 09/01/2017 18:57

I have girls, but my method in your situation would be to keep back one of the outgrown pairs to use in an emergency, and when they really don't fit, buy the next size up and use the larger size in an emergency. That's what I always did with school jumpers.

Scholes34 · 09/01/2017 23:18

I think we've got three - some passed down from older DS. However DS2 only ever seems to wear the one pair - favoured style - and that's fine. Once the hems have been chewed by bike chains or we have rips from football, then we'd think about buying another pair.