Back-To-School Shopping For Jared + 5 Tips To Remember When Shopping For Your Little Ones

mum's thoughts, parenting 101, tips + tricks, online shopping, shopping
some of the basic stuff we had to buy for the little man for his very first year in school last year

I cannot believe that summer will soon be over and the new school year is opening in about less than a month! Apart from worrying about the school tuition and related expenses, we also have to worry about shopping for our little ones’ school supplies, and other items like shoes, bags, and school uniforms. The little children’s growth spurt is unpredictable so I am expecting that some of the little man’s stuff from last school year may no longer fit him now. I may have to get him a couple of new undershirts and new pairs of socks, too.

my little preschooler in class

Back when the little man was just a tot, we’d check out Expo Mom for great finds for kids. I would buy him unique articles of clothing, as well as essentials like rice powder and toothbrushes which were sold at lower prices or at Buy-1-Take-1 deals at the bazaar. But this hot weather gets me thinking twice about traveling all the way to Makati to check out this year’s bazaar and I was shopping for toddlers’ apparel online the other day and found that ZALORA has a wide selection of kidswear, including t-shirts, shoes, hats and even socks! If I can find most of the items I needed there, who needs to go out and brave the scorching summer heat, right? I can shop at the comfort of my home for Jared’s needs and wait for it to be delivered right at our doorstep! Shopping will be done in no time and I won’t even have to break a sweat!  :-))

Thank goodness for technology and innovation, we can now shop for our children’s stuff without going to go through the usual stress and hassle, but if you have no choice but to go to the mall to shop, here are a few hacks you might want to remember when shopping for you little ones:

  • Make an inventory of the items in your child’s wardrobe so you won’t end up getting him multiple items
  • Make a list of the things you need to buy for your kiddo so you will be sure to get everything in one go
  • Take note of your child’s size for easy reference, especially if you have a rowdy tot who won’t sit still at the fitting room!
  • Let your child shop and choose the stuff that he likes so he won’t have an excuse not to wear them later on
  • Go for adjustable-waist pants {like the pair Jared is wearing in this OOTD post} so your tot can wear them longer

Hope these tips help mums and good luck on our purses for all the shopping that needs to be done before the new school year starts!  😀

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61 Comments

  1. Great tips, although I won’t be going through this with my own kids anymore starting this school year. Just joined the home schoolers in the Philippines bandwagon! Took us 2 years of research and now we’re there. Happy parenting!

    1. wow! congratulations mum, it has been my dream to homeschool my son, but in the end i succumbed to enrolling him to a brick-and-mortar school. hopefully i will still have time to realize our homeschooling dream one day. Good luck on your homeschooling!

  2. Great shopping tips. Making an inventory first before shopping saves you money. They don’t usually use all of their school materials. It will save you from buying things that you already have.

  3. Here, our PTA gets the kids their school supplies. We send in a check and they do all the foot work for us. I Love it.

  4. We haven’t even started summer break over here yet, but I know all too well that September will roll around before we know it and school shopping season will be upon us again. The tips your provided above are awesome, and I would also add that creating a budget can be a huge help. My daughter is going into 2nd grade next year, and I am beyond embarrassed to admit how much I’ve spent the past two years on back to school clothes 😯

  5. Yes, listing all the items according to your needs. Compulsive buying is not an option anymore nowadays. Well, don’t forget that smart buying is the best for budgeting.

  6. Zalora is really a lifesaver when it comes to online shopping. The site has user-friendly navigation and sorting capabilities that make it easy for us to find the items we would want.

  7. It’s funny to think that your summer is ending and ours is beginning! Also your little guy will be beginning his journey this year and mine will be ending his starting the end of August. He’ll be a senior! Also, he loved the Cars movies and characters when he was little. Time flies. Cherish it! I agree with your shopping tips! Let your kids choose what they like or they won’t be happy lol.

    1. indeed, the wonders of living in different parts of the world, right? it has been proposed that we have our school opening in August + some universities here are finally adapting this change. i am just not sure when elementary schools will do the same.

      i thought letting the children choose their own stuff is also a good practice in decision-making!

  8. Time flies so fast! The tips you have listed here are also a must for me. Thanks for sharing it to parents who are new to this. It’s a tremendous help.

  9. These are some great tips for making the back to school shopping more efficient 🙂 Good luck to your little one this upcoming school year

  10. Making a list is the best tip. I try to always shop with one and stick to just what’s on it. Checking what you already have is great too. Money and storage space are always worth saving.

  11. Losing track of the fitting clothes your kids have would help a lot. We had drawers full of good clothes mixed with clothes that were outgrown!

    1. i do spring cleaning of the little man’s closet occasionally + give away clothes that he has outgrown, very helpful in keeping tabs on his wardrobe + keeping his closet neat + tidy! 😉

  12. Good tips and your little guy is adorable! We are just getting ready to end a school year so shopping for next year is still a few months away for us. Shopping for school items was always so fun to do when my son was smaller.

  13. A new school year entails a lot of expenses. It would really help to take note of the items you need. The adjustable pants is also a good idea especially since they grow so fast.

  14. Wait till your child gets to elementary and highschool. As of now, our wallets are all bleeding hehe. It’s tough being a parent when it comes to pagpapaaral ng kids but we have to be because we love them.

    1. haha! so true mommy. education here in the Philippines do not come cheap. I dread the day I am enrolling the little one to elementary + high school, and I dare not think about college! 🙂

  15. We love Art Attack products! 🙂 I’m embarrassed to say, I suck at shopping for my eldest lalo na pag shoes!

  16. I always scout for those that were on sale. Luckily, I found my kids’ uniform at SM Megamall last month which were on 70% off! Thanks for sharing your tips!

  17. hii i absolutly loved your post. You have given some great tips for shopping fr littl ones.Its really important to be carefull on how to spend and manage the expensives for kids stuff

  18. What else can I say but been there done that Vix. Glad you’re enjoying school supply shopping & you’re able to budget your money as well.

    1. I know, Vance, right? One of the things I enjoy doing actually. Haha. I love shopping for school stuff but I also enjoy getting good value for my money.

  19. Everything you need now is just a “click” away. Although of course, there’s still fun in shopping at the mall. 🙂

  20. I remember when my children were in school. Being a single Mom of four was tough enough, but buying new clothes for the first day of school was even tougher. So, Mom to the rescue she always bought their new clothes for the first day of school. I had a great Mommy!

  21. I really wanted to homeschool my children pero hindi matuloy. 🙁 Truly if we have our lists we can save a lot of time and not to forget any important stuff they need. Enjoy mamili ng gamit nila sa school no? Bonding narin talaga yan.

    1. homeschooling is one of my original goals as a mum, but it never pushed through for me, either. although, i am not giving up on the dream, we can never really tell, right? 🙂 indeed, it is one great bonding activity for mums + kids, too!

  22. My eldest will start going to school this year and I’m excited 🙂 Though I haven’t shopped for her supplies yet.

  23. Thanks for sharing these tips. My toddler just completed summer class (more like getting to know the classmates and teachers) then real classes start in June. Haay, I agree. Kids grow up so fast. My eldest is 11 now, my middle is 3 and bunso is 8 months old 🙂

    1. kudos to you mum + your toddler for completing summer class. things will get more interesting come June. They do grow up all too fast, that is why we have to make the most of their toddler years! 🙂

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