Sometimes I have to stop and take a breath. As we enter the summer holidays I’ve had to deal with the fact that my little Alice is no longer at pre-school. Come September she is officially at big girl school. I mean how does that even happen?
Alice is young for her year and being a July baby means she has only just turned four. There is a part of me that feels she is too young to be at school but a part of me that knows she is more than ready for this next challenge. Ok, she might have a major case of tiredness and I fear Friday afternoons are going to be hell but we will get through it!
I’m really lucky that her pre-school is attached to her new school so I am not at all nervous about her settling down. She knows the teachers, she has her amazing group of friends and there is none of the unknown that comes with starting school. She is also used to spending time in the reception class from when she has dropped her big sister off so it’s nothing new to her.
Sometimes Alice seems so grown up and I know she is so ready for this adventure but at other times I look at her as she cuddles in to me and remember my teeny tiny baby. Is it wrong to want to keep her small forever?
However I am so proud of her starting and how much I know she will develop. The amount Molly has learnt in her first year of school is immense. She went not being able to read and can now confidently read anything you put in front of her (Not so good when she is constantly sat by me reading our work group messenger as it’s not always five year old appropriate!!). Those scribbly marks of her name have developed in to pages of beautiful writing and my shy little girl is a confident and outgoing five year old. I cannot wait to see how Alice changes and grows. It is truly amazing to see.
I’m not one to get emotional about the next phase of their life and when Molly started school last year I was so excited for her. I am excited for Alice but I guess I know the changes this time are going to affect me a lot more. It’s a new phase of my life too. Suddenly I am child free EVERY day. I’m actually excited for myself. I’ll miss my couple of days with Alice each week but am looking forward to being super organised (she says) and ploughing through work whilst they are at school before enjoying being ‘mum’ again when they return. There is something quite liberating, and also scary, about that.
Part of my aim is to stop rushing every morning and instead have everything ready to go the night before. This will not last, I know, but I can at least pretend for now. School books will be read and signed, lunches ready and uniforms laid out.
When Tesco got in touch about their new back to school range it was perfect timing. After all I am very firmly in the school shopping mindset. As any of you with school kids will know it is a lengthy list and not cheap at that. I try to buy quality over quantity but also need to know I’m not paying over the odds for something they will likely grow out of over the next six months. In fact Molly has been through three sizes of pinafores this year alone. I kid you not. Hitting the supermarket for their basics is a must and I’ll regularly pop in a new summer dress or a pack of socks whilst buying my bread and milk. The quality of the Tesco clothes is fantastic and they wash so well. Oh, and if you read my recent post on ironing then the non-ironers amongst you are in for a treat!
Granted my girls don’t tend to tear around too much at school but friends who also buy there have assured me their boisterous little ones are yet to ruin a pair of trousers or a skirt. It’s probably those reinforced knees and stain resistant finishes which mean the clothes still look smart after a multitude of washing cycles to remove the inevitable pens, paint and mud that accumulates. I have got so fed up with the girls yellow polo shirts fading so I’m looking forward to the Tesco cotton rich ones with their stay new for longer colours, no bobbles after washing and stays feeling like new. Plus the double stitched shoulders and arm holes and ripple stitched collar are sure to make them that bit more durable.
I also love cute styles. I am well aware it isn’t a fashion parade but there is nothing better than a pinafore dress and the scalloped collar on the girls polo shirts is super sweet.
I’m pretty sure come the first day of term I will be a) completely disorganised and b) totally emotional but for now I shall pretend that all is calm and that my babies aren’t both grown up.
Does anyone else have little ones heading off to school this year? How are you feeling about it all? Big hugs to you xx
This post is sponsored by Tesco but we would never recommend products we didn’t love.
Awww lots of luck to Alice, and you! I didn’t really get why friends made such a big deal of starting school (all the first day Facebook posts in September make me cringe a little)! But my daughter is three this week so in November we’ll be applying for school and we’ll be in your position in a year, so I’m starting to ‘get it’. I’d love to hear more about people’s experiences of the youngest children in the school year and how they cope with the transition. It’s something that worries me a little, but I’m also hopeful my daughter will be ready, she’s been in nursery since she was one so is used to routine and being with lots of other children, and is generally a confident talkative little one. But with the option of part time, or delayed start, it’s quite a bit decision to make…so I’d be interested to hear what people think who’ve been through it.
