Pick your favourite back to school pieces from George at ASDA and share your back to school tips - £300 voucher to be won! NOW CLOSED

[EmmaMumsnet]

It’s never too early to start thinking about the kids starting or heading back to school. There’s so much to buy that it’s hard to remember everything or even know how much of each thing you need - are 5 shirts enough/too much? Where should I shop? What should I buy? Are all common questions our MNers have.

Here’s what George at ASDA has to say: “Our schoolwear and footwear are such brilliant quality, we’re proud to offer a no-quibble 100 day satisfaction guarantee. This means that if you’re not happy with an item you’ve brought with 100 days, we’ll give you a full refund. So you can shop with complete confidence.”

George at ASDA would like you to go to their website here and pick out your favourite back to school items, whether that’s uniform, shoes, lunchboxes, or stationary and come back and share them (ideally with a link to make it easy on anyone who wants to check them out). It would be great if you could also share your back to school tips and tricks with your fellow MNers, especially those who may have DC going to school for the first time this year!

So how many shirts do you buy? Don’t forget about the PE kit! What are the most comfy school shoes for your DC? Have you found an amazing lunchbox with lots of handy compartments? Do you label EVERYTHING? How do you get your kids in the mindset for going back to school? Whatever your favourite back to school items and tricks, please share them on the thread below and you will be entered into a prize draw to win a £300 George at ASDA voucher.

Thanks and good luck

MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

My daughter is in love with direct.asda.com/george/home-garden/kids-lunchbags-dining-sets/panda-lunch-bag/050192833,default,pd.html the panda lunch bag. She is just starting school in September and was in a mindfield about what I needed a quick trip to Asda had me sorted for most things.

I always like Adsa for the school uniforms. Good quality at very reasonable prices. Going to get this smash bag and bottle too direct.asda.com/george/home-garden/kids-lunchbags-dining-sets/smash-skull-bag-and-bottle/050200020,default,pd.html?cgid=D26M08G08C20

I'll be making sure I have a shirt for every day of the week knowing how messy my lot are! Plus I think a gingham dress is a school wardrobe staple so will be getting some of them

Buy quality and you wont have to buy twice! We really like the teflon polo shirts as they stay white better than other brands we have tried.

I like there soft sole gym shoes. Good quality and value.my tip is label everything!

I love the little Gingham dresses. V easy to get on and off and wash and dry well and quickly. I love all the pretty colours they come in too and luckily our school doesn't seem to mind not sticking to strictly blue.

Ooh, I've just spotted the little Gingham playsuits - v cute!

The name tapes are really handy for all the items but love the pinafore

i got tired of rebuying stuff that went missing so now i am obsessive about labelling literally everything.

My ds has always worn George school uniform. He's now 14. That's a lot of polo shirts, white shirts and trousers. In all that time I've barely had to replace a shirt button or sew up a hem. We did have a leg-seam once come undone but Asda replaced them immediately. You can't beat the quality and price. We tried other brands and found them very lacking in quality, though usually more expensive!

My tall skinny chap now wears the slim-fit adjustable waist trousers. He looks lovely and smart in them. Never had to iron them. Sizes are pretty true. He'll be 15 in Dec and I've ordered 15/16. I've just ordered him 4 new pairs for September. The white shirts are fab, wash brilliantly and easy iron. Keep looking smart. I've just ordered 3 2-packs. I find we have to go up in size for shirts. I've just ordered my skinny 14/15 year old size 16/17.

Wouldn't dream of buying uniform basics anywhere else 🙂

Good idea to stock up on a few shirts (my boys are very messy!)

You can never have enough cardigans so my favourite back to school item is this: direct.asda.com/george/school/cardigans-jumpers/girls-school-scallop-trim-cardigan-navy/GEM279448,default,pd.html

My girls always seem to misplace them but they inevitably turn up at some point again during the year!

I also love these water bottles, they're the only ones I've found that don't leak! direct.asda.com/george/george-home/Sistema-620ml-Twist-Bottle-Aqua/002041658,default,pd.html?cgid=D7M1G1C14

My boys age 15 and 10 are very fashion conscious and love the slim fit trousers, baggy trousers are a big no!

direct.asda.com/george/school/trousers/boys-school-slim-fit-trousers-black/GEM561026,default,pd.html

I only need to buy them two pairs each as they are good quality and was and dry nicely.

I also buy a shirt/polo shirt for each day, and I have to say the George polo shirts wash well and really keep their shape, making them much less of a chore to iron.

