On our holiday with my mum and dad we did lots of cool stuff like the circus, playing in puddles that were so deep that they went over our wellies and playing crazy golf. But there was also real work to be done – getting the last of the school uniform sorted. And this is in no way sponsored – but we went to Sainsbury’s as there was no John Lewis in Lancaster. I know, shock horror, you could cut me through the middle like a piece of Blackpool rock and it would say “John Lewis first, last, every time…” but we ended up at Sainsbury’s as it was our best bet for getting the dreaded School Uniform sorted.
And I have to tell you, the experience on the whole, was pretty good. They were running low on stock and went back to a big store room somewhere, to find the stuff we needed in the right colour and size. This took a fair while, but my dad aka Grumpy Grandad, was on hand to play “I spy” with them, so it wasn’t too bad. Re the clothes, I’ll let you know how the school clothes fare and what we think of them once we’ve road tested them. It was a compromise yes, in that we got what we could, but I think they seem fairly good quality at the moment, so we’ll see what happens…
Anyway, the one thing I’m not going to compromise on, is the school kit for the boys. We’ve gone back to Stuck On You for several reasons:
1. The labels we had for E – iron on for his clothes, and the stickers for his shoes, lunchbox and other kit have stayed on all year. Having heard tales of woe from other parents on missing labels resulting in missing clothes and kit, we were worried about this, but it was all perfect even though we were washing all the time as we only bought 3 t-shirts and trousers for the boy to wear on rotation! So we’ve had more for E and a full set for W, because we’ve bought 5 of everything this year, to make life a bit less stressful on the washing front…
2. They do some brilliant personalised bags – I bought a “library bag” for E last year on the basis that it was fully lined and it has been perfect for us to use as his gym bag. Named, distinctive and the right size for tshirt, shorts, pumps and spare school uniform in case of an accident, I’m really pleased with it. So this year, we’re adding to the collection as we are still “actively selling” the idea of school to W, who starts this time. We’ve gone for a backpack for them both. W has chosen the colour and design for his bag and is really excited about it, so it’s making starting school that bit more attractive to him.
3. Because they make our lives easier. Along with their personalised, named backpack, I’ve also ordered another “library bag” for each of them – to be used for their swimming lessons, as they are both also loving doing this. I think we’ll do it again, for their rugby kit, if they decide to stick at it in September. Why different bags? Because I like to have kit ready to go. It’s practical. Swim kit comes in, is washed and put ready for next use. Gym kit comes in, is washed and put ready to take back to school. The boys love the ownership aspect of the bags because they have picked their own designs and know that the “alien / bus / rocket bag” is to be used for a different purpose. And teachers have commented on liking the bags as E recognises his own very quickly and they like them because they literally have his name on the front which makes it easy for them as well.
4. Because they are brilliant gifts – we’ve also ordered a backpack for one of W’s friends who is starting school with him this time. She’s loved picking her own bag – and yes, it’s pink although I tried to steer her towards a red one. And she loved that she got to pick a design of her own as well. So I’m now very popular in their house! I think we’ll be doing pencil cases and other things for Christmas presents – I know my mum will want to do this for the boys as she, like us, is aware that we’ve got enough toys to open a branch of the Early Learning Centre. She prefers to buy them practical kit and this will be right up her street. There’s a deal on, just for 48 hours, on their watches, so I think that she’ll be buying them a watch each for Christmas…
Anyway, have I utterly sold Stuck On You enough yet? I hope so. I came across them just over a year ago, bought from them, loved their stuff and went back to them this year to do some “back to school” work with them with my work hat on. So whilst this post per se isn’t sponsored, it is something that I’ve got a work hat on for, because they are people that we are doing work with. And I think it’s good to be up front about this kind of thing. I love it when we work with businesses that we’ve bought from, because it means we can wax lyrical, like this post does, authentically!
Anyway, this is a huuuggeeeeee long post from me on school uniform, bags and labels. What are your top tips for making returning or starting school life as easy / efficient / attractive to little people?
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