Tips For First Time School Parents with Petit Fernand

Kids grow up way too quickly, and before you know it, they are starting their very first day of school. You'll probably feel all the emotions of nerves, excitement, and sadness - all in one. If your little one has never been to a nursery or pre-school before their first day, it may be best to try and prepare them for their first day. It will be a huge change for them, even if it is for a couple of hours a day or if they are starting straight for the whole six hours or so. There are a few ways to prepare your child to start school, such as reading books, taking them to settling sessions or visit a school open day. It's always a good thing to start preparing them and let them meet their new teacher before the first day. Here are just some tips that may help you throughout the first year and beyond:

Label school uniform

Adding all the school uniform together, it can get costly. It's so important to label every piece of uniform, including their shoes. I'm guilty of not labelling my girls uniforms, and many of times they have come home with their friends jumpers or coats - which is quite annoying. Of course, we take them back and hope that we will receive the girls ones back too. 

Petit Fernand contacted me a few weeks ago to see if I'd be interested in reviewing their labels. I said yes and decided to go for the stick-on labels, so there is no need for an iron - which is perfect, as I don't own one anyway, anyone else? The labels can be personalised so will be unique and great for suiting your child's personality. Many icons are available to put on the label and different colours and textures for backgrounds. It was quick and easy to do and didn't take long at all. I ordered them in a pack of 10 each and ordered some for my friends kids too. They were delivered within 48 hours and arrived in a booklet. They're fantastic quality, and the girls have loved helping me sticking them on their new uniform. They have a bigger range of other labels too, perfect for all ages.

Buy more than one uniform

I would really suggest buying more than one set of uniform. For my girls, I bought 2 logo jumpers, 2 logo t-shirts, multi pack of plain t-shirts, multi pack of white t-shirts for gym, black shorts/leggings for gym, 2 pairs of leggings and 2 pairs of skirts. I have found myself buying more leggings through the year as either spares or replacements of others that have got holes or shrunk in the wash. You will probably find that most days when your child comes back home at the end of the day, the uniform will have paint stains (even though they're supposed to wear aprons during most crafts), mud stains (the joys) and even food. So, they will need a wash, or a quick wipe with a wet wipe (if you're like me and it's a Friday). 

Check out for head lice

Headlice is something I absolutely hate finding in my girls hair. It's become quite a problem in their school at the moment, one of my reasons I've loved the school holidays is because I don't have to check their hair constantly. I would advise you to check your child's hair quite often as headlice can be so easy to catch and can be a big hassle if you haven't caught them from the start. I would prepare by buying some head lice treatment just in case.

Prepare the night before

This is my biggest tip. School mornings are hectic, some may be good but I'm sure most will be full of stress, and you'll feel you want to go back to bed, even before you leave the house. Preparing your childs lunch box and uniform the night before really helps save a lot of time the following morning. I try my best to do this, but I do fail some evenings and regret it the next day. 

Bedtime routine

I honestly believe there should be a set bedtime on school nights. But of course, we all parent differently. My girls bedtime is 6.30pm-7pm, and if it's bathtime, then they typically go to bed around 7.30pm. This is mainly for them not to be overtired going to school, and I feel ok with them going to school knowing they have had enough hours to sleep during the night. But not only the kids, you too. Making sure you go to bed at a reasonable time the night before a school morning helps you function in the morning too. 

Give them your mobile number

If the school sends out text messages to update you with certain things such as school trips, upcoming events and so on, it's convenient, so make sure to give them permission to text you. 

Be prepared with all the parties

Saying this I have noticed as the years have gone by, party invitations have reduced - a lot. But probably for the first year or two, your child will receive a lot of party invitations. I normally buy a pack of 10 cards for £1 at Card Factory and buy cheap presents and put them in a box under the stairs. 

What tips would you give to first time school parents?

* We were given a pack of personalised school labels in return for an honest review. All words, opinions and photos are entirely our own.