2015 Holiday Gift Guide for Kids that Wear School Uniforms

Got a uniform wearing kid on your holiday gift list?
Here are a few gift ideas for school aged kids:

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Fleece Accessories
sold by Lands' End

Keep 'em warm at the bus stop with these fleece accessories from Lands' End. Some of my favorite are linked below:
Kids Fleece Gloves  - ThermaCheck®-100 fleece
Kids Fleece Hat - ThermaCheck®-100 fleece
Kids Fleece Hat - ThermaCheck®-200 fleece

Code Socks

These fun socks are designed specifically for kids that wear school uniforms and must comply with a dress code requiring solid navy or white socks.  Three fun designs are featured only on the bottom of the foot staying hidden inside the shoe.  See the full review.

Hair Accessories -300 Piece Combo Pack in Carry Bag
sold by French Toast

Hair accessories in navy and white. 300 assorted rubber bands, hair clips, ponytail holders, barrettes and elastics, in a purse-style case that she will love to take anywhere she goes.

Girl's America Doll Plaid Dress
sold by the Ideal Uniform Store

These doll sized dropped waist jumper fits any 18" doll. It come in a wide variety of plaids and solid navy. Girls love when their doll looks and dress like them.

French Toast brand Skinny Stretch Twill Pant and Peter Pan Blouse, a Review

I received complementary school uniform clothing items from Ideal Uniforms to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

Ideal Uniforms offered me the opportunity to review their web site and several items of French Toast brand clothing. I had only recently learned of them, so I was happy to learn more about the company and the products they offer. They are based in New York with two retail locations in Brooklyn and Elmont. Those of us outside the NY area can visit their website. Below are a few quotes from the About Us page on IdealUniform.com.

"For over 83 years, Ideal Uniforms has been a family owned and operated business. We specialize in designing and distributing professionally styled apparel, work-wear and outerwear for men, women and children. Ideal Uniforms is your one stop shop for all your educational, medical, corporate and scouting needs. Ideal presently outfits hundreds of schools, hospitals, boy and girl scout troops, and businesses. Ideal Uniforms has been a family owned and operated business. We specialize in designing and distributing professionally styled apparel, work-wear and outerwear for men, women and children."

When I began researching Ideal Uniforms, I found some negative online reviews. Comments centered around two types of issues, poor customer service and inventory management. Knowing that most companies pay attention to online feedback, I asked if they had made any efforts to address customer concerns in these areas. Jack Kassab, a Vice President at Ideal Uniform, told me that they made a large investment this year in both areas. He said, "We now have a system which helps us with inventory control as well as forecasting to avoid running out of merchandise prior to school opening. We also made some changes in our customer service department and we have been getting great feedback."

I had fun browsing the online store where school uniform items are organized together making it easy to view their selections. You can filter by gender and then type of clothing with logical groupings as "pants and shorts" and "blouses, knits and polos". You can also add additional filters by size and color. Because my daughter had recently outgrown her button up shirts, I selected both a French Toast brand short sleeve and a long sleeve peter pan blouses. I also selected the French Toast Girls Skinny Stretch Twill Pant. My final selection was a "Girl's American Doll Plaid Dress". I found these uniform dresses designed to fit the 18" dolls too cute to pass up. It is listed under Accessories and is available in many different plaid patterns. It made a perfect gift for my daughter since grandma planned to give her an American Girl doll as a Christmas gift this year. Personally, I had a positive experience shopping online with them. They contacted me via email to let me know the doll outfit was out of stock and requested feedback on how to fulfill the order giving me the option to wait until the items returned to stock or an alternate pattern. The correct items were shipped to me quickly as one complete order.

© 2014 Rene Shonerd

I had only previously seen the French Toast Girls Skinny Stretch Twill Pant online and in catalogs. They look skinnier in the photo than they really are. As you can see from my photo, they are thinner through the knee than a straight leg pants by about a 1/2 inch yet still have a boot cut bottom. These would be a nice option for girls that want to wear the currently fashionable skinny tight fitted pants if the school's dress code prohibit the fitted pants. They are made from cotton with 3% spandex which gives them the right amount of stretch. The do not have an adjustable waist. Instead they have several inches of sturdy elastic across the back to give them some wiggle room. Currently my daughter has been wearing a 6x in pants with any adjustable waist fully extended and no hem in the length. Her natural waist is a 22" while measuring the area where a waistband would hit her measures at 23". I ordered the French Toast girls size 7 pants which are labeled to fit a waist at 23 1/2" which seems about right since these are still just a bit too big for her. They fit nicely through the backside and the legs. They are labeled as machine wash cold, tumble dry low and iron when needed.

