Most back to school lists you find are stationery lists. Copies, pencils, a geometry box, a water bottle. The clothes get one line that says "uniform" and stops there.
But the uniform is the part the school already dictates. What actually costs you money over the rest of the academic year is everything else: the shirts your child changes into the moment they get home, the trousers that survive the playground, the outfit for the annual function. This back to school clothes checklist covers that side — what to buy, how many, what size, and what you can safely skip.
The short answer
For a school-going child in Pakistan, a realistic non-uniform wardrobe for the academic year is:
- 4–5 everyday shirts or polos for after school and weekends
- 3–4 pairs of trousers or nickers that can take rough play
- 2 smarter outfits for functions, trips and family visits
- A mix of sizes, not one size across the board — more on that below
Do the cupboard audit before you shop. It usually cuts the list in half.
Start with an audit, not a shopping list
Empty your child's cupboard onto the bed and sort everything into three piles.
Still fits and still good. Try it on, do not eyeball it. Check the shoulder seams sit on the shoulder and the trouser hem reaches the ankle. Anything that passes goes back in.
Fits but is finished. Thin at the knees, collar gone soft, colour faded to a different shade than it started. These are the ones to replace. Keep the worst as play clothes for the messy days and let go of the rest.
Doesn't fit. Pass down, give away, or store if there is a younger sibling coming up. Do not leave it taking up the space you are about to fill.
Now count what survived. The gap between that number and the list above is your actual shopping list.
The back to school clothes checklist
| Item | How many | Why this number |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday shirts / polos | 4–5 | One per weekday if laundry runs weekly; collared styles stretch to smart-casual |
| Trousers / nickers | 3–4 | Bottoms get re-worn between washes more readily than tops, so you need fewer |
| Smart outfit | 2 | Annual function, school trip, Eid, family occasions |
| Warm layer | 1–2 | Buy in late autumn, not now; a second one if you are in a colder northern city |
| Sleepwear | 2–3 sets | Replaced less often but outgrown just as fast |
| Socks | 7+ pairs | The item most likely to go missing between washes |
Adjust for your own laundry rhythm. If washing happens twice a week, you can cut the shirt count to three and lose nothing.
Stagger the sizes, don't buy one size across the board
You are buying now for a year that runs to spring, and children rarely stay in one size that long. If you buy five shirts in your child's current size, all five stop fitting in the same month and you are back where you started.
The better approach is to split the order. Buy most of the everyday pieces in the size that fits today, and one or two a band larger to carry you through the second half of the year. The same logic applies to the smart outfits: those get worn a handful of times over many months, so the larger size is almost always the right call.
Measure before you order rather than going by age. Stand your child against a wall without shoes and measure their height, then run a tape around the fullest part of the chest. Those two numbers decide the fit far more reliably than a birthday does — our kids clothing size chart by age sets out the measurements for every band.
What to skip
- Heavy winter clothing bought now. The cold does not properly arrive in most of Pakistan until late in the year, and your child's size then is not their size today. Buy the warm layer when you need it — our guide on choosing a kids winter collection is worth reading closer to the time.
- More than two smart outfits. They get worn a handful of times and outgrown before they wear out.
- Anything white for daily wear. It looks good in the shop and lasts one term.
- Duplicate sizes bought in bulk. The discount rarely survives the fact that half of it stops fitting at once.
Fabric matters more in the first term than the last
School reopens in Pakistan during the tail of the hot season. Afternoons across most of Punjab and Sindh are still genuinely hot in August and September, often humid with it. A child who comes home and changes into a synthetic shirt stays uncomfortable for the rest of the day.
For the first term, look for jersey cotton, lawn or soft linen — fabrics that breathe and let sweat evaporate rather than sit against the skin. Save polyester blends for the cooler months, when the warmth is actually useful. If you are weighing up the two most common everyday options, our comparison of jersey versus cotton for kids' everyday wear covers which suits which kind of day.
What this looks like at Tebeena Wears
Here is how the checklist maps onto what we have in stock right now.
For the everyday shirts: the Black Polo Shirt at Rs. 999 is 100% cotton jersey and in stock in 1-2Y, 2-3Y, 3-4Y, 4-5Y, 5-6Y and 7-8Y. A collar reads tidy enough for a family visit but survives the playground, and black is the practical choice for obvious reasons. Note there is no 6-7 Years in this style.
For everyday sets: the Signature Beige Soft Textured Shirt & Nicker starts at Rs. 1,599, rising to Rs. 1,699 for 4-5 Years and 5-6 Years. It is soft linen, which handles September heat better than most. In stock in 0-3M, 3-6M, 6-12M, and 2-3Y through 5-6Y — the 1-2 Years is currently sold out.
For the two smart outfits: the Zaitoon Kaftan Embroidered Two Piece Set and Siyah White Embroidered Two Piece Set, both Rs. 2,999. Zaitoon is in stock from 2-3 Years through 11-12 Years and Siyah from 3-4 Years through 11-12 Years, both without a 6-7 Years option. Loose embroidered sets are the sensible choice for a garment worn a few times a year, because the relaxed cut still looks right if your child grows into it mid-season. You can see the rest in Girls Two Piece Suits.
For trousers: the Bell Bottom Jet Black Denim Pant at Rs. 1,699 is durable denim and the only style we carry reaching 13-14 Years, though that size is very limited. The rest of the run is patchy rather than continuous — 2-3Y, 4-5Y, 5-6Y, 9-10Y and 11-12Y are in stock, while 3-4Y, 6-7Y and 7-8Y are currently out. Check the dropdown before you plan around it.
On budget: four Black Polos at Rs. 999 plus two Signature Beige sets comes to roughly Rs. 7,200, or Rs. 7,400 if your child is in the 4-5 or 5-6 Years band where the sets are Rs. 1,699. Spreading that across August and September rather than one week is easier on the household, and gives you a second chance to check the fit before committing to the rest.
The full ranges are in Shirts and Pants.
Frequently asked questions
Should I budget separately for uniform and non-uniform clothes?
It helps. The uniform is fixed by the school and usually bought from a specified supplier, so treat it as a non-negotiable line. Everything else is where you have room to move — and where the audit saves you the most, because it is the pile most likely to contain things you already own.
What do I do if my child's size is sold out?
Check whether a looser style in the next size up would work rather than waiting. A two piece set or a shirt-and-nicker set in the larger band will look correct now and still fit later, whereas a fitted polo in the wrong size will not. Restocking timelines are rarely predictable, so a workable alternative usually beats waiting.
Can I use hand-me-downs for the school year, or should everything be new?
Hand-me-downs are fine for everyday and play clothes as long as they pass the fit check and the fabric has not gone thin. Where they tend to fall short is the smart outfit — those get photographed and remembered, and a garment on its second child usually shows it.
Do I need to buy shoes and socks at the same time?
Socks yes, shoes not necessarily. Socks are cheap, disappear constantly, and you will want a stock of them from day one. Shoes are worth buying closer to the start of term and measured on the day, because feet grow in bursts and a shoe bought a month early is a genuine gamble.
How do I make school-year clothes last longer?
Wash cold, dry in shade rather than direct sun, and turn printed or embroidered items inside out before washing. Direct sun fades colour faster than the washing does. Rotating between more items also means each one wears more slowly.
Before you shop
Work through this back to school clothes checklist in order: audit the cupboard first, measure your child rather than going by age, stagger your sizes so everything does not stop fitting at once, and leave the winter shopping until winter actually arrives.
If you are filling gaps now, our Boys and Girls collections show live size availability on every product, and the Winter Collection is there when the weather turns.