The best part is the reasonable price so that when the inevitable stains and accidents happen you don't mind buying a couple more to replace them

I love these sweatshirts. These are the ones that I usually buy two or three of as they wash easily and are really good value.

I love this little bag! direct.asda.com/george/home-garden/kids-lunchbags-dining-sets/smash-heart-bag-and-bottle/050200016,default,pd.html?cgid=D26M08G08C20

Great selection of school products and all made to last too.
I always buy 5-6 polo shirts just to save on washing every day.
I am impressed with choice of styles and prices in girls pinafores.
My favourite is this one: direct.asda.com/george/school/pinafores-dresses/girls-school-belted-skater-pinafore-grey/GEM526798,default,pd.html
It's great for us parents to be able buy for our children smart school clothing without breaking budget.

My DD loves this skirt as it flares out beautifully when she spins round. The jersey fabric is really comfy, which is important when they are trying to focus at school.

My top tip is to encourage younger girls to wear pinafores as they tend to get lunch(and everything else) down their fronts and pinafores don't stain unlike white polo shirts. I like this one and I think my DD would too.

If anyone has tips on not shrinking tights, I'd love to hear them. We don't tumble dry them, but still shrink them!

My DS starts school in September- one of the things on the (large!) list of things to buy is a water bottle and this one looks great & very good value:
direct.asda.com/george/george-home/Sistema-620ml-Twist-Bottle-Aqua/002041658,default,pd.html

i've already placed my back to school order from george. I love these slim shirts for my son direct.asda.com/george/boys-school-shirts/boys-school-2-pack-slim-fit-long-sleeve-shirts-white/GEM526821,default,pd.html. They fit him perfect and look very stylish. I've also had the slim fit trousers which are fab
The 5 pack of shirts are great value for money and last/clean/iron just the same as other more expensive brands

We just did part of our back to school shop today. Unfortunately, a lot of the black skirts, cardigans etc were already sold out in DD.. I always have this problem as black is so popular (shops seem to stock more navy than black)

We picked up this which is fab for shoving in the school bag. I also find if I buy a size up it slips on over the blazer

direct.asda.com/george/school/blazers-jackets/school-pac-a-mac-navy/GEM279453,default,pd.html

We also bought 2 packs of these 3/4 length shirts. Really smart. DD likes them as she finds sleeves a bit restrictive. Also saves the cuffs getting covered in pencil, school dinner etc.

direct.asda.com/george/school/shirts-blouses/girls-school-2-pack-3-4-sleeve-shirts-white/GEM26876,default,pd.html

Really wanted to get the slim fit blazer but couldn't find it in our local store and see it's sold out online. Very smart though.

direct.asda.com/george/school/blazers-jackets/girls-school-regular-fit-blazer-black/GEM466391,default,pd.html

Because Asda uniform is so cheap, we just buy 5 of everything.

My DS loves these shorts as he can fit all kinds of contraband in the pockets. direct.asda.com/george/school/shorts/boys-school-cargo-shorts-grey/GEM527387,default,pd.html

Top tip - name your son George, and all his Asda uniform comes pre-labelled! I think this is why Wills and Kate called the Prince George.

Usually buy 5 shirts, 2 trousers, 2 jumpers. Like the George slim fit trousers, they are a good fit and hard wearing

Girls Navy Swimsuit you would be surprised how hard it can be to find a plain swimsuit, especially when they specify a colour!

Tip: put a name on/in Everything they lose things you wouldn't think were possible! It is also useful to label in an obvious place and a less obvious place, because sometimes labels can be cut out etc when a parent knows it belongs to your child but doesn't care, this can prove ownership. Luckily most will bring it to school the next day, but it's always best to be prepared

My year 8 boy has gone from an adult size 8 shoe in September to a size 10/11. Clarks only had kiddie Velcro strap numbers or very masculine men's work shoes.
We found a brilliant plain black waxed leather shoe in George that amazingly lasted the year. Only £25. We are buying the same shoe again this year.

The gingham playsuit is a must direct.asda.com/george/school/dresses/girls-school-gingham-playsuit-light-blue/GEM423334,default,pd.html- my daughter wasn't keen on the dresses as worried about flashing her pants. Lots of the girls by year 4 and 5 were wearing PE shorts under their dresses so these play suits have become v popular with us and many others.
For tips - washing up liquid is good for grubby collars as gets through grease. Sew-in labels are best - iron on ones come out too easy, but I also try to write somewhere with a sharpie too because there are clothing thieves at our school who remove labels!!!