© 2014 Rene Shonerd

The peter pan blouses she'll be able to begin using right away. The fabric is 55% cotton and 45% poly. I ordered these in a size 7 also. Her similar blouses in a 6x are too short, showing her belly as she moves around and making it very difficult to keep her shirt tucked into her pants as her dress code requires. This short sleeve blouse fits her perfect. The long sleeve needs the sleeve turned up once which is expected as she is just growing into this size. The weight of the shirts are perfect for layering under a jumper or sweater; however, they are also thick enough to be worn alone or simply paired with a criss-cross tie. They are labeled as machine wash cold, tumble dry low and iron when needed. I put the "Wrinkle No More ™" fabric to the test. This photo shows the short sleeve blouse on the right straight from the dryer. The long sleeve blouse on the left I touched up with the iron. While I prefer the crisp look of the ironed blouse, I admit that I'd let my daughter wear it to school without ironing, especially if she would be wearing it under a jumper or sweater.

Overall, I had a positive retail experience with Ideal Uniforms. I am also pleased with the quality of the French Toast brand items I received. I like that they stock school uniform items year round so you can find the items you need in stock mid-year. You can connect with them online on Facebook or on Twitter to get a heads up when items go on sale and find useful coupons codes. To learn more about the items they carry, check out the details from the Ideal Uniforms post in the Retail Round up series.

Currently, Ideal Uniforms is sponsoring a giveaway that is being organized here on Uniform Mom. One lucky reader will win a prize pack which includes your choice of one top and one bottom of French Toast brand clothing for either a boy or girl! It ends on 1/13/14 at midnight ET. Enter now so you too can get a chance to pick out an school uniform outfit from Ideal Uniforms.

Related Posts:

Ideal Uniforms: Retail Round Up

Holiday Gift Ideas for Kids

School Uniform Clothing Giveaway (Ends 1/13/14 at 12am ET)

Organized by: Uniform Mom

Sponsored by: Ideal Uniform

In our American culture, khakis and polos have become the everyday uniform for life’s everyday events like community outings such as a play or recital, and family events like holiday gatherings or eating out, as well as Sunday School and church. Especially for the little boys, they are the most appropriate attire for all "dress up", but short of formal, events. Girls and young ladies have more fashion choices to weave into everyday wardrobes. Even still, chinos paired with a polos or blouse make a smart choice for many similar life outings. Today more and more schools across the US are requiring students to adopt a standard dress code defining appropriate attire for school. And although options vary from school to school, khakis and polos typically are the foundation for any dress code. And even if your child's school doesn't require a uniform dress code, having a smart outfit in the wardrobe is handy for have on hand for everyday life events.

Prize Package Includes:

One lucky reader will win a prize pack from Ideal Uniforms which includes your choice of one top and one bottom of French Toast brand clothing for either a boy or girl!

The event date opens on 12/29/13 through 1/13/14 12:00 AM ET. Open to US Residents only.  The winner will be chosen at random and will be notified via the email they used to enter the contest. If after 48 hours, there is no response, another winner will be chosen. Uniform Mom is not responsible for fulfillment of the prize. Open to US residents, 18+ only.

To enter: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: Uniform Mom, the organizer, was recently provided sample French Toast brand clothing items from the sponsor to facilitate an upcoming review but was not provided additional compensation to organize this giveaway.  Uniform Mom is not responsible for sponsor prize shipment. Please contact navyplaid@comcast.net with questions or to see your business or product featured on the next event! This giveaway is no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

Ideal Uniforms: Retail Round Up

Ideal Uniforms has been a family owned and operated business for over 80 years. They have two locations in New York City and have a newly redesigned website with an online store. Below is a quote from their web site:

"Ideal Uniforms is your one stop shop for all your educational, medical, corporate and scouting needs. Ideal presently outfits hundreds of schools, hospitals, boy and girl scout troops, and businesses. This allows us to retain a vast inventory which is stocked year round. Ideal manufactures many of its own products to ensure that customers get what they need when they need it."

They carry the following brands in children's uniform clothing: A+ School Apparel, Classroom, Elderwear, French Toast, Rifle Kaynee, Becky Thatcher, Dickies, as well as their own brand Ideal brand. They also sell scouts uniforms, dancewear, backpacks, and caps and gowns.

Boys bottoms include four different brands of flat front pants, two brands of pleated pants or pull on pants. Boys shirts include polos in short and long sleeve, turtlenecks, and short and long sleeve button up dress and oxford shirts. In sweaters, they carry acrylic vests, cardigans, and v-neck pullovers. Finally, they carry the Rifle Kaynee Unisex Blazer in five colors. Boys accessories include a variety of ties and belts.

Girls bottoms include French Toast, Becky Thatcher and Dickies flat fronts and basic shorts. In skirts, they carry a basic kick pleat in solids and plaids, plaid knife pleats, and plaid kilts. Girls tops include polos, turtlenecks, peter pan blouses in short and long sleeve, pointed collar blouses and oxfords in short and long sleeve. In sweaters, they carry acrylic vests, cardigans, and v-neck pullovers. They also have two options for vests, a bolero (open in the front) and a pointed (button up). The v-neck jumpers are available in solids and plaids and the slit neck jumper in plaids. Finally, they carry a wrap around kilt in solids. Finally, they carry a fun selection of coordinating criss-cross ties, scruncies, head bands, bike shorts and tights.

They have a typical return policy, or most items, for a full refund with a receipt within 14 days for items in their original condition, unwashed and unworn. Exchanges can be made within 30 days.