The Back-to-School Basics Strategist Parents Buy in Bulk

Strategist deputy editor Simone Kitchens first bought these wool-blend socks for her daughter when she was 2 months old and continues to buy them now that she’s almost 4. She still wears the 2T–4T size, but Kitchens just reupped this summer and got the next size up (4T–6T).

For Strategist senior writer Liza Corsillo’s 3.5-year-old son, thesePeanuts-themed Bombas are the only socks he loves. “Bombas socks have no toe seam, which makes them better than any other socks because there’s nothing rubbing against his toes on the inside of the socks,” she says. “They are also incredibly durable and thick and bouncy feeling.” Corsillo bought them a little big, in the junior size, and says that he likes to pull them up to his knees and calls them his knee socks.

The Old Navy socks are Corsillo’s son’s second-favorite socks. “I love how classic and sporty they are. Plus it’s an incredible deal and they are often on sale,” she says. “They have lasted us a long time, almost two years now, and they go well with everything.”

I bought these socks after Corsillo gave me some that were too big for her son. Now they’re my 7.5-year-old’s favorite socks. They’re thick, cushy, and durable. And because my son is a sports nut, he loves that they look like baseball socks — and indeed wears them with his baseball uniform but also with his everyday school clothes.

Senior editor Winnie Yang has been buying these socks for her 10.5-year-old daughter for the past three years. Andie, who is going into fifth grade, wears them with her Sambas. Yang says the extra large are good for her size-5 feet.

“These are a camp item, but they are brilliant for school, too,” saysNew Yorkfeatures editor Julia Edelstein, who buys these personalized socks for her two sons, ages 12 and 9. “I can’t describe how good these socks are. Their name is knitted inside. And they are so durable; truly they are the only socks with no holes. I am obsessed with them.”

I first bought these organic-cotton briefs for my two sons last year and now they’re the only underwear they wear. They’re on the pricier side, but the quality is so nice: extremely thick, soft, and durable. I got my older son the solid multicolor pack and vehicle-print set, and my younger son the animal print and black-white-and-navy solid pack (for easier laundry sorting).

Trolio’s older daughter prefers these shortie-style underwear from Lucky & Me and has been wearing them for six years.

Here’s a nice training bra that Yang recommends. “I bought one initially for Andie to try along with a couple other brands, and it has emerged as her favorite so I got her four more,” she says.

Kitchens first bought this set of organic-cotton T-shirts from HonestBaby a couple of years ago, and her daughter still wears them. “The shirts are nice because the necks are pretty wide and easy to get over their heads, so they can wear them for a little longer,” she says. “My daughter has worn the 3T ones for a couple of years.”

Trolio also swears by athletic shorts from All in Motion. “Eliza has so many pairs of these shorts in every color. She wears them daily,” she says.

This is specific to kids who wear uniforms, but Edelstein says that these stretch chinos from the Children’s Place are her go-tos for boys’ khaki pants. “I buy five pairs every fall for each boy,” she says. “They wear them all year and into hand-me-downs. Eventually they give out at the knees but only after probably 200 wears.”

Edelstein buys these cotton-blend dress shirts from French Toast that are very durable. “I’ve never seen a hole or anything in these shirts. My kids just outgrow them,” she says. They also wearthese braided belts. “It is a very cheap outfit: $20 bucks.”