DD starts school in September. I'm getting it all wrong...

(96 Posts)

So, Have started to look at the uniform stuff. confused

First question. Is there any rule about when she can wear summer dresses? She's a hot thing, and looking at the rest of the uniform, I can't really see her in anything else for most/all of the year.

Second question. It isn't clear whether she should have a jumper or cardigan. She has enough buttons on her dress so assuming she's going to stick with that, so can she wear a jumper, or are they only for boys. Not clear.

Next question. Letter says must have a standard size lunch box. WTF is a standard size?

Next question. Letter says must have ice-packs/cooler things in lunch box. REALLY? Why?

Next question. Must have clear water bottle with name on. I'm guessing we don't need to get branded water or does it have to be unopened so that they know it is just water and no juice added? That will be a bit expensive right? Can I just refill it each day and write her name on with permanent marker?

Oh, and how many dresses?

Will just one be enough, or do I need another just in case.

Some schools state which terms summer dress is to be worn. Mine doesn't - summer dress if it's hot that day, normal uniform if not.

Usually jumper or cardi is fine, whichever you prefer.

Standard lunchbox - eg not a massive rucksack just, erm, a lunchbox grin

Cooler thing - polar gear make mini cool packs, to stop warm sandwiches/warm yoghurt. I get mine from Asda, they are cheap. i DOUBT THEY CAN FORCE YOU TO USE THEM BUT i DO OUT OF CHOICE. sorry oops caps

Clear water bottle - just some kind of refillable sports bottle that's a bit see-through - so it's obviously water not Ribena/Tango/Red Bull in it. No need to buy bottled water, IYKWIM.

Dresses - will she wear them? I have 4 but DD likes to wear hers and she never gets 2 days wear out of one, I don't want to have to wash often in the week. But if no one else wears them/September is chilly then you won't want loads.

I dunno. I'm probably reflecting on my own school days. We didn't have uniform but I had bare legs and summer dresses all year round, and I KNOW DD will be too hot in the winter uniform, even in the snow.

We camped early this year and temps dropped to zero and she still slept in her standard bare nakedness ON TOP of the sleeping bag confused.

I've not seen any rules about when to wear the summer dress though and I also do a wash every single day. Perhaps I'll just start with one and see how it goes and save buying an winter uniform until it looks like it will become necessary!?

No idea what water bottle you mean but I suppose if I go looking for them (where!?) I'll work it out.

Same for the lunch box!?

And then the cooler stuff I'll probably skip. IMO there is nothing worse than a fridged sandwich and I don't think DD would care one way or another but be grateful for not having something else to look after.

Thanks btw.

caughtcatnapping Sun 18-Aug-13 01:23:47

THESE are the best water bottles - they don't leak and they are transparent enough to see the water.

My dd has quite a few summer dresses which she can wear after Easter, and till October half term. She wears them with a cardigan. The rest of the time she has some grey tunic dresses (worn with a cardi) and 2 skirts (worn with a jumper). She has 3 cardis and a couple of jumpers.

Saying that, her classroom is heated to the temperature of a sauna hmm so she rarely actually wears them at school - just going to and from.

Sam100 Sun 18-Aug-13 01:23:59

Ours can usually wear summer dresses until October half term and then from Easter onwards. But not compulsory. Likewise if there was unexpected hot weather in march would not be a big deal to send in in a summer dress. I have always gone for 3 of things - one on, one in the wash and one spare. But I can only do washing at weekend.

Ice pack - yes - but other alternatives are freeze your yogurts or juice boxes and they will help keep rest of the lunchbox cool.

Supermarket or poundstretcher will probably have all the lunch stuff you need.

bebanjo Sun 18-Aug-13 09:00:56

My dd is home educated, so never had to worry about school uniform but even we have refillable water bottles. Do you not take a drink out with you?
I get all my picnic stuff from wilco.
If you don't want to fill her luch box with ice pack there are yogurts ect you can freze and put in.

Spottypurse Sun 18-Aug-13 09:05:06

Freeze a frube and put that in instead of an ice pack.

PolyesterBride Sun 18-Aug-13 09:12:00

Dresses - she might want to be the same as her friends do even if there's no rule she might want to wear the winter uniform. She doesn't have to wear tights with it and at out school the shirt is a short sleeved polo shirt so not hot at all. I have four of each for my dd - I often have to change them everyday cos she gets paint, yoghurt etc all over them.

Water bottles are easily bought from asda and I just write the name on with a sharpie.

We do school dinners so can't help with the lunch box thing.

BooCanary Sun 18-Aug-13 09:18:13

In our school, boys normally wear jumpers and girls wear cardys. Not sure if its a rule, but its what happens.