Morning Natalie. We did wonder whether we should delay Alice’s start but to be honest she’s ready now and I don’t think it would be worth doing for us now. Our school doesn’t offer part time/shorter days so she’s just going to have to battle through. I’m pretty sure she will be shattered but hopefully it won’t be full on meltdown! I think you have to go on what you know about your own child and you will be surprised how different she will be next September to how she is now. They honestly do suddenly grow up so I’m sure she will be more than ready x
Hi. My little boy turned 4 at the weekend which of course means he’s off to school too in September. He’s always been really tiny, with particularly short legs, so I’m struggling to find school uniform to fit. I’ve spent many hours trying to find trousers that fit him but there’s just no choice for school trousers. I’ve found a M&S slim leg skinny fit in a 2-3yr but they’re big and baggy on him, particularly around the waist and bottom. If anyone can recommend small, slim/skinny fitting grey trousers I would be truly grateful. I can’t believe my little one is going to school, he’s definitely ready and I know he will love it but I want him to look ready if that makes sense – it’s upsetting to see him in clothes that make him look even smaller than he his. Anyone going through the same thing?
Hi Rachel. I can’t believe all these little ones are off to school and when they are so tiny it makes it even harder. I can’t really help on the boys trouser front but hopefully one of our readers can. Have you tried ones with an adjustable waistband or do you know anyone handy with a swing machine who could take in the waist? xx
Rachel I have such issues with Leo’s bottoms. He has such a tiny waist (how I have no idea with the amount of food he shovels in!) but he has really long legs so overall he’s like a long slim bean. I have bought the boys trousers from Tesco – I went for the slim fit with a pleat in age 5 (he was 4 in May) for the length and the adjustable waist has loads of holes so I could make them fit him really snuggly around the waist. They are quite bunched at the back but not in an uncomfortable way, after all I guess they are made to be adjusted. I feel like the pleat helps to make his legs look ‘right’ as well instead of having really baggy trousers – they seem to add to the slimline appearance.
I think they do an age 3-4 so might worth a try? They come in a pack of two and have reinforced knees too x
Did I not read this last week or am I having strange deja vu??
It was up last week and then mysteriously disappeared a few hours later!
Morning Kat! You aren’t going mad. It was a technical glitch so it’s back again today. Sorry if you have read it before x
I’m totally pathetic as S is only starting preschool and only two days a week until she gets her free hours but the little sweater and t shirts she can wear with the logo on got me all emotional! ITs those first steps on such a huge educational journey and there are so many highs and lows to come!
Re July/ August babies, I am one and was always totally fine in the school year I was born into- and my cousins little chap whose birthday is the day after mine just completed reception and is absolutely thriving.
Also, I got the tiny me labels I’d seen on IG and they are lovely! So cute and so easy to iron on. See if you can wangle some freebies Lottie 😜
Lucy I already use the Tiny Me labels. They are the best and the girls love being able to choose their patterns and colours. Plus the sticker versions come in super handy for everything from drinks bottles to book bags.
It’s always nice to hear about summer babies doing well. I’m pretty sure Alice will be fine but you do always worry a bit. That said my little brother is a summer baby and is the brainbox of Britain!!
Good luck with S starting pre-school.
x
Its reassuring to read that your Molly, Lottie, started school as a shy little one and has grown in confidence – my Molly is starting school in September, and is very shy and I worry so much about her making friends and making herself heard in class. So I just hope she too blossoms at school and it helps with her shyness. I am absolutely dreading the first day, and this hasn’t been helped by Molly saying ‘I will go to school, but not every day’!
Sarah my Molly said exactly the same thing, not even joking! I’m sure your little one will be fine and if you keep happy and confident around her I’m sure she will adore it. They grow so much with everything they learn and having all those new friends is so wonderful to see. Best of luck for September but I know she will love it xx
I was in a similar position last year – Milo is an end of August baby so he’d literally just turned four when he started school last September and we have his fifth birthday party this weekend and he’s completed his whole first year!
I remember the first couple of weeks of term I got quite teary every time I saw Mums out and about with their little boys who were obviously only a couple of weeks younger than him so had missed out on going and desperately wanted to go in and grab him back. However, he has absolutely loved every second of this first year – he bounds in every day, has grown up hugely and things like his writing, numbers and reading have amazed me. There are certainly days where I can see his little-ness more than others and towards the end of each term he was definitely exhausted, but to be honest so were all his classmates!
I think if he’d had to wait until this year to go he would have been so bored at nursery, so I’m glad now that he did go so young and has embraced it so well. I’m sure Alice will absolutely thrive too; especially with her big sis there to support her!
Thank you Kim. I know she will be fine but I’m a bit like you in feeling like I should have another year with her at home. On the flip side, as you say, she would be bored in pre-school and is ready for it. I’m so pleased to hear Milo has managed his first year and hopefully I will be saying the same this time next year! x