Back to School can be a stressful time of year for parents. The list of chores to complete before September, from buying school uniform, to getting children back into a routine, is enough to fill anyone with dread.
It was reported last September that 80 percent of parents had serious anxiety about getting their children ready for the new school year. At My Nametags we don’t believe it should be this way. So, we have drawn on the expertise of the 220,000 mums on our database, and found thirteen different hacks to save parents time, money and stress when it comes to preparing children for the new school year.
- Avoid Lunchtime Shopping
When it comes to shopping for those back to school supplies, avoid hitting the High Street between midday and 2pm as these are the busiest shopping hours, according to iZettle. Many stores also offer Sunday ‘browsing time’ and open the doors half an hour before the tills. This gives you a valuable quiet shopping period to try on uniform and gather the things on your list, so you are ready to pay when the tills open and avoid queues.
- Calm Nerve with Floral Perfume
Did you know that jasmine is as good as Valium at calming nerves? The first day of school can be a day of nerves and excitement for both parents and children. A quick spritz of a floral fragrance or jasmine essential oil on your child’s shirt can calm all nerves and set the day up right.
- Avoid the Morning Rush
Avoid those stressful mornings by having packed lunches, school bags, forms and anything else your children need packed the night before. This will make mornings so much easier as there’s less to do, and therefore less to go wrong.
- Invest in Net Washing Bags
If you have more than one child, then you probably know it can be a nightmare trying to keep everyone’s uniforms together and spend countless hours trying to find missing shirts or socks. By investing in a net washing bags, which only cost a few pounds, you can keep each child’s uniforms separate which will save you time trying to piece it back together after the wash.
- Banish Biro with Hairspray
Stains on uniforms can be a nightmare to get out, whether its pen marks on white shirts or green knees from playing on the school field, stains will rapidly age a new piece of uniform. To keep uniform looking pristine, spray them with fabric protector before they’re first worn or, if its already too late, use household ingredients to tackle those tough stains. Hairspray works wonders on biro and Coca Cola is amazing at removing grease and dirt.
- Don’t Waste Time Sewing On Name Tags
New pieces of uniform always need a name tag to prevent them from being lost. Our research shows that children lose up to seven items per month, which can lead to high costs for parents having to replace them. Whilst sewing on name tags can prevent this, it’s also very time-consuming, which is why we produce stick-on and iron-on name tags. These can be applied to anything in minutes, saving parents both time and money.
- Freeze Lunch
Most lunches can be frozen. Things like fruit, vegetables, and sandwich fillings, such as cheese and ham, will keep in the freezer for up to six months. To save time, make packed lunches in batches and store them in the freezer. Take them out in the morning and the frozen sandwich will act as a cooler for the rest of the lunch as it thaws throughout the morning until it’s ready to be eaten at lunch time.
- Make A Front Door Checklist
Make a list for the door with each day of the week and what is needed for that day, e.g. ‘Monday – PE Kits’, ‘Tuesday – Violin’. This will act as a handy reminder for what you need to take in that day, so your child will never have to borrow from lost property again.
- Give Leather Shoes a Blow Dry
New leather shoes can take a few weeks to properly break in which can lead to some painful blisters during the first weeks of the new school year. Prevent this by putting the new shoes on your child’s feet with a chunky pair of socks and blow dry them for 20 to 30 seconds. Get them to walk around the room whilst they’re warm and the material will loosen, preventing those painful blisters.
- Don’t Overspend on Branded Uniform
Most schools are realistic about the cost of new school uniforms and the school logo isn’t required on every piece of uniform. Buy multipacks of shirts and t-shirts and have one for every day of the week to prevent the need for mid-week laundry. Also, don’t buy every piece of PE kit straight away, often you only need certain items for specific sports which your child might not want to participate in.
- Put Boxes by the Front Door
Boxes by the front door can save you hours of searching round the house for PE kits, lunch boxes, and shoes. Give your children a designated place to dump their stuff when they get home from school, so you know where it is when you come to need something.
- Laminate Child-friendly lists
Write a list of everything your child needs to do before you leave the house in the morning and laminate it. Let them tick off each task with a whiteboard marker once they’ve completed it. This gives them some responsibility whilst giving you a bit of a break.
- Talk to Other Parents
WhatsApp parents’ groups can be a lifesaver to remember things that otherwise would’ve completely slipped your mind. Communicating with other parents can be the quickest way to make sure your child doesn’t forget non-school uniform day or their money for the charity cake sale.
