Back to school and starting school hacks by dayze
When the kids start school, there are plenty of big feelings, and that’s just the parents! Team dayze knows first-hand the highs, lows, and endless shopping lists and parents’ WhatsApp chats that arrive like a tsunami when your not-so-little one starts school. That’s why we’ve pulled together our favourite hacks, products, tips, and advice that are tried, tested and loved by the amazing dayze community and us. The first rule of school club? Don’t panic if you’ve not got anything prepped yet!
School uniform hacks + tips
School uniforms can be pricey, and a pfaff to find. You will know about the usual go-to sites to buy school uniforms, but what about the hidden gems and pre-loved sites you don’t discover until your kids are older? We’ve got your back; check these out!
This free-to-use preloved school uniform site has over 25,000 UK schools signed up and is the place to buy and sell outgrown and nearly new school uniforms. Started by mums, we LOVE this concept and will shout about it every chance we get!
Our pals, Warren and Kate, recently shared that the Olio app is running The Big Back 2 School Clear Out campaign to help make school prep more affordable and sustainable for everyone. The aim this year is to list 30,000 back to school items in 30 days! Impressive!
This family-run brand in the North of England is top of its class for sustainability. The school uniforms are durable, soft to touch, and made from recycled bottles! The brand also sells P.E. kit and runs its genius and sustainable Re:Uniform initiative, too.
If you’re struggling with the cost of the school uniform, then it’s worth checking if you’re eligible for a school uniform grant of up to £200. Check out more here.
Supermarket uniforms
George at Asda, Tu at Sainsbury’s, and F&F at Tesco among many others, offer great value school uniforms and multi-packs. Keep an eye out in the run-up to the new school term, as many of them run special back-to-school offers and deals.
This is a GAME-CHANGER for labelling kids’ clothes for school. We repeat, a game-changer! Forget the time-consuming and hot-work iron on labels; this simple to use and quick ink stamp lasts for approximately 50 washes. What’s more, the kids love stamping their clothes, so win-win.
School shoes are pricey, especially when they grow out of them so quickly. That’s why we are big fans of the independent kids’ shoe brand Zig + Star ‘s Good-To-Grow shoes. The removable midsole means they grow up to half a size during your kid’s wear, meaning they last longer, offer value for money, and have a lower environmental impact.
Pre-loved school shoes and outlets
If your local charity shops are all out of school shoes, then try one of these amazing apps to find the perfect pair at a brilliant price! Dotte, Circlehood app, Preloved, as well as your local Facebook market place. It’s also worth checking out the outlets for school shoes, including Clarkes and Dr Martins.
Our pals over at David Luke School Uniforms have written a brilliant blog detailing all the need-to-know hints, hacks, and tips to keep school uniforms fresh and fly! From getting chewing gum (apparently you need to rub an ice cube on it!) and grass and pen stains out of clothing (try blotting a drop of alcohol onto the fabric) to keeping white shirts… well, white, consider this is your go-to guide.
P.E. and forest school kit
In no particular order, here are our go-tos (not forgetting your local charity shops, too!):
Sports Direct: Always great sales, perfect for P.E. and footy kit!
David Luke: Soft and sustainable quality clothing at great value.
Marks & Spencer: Good quality items at reasonable prices.
John Lewis: Lasts long and pretty reasonable, price-wise.
TK Maxx: Trawl the kids section to grab a bargain winter coat and sports kit.
Supermarkets: Try your local supermarket for the latest offers.
Mountain Warehouse: There is always a sale and bargain to be found, perfect for forest school kits, waterproofs, jackets and shoes.
Octopus Club, Dotte, Circlehood app: For preloved waterproofs, coats, jackets and wellies.
Grass + Air: For colour-changing wellies, waterproofs, and swimwear.
New School Starters Must-Haves
This independent UK brand is making waves in the kidswear industry, and for good reason! The backpacks are bright, super well-designed, and come with a belt pack bag. You can also iron on patches to personalise the bags, including the new Pachee School Club badge designed by one of the YOKO community!
New school starter gifts
We’ve heard from teachers and parents in the dayze community that a little token kids can wear or take with them really does help settle any nerves. Here are some of our faves:
Olive & Pip: There are so many amazing starting school keepsakes and tokens to choose from! We love the ‘Together Kisses’ and ‘First day of school flag’!
Colour Celebrations: Back to School Boards feature blank spaces for kids to write in their name, teacher’s name, what they want to do when they grow up… super cute!
Muthahood: The Strong Girls and Brave Boys patches are less than £5!
Pachee patches: Choose the patch your little one will love from reading, biking, glasses and starting school.
Arlo and Jude: This gorgeous independent brand is run by a gorgeous mama and has the most lovely wooden worry dolls and starting school bracelets.
Starting school books
We LOVE ‘The Tale of My School Adventures’ book, it’s such a thoughtful and useful gift for kids about to start school. Other books we've been recommended include ‘All The Words You Need For School’, ‘Harry and the Dinosaurs Go to School’, ‘Starting School Sticker Book’, and ‘Stuff You Need To Know When Starting School’.
Our kids loved watching this show in the run up to starting school. The BBC iPlayer documentary series following reception children at two primary schools. It is a great prompt for you to discuss how your little one is feeling about it all.
Parenting tips and advice
You’ll soon see that it’s like getting blood out of a stone when you ask your child how their day at school was! Starting school also comes with a wave of different emotions. We’ve pulled together a list of the recommended IG sites to dip into as and when you need a bit of parenting help!
Dr. Becky Kennedy: psychologist, Founder + CEO of Good Inside and mum of three from Columbia.
Curious Parenting: On a mission to empower a generation of resilient, liberated kids.
Big Little Feelings: Child therapist offering real tips for parents of kids 1-6 years old.
The Conscious Kid: A great platform that supports families in fostering healthy racial identity development and disrupting racism and bias.
Jenni Honeyben: Teaches children and parents how to navigate BIG feelings and restore calm.
Lunchboxes
You need a lunchbox that can stand up to the job of going to school. It will be kicked, slammed, dropped, spilt, rained on, you name it! Our tips include making sure you get one with a bottle holder on the side, with a top handle for portability, space for an ice pack, and wipe clean!! One day at school and it will be returned stinking of bananas and smeared in unidentified food objects… gross! We are big fans of paper bags and reusable sandwich bags vs. foil and tricky-to-open cling film! The Independent has done a mighty round-up of the best ones for 2022 here.
Signed the kids up to after school football, rugby, sports or forest school club? Then this product hack is a must-have. It’s the easiest way to clean those grubby, mud-covered boots and wellies and the kids will love to do it themselves. We’ve tried and tested the Boot Buddy and highly recommend it.