How many outfits should i get for my first grader for back to school

Question

obviously i'm new at this and i have the habit of being excessive

Answer 1

It depends on how often you do laundry really. I have a boy going into kindergarten and it will be hot here until toward the end of September and they start August 20 so he will be wearing the 6 or so pair of khaki cargo shorts we got this summer with tees and polos.

I got him a new polo and new skater-type sneakers to wear with shorts the first day of school. Actually he has 3-4 new polos already. He can layer them with long and short sleeve tees all year. With his April birthday he is pretty much set with shirts actually.

Other than that he has two pair of jeans that will be fine for school that he also got for his April birthday and has only worn maybe a half dozen times each.

I will probably get him pull-on cargo pants from Wal-Mart or Target in each color: camo, denim, navy, light khaki, dark khaki, olive -- because they are $7 each right now and he has some trouble with zippers and snaps so they will be easy and comfortable for him. I will also get him 1-2 pair of athletic pants from JCPenney.

He has a red, hooded, waterproof lightweight jacket I think will still work for a fall jacket for September/October but I will have him try it on to be sure. He also has a couple of polartec pullovers he can wear on cool, windy days that are not quite winter parka weather as a jacket. In fact I may send one to school in mid-September he can keep there as the weather changes.

We have a great second hand store in town and while I do not often find shirts and pants in great shape for boys there (as they tend to be hard on their everyday clothes) I find things like sweater vests for church and dress up (or they would be fine over a long or short sleeve tee for every day) and mid-season jackets in terrific shape. Both of his polartec jackets are name brand and would have been $25-30 in the store. I got them very gently used for about $7.

Later we will get a winter coat and boots from Lands End or LLBean (it gets VERY cold in Iowa). His snowpants from last year will work. But as it is 90 degrees here already at 9:30 a.m. I am not going to think about that quite yet.

Other than a nice sweater for Christmas (he already has one brown and blue striped one from last year that will work for church, etc.) that is probably all the clothes he will get.

So...I think that works out to be about 9-10 complete changes of clothes for polos/tees/pants.

Oh LLBean also has some adorable striped turtlenecks that I will probably get him in October/November.

`If you have a girl, my daughter is in seventh grade but as I recall I used to get her about the same -- 9-10 complete changes of clothes in new or new-to-her from eBay shirts and pants plus a couple of skirts or skorts or dresses and a nice pair of sneakers and some lug sole Mary Janes or loafers. I would often get her a tee and skort or capris on summer clearance where the bottoms were in season-spanning denim or twill for the first day of school so she would not be hot but could wear the outfit with a layered long sleeve tee under or cardigan or hoodie over it well into the Fall.

Just remember their existing clothes do not suddenly shred to bits in the closet the night before school starts. You can start slowly and mix in new pants and tops with what your child already has. Also layering is great for boys or girls -- they can wear at least some of their summer tees with an inexpensive long sleeve tee under it or a cardigan or hoodie over it all fall and winter long.

Answer 2

Does she still have summer clothes that fit and look nice? If so, she can start out in them since it will be warm for a while.  I like to buy throughout the year and not all at once. Just buy a few outfits and when it starts getting colder you can buy a few more as she needs them

Answer 3

Get mix and match clothing..it's so much easier.  The Childrens place offers tons of options at good prices.  I always would get about 10 shirts and 5 pairs of pants/jeans from there.

Answer 4

It's a truth about parenthood that the more money you spend on school clothes and the more outfits you buy, the faster your child will outgrow them.

A first grader doesn't need an all-new wardrobe for school.  Buy some mix-and-match outfits - a pair of jeans or a couple of pairs of shorts, and 3 or 4 shirts.  Added to what your child already has, that should be fine for a while.  Remember you have a growing child who won't wear any one outfit for very long.  Also remember that the seasons are about to change.  Depending on where you live, you could start having cool nights and mornings within 8 or 10 weeks and you'll want to pick up just a very few new things then, too.

Keep your shopping trips short.  Long shopping trips and extended trying-on sessions are just too much for most kids.  It will be a lot more fun for you and your child to go buy one or two new things every few weeks, than to make one huge shopping trip at the start of the school year.

Answer 5

Urrm, SCHOOL UNIFORM!

Answer 6

Everyone is giving you great advice.  Your child needs a few new things, mixed well with things he/she already has.

We discovered that there are some beautiful things in places like Good Will and other second hand shops, too.  You have to shop around for things, but they're out there,  Can help stretch your budget.

Don't forget new underwear, new socks and shoes.  My kids needed two pairs of shoes.  One for everyday, and sneakers for gym class.