If your DD gets hot, I would get some skirts, as she will then be wearing less than with a pinafore iyswim.

Okay, thanks.

The frube thing sounds like an excellent idea, though I suppose what I am struggling with is WHY it has to be cold at all confused. I don't recall ever having anything cold in my lunch when I went on school trips.

The dress thing. I suppose I can see how she'd want to wear the same as her friends. Good point. Are you expected to give a new one if they get paint on them though? No way was I expecting to have to do that.

I want to do school dinners but there is a whole ritual around them, with reception having to take in packed lunches for the first term or something, then a whole invitation to eat a school lunch with your child and some other rigmarole, probably to do with teaching them to use a knife and fork but who knows.

I'm not 'getting' that either.

curlew Sun 18-Aug-13 09:21:45

Are you sure she'll be too hot in a skirt and and polo? Because she might want to be the same as th others.

You can buy transparent water bottles, but I always used a mineral water bottle and refilled it, because I got irrationally furious about lost/chewed bottles.

I always froze juice cartons so it doubled as a cooler. Thawed by lunchtime! There usually isn't anywhere cool to store lunchboxes, so I wouldn't skip that bit.

Generally speaking cardigans are for girls, but boys and girls both wear jumpers.

curlew Sun 18-Aug-13 09:22:56

Is it remotely possible that you might be "over thinking" this???? grin

pooka Sun 18-Aug-13 09:27:24

We have to have clear (not coloured) water bottles. The school sell them for £2. Reusable, obviously. Or you can just use any other plastic clear bottle (mineral water bottle, for example, reused, or I have some animal ones shop.animal.co.uk/travel-accessories/tweaked-water-bottle/invt/ow3sc001002/#.UhCFN2t5mSM which are good because they don't pick up colour from other things washed with them I.e bolognaise).

I might be overthinking things, but I tend to get things like this wrong. It's like there are rules that everyone knows that no-one tells me but are obvious to everyone except me.

Luckily my dd is pretty robust.

For example, she went to nursery and on Thursdays they had PE. I didn't know that they weren't supposed to be dressed in tights on that day as they had to be bare footed. Also I didn't know that hairbands had to be taken out, which meant that for 3/4 of the year my dd has doing PE with her hair all over her face and showing her knickers, which is a bit of an issue as she has warts all over her upper thighs.

DontmindifIdo Sun 18-Aug-13 09:28:42

Starlight - perhaps because they don't have facilities to put the lunch boxes in the fridge and some people have sent foods that are a bit rank if left to get warm? (I still can't comprehend how anyone can eat a yoghurt that's not cold. if the lunch box has sat in a warm room for a few hours, it's all going to be warm)

I have a dd that starts school in September. I have a DS who has been at school for 3 years already yet the girls school uniform thing is completely flumoxing me.

I have bought skirts and polo shirts and some cardigans and will also buy a couple if school jumpers.

Zingy123 Sun 18-Aug-13 09:34:36

My Dd's usually wear summer dress from Easter -October. They prefer the gingham tops/skirts from Debenhams to dresses.

Mine prefer cardigans but there is a mix between the girls of cardigans/jumpers there are no rules.

Asda have a great school selection of lunchboxes on offer at the moment. My girls have the systema one. They don't like an icepack in theirs. Asda had some the other day. I got mine from Lakeland.

We have tried all sorts of water bottles. I now buy water from Aldi and use the same bottle for a week and then bin them. Everything else we have tried has leaked including a Lakeland bottle each that cost me £6.99!

NoComet Sun 18-Aug-13 09:36:09

Yes I'm guessing normal sized lunch box just means not a big rucksack sized one.

Primary schools are always pushed for space and lunches are often shoved on narrow shelves or thrown in a box.

Drunk bottle, buy one nice one and when it's lost replace it with any old recycled sports top bottle (powerade ones are best, even if you chuck the evil blue stuff down the sink they are way cheaper).

Likewise ice packs, buy a very cheap one its liable to be lost.

NoComet Sun 18-Aug-13 09:37:39

Drink not Drunk blush

curlew Sun 18-Aug-13 09:40:45

And buy a soft sided zip up lunchbox- the hard plastic ones break really easily.

I would buy a couple of dresses and a skirt and a couple of polos to start with- then wait and see what she wants to do. The dresses dry really quickly so 2'll do you for a while.

Paint usually washes out, but not always. Some children get really upset about wearing a dress with a stain- so buy cheap!

curlew Sun 18-Aug-13 09:42:04

Oh, and the nursery should have told you. Their fault, not yours. So you didn't get it wrong- you're not psychic!

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