How to Choose Children's Polo Shirts: A Croydon Printer's Guide to Fabric, Fit, Colour and Custom Branding

The phone tends to ring twice a year about this issue. Once in late August, when a school admin realises the new intake's PE kit needs a different shade of navy. And once in spring, when a sports club discovers that the polos they bought online have gone bobbly and shapeless after a term of Saturday matches — and the printed badges have started peeling at the edges.

Both calls come down to the same thing: not enough attention paid to the polo before anyone added a logo to it. Buying children's polo shirts looks simple. Pick a colour, pick a size, add the crest. But the difference between a garment that survives a school year and one that's bin-bound by half-term is decided long before checkout — in the fabric weight, the knit, the fit, and the way the branding is applied.

We print and embroider these shirts every week from our workshop in Croydon, so this guide is written from the production side of the bench. Whether you're a parent buying one, a PTA ordering thirty, or a club kitting out a whole junior squad, here's how to choose kids polo shirts that actually last — and how to get them branded so they still look sharp after twenty washes.

A polo shirt is not a T-shirt with a collar. The thing that defines it is the piqué knit — that textured, waffle-like weave you can feel on the body of any classic polo. Piqué holds its shape, breathes well, and hides minor creasing, which is exactly why it became the standard for school and sports wear in the first place. A flimsy single-jersey "polo" might look the part on a product photo, but it droops at the collar within weeks.

Three things decide how long a kids polo shirt lasts: the fibre, the fabric weight, and the quality of the collar and placket.

Cotton, polycotton or polyester: which fabric survives a school year

This is the decision most people get wrong, usually by assuming "100% cotton" is automatically best.

• Polycotton (a poly-cotton blend, often around 65/35) is the workhorse for childrens school polo shirts. It resists shrinking, holds colour through repeated hot washes, dries faster, and creases far less than pure cotton. For everyday school wear that gets washed constantly, it's almost always the smart choice.
• 100% cotton feels lovely and is highly breathable, but it shrinks more, fades faster under frequent washing, and needs more ironing. Better suited to occasional-wear or premium pieces than daily uniform.
• 100% polyester is the lightest and most colour-stable, popular for sports and "cool" performance polos where moisture-wicking matters more than softness.

For most parents and schools, a well-made polycotton kids polo shirt is the sensible middle ground: soft enough to be comfortable, tough enough to survive Monday-to-Friday and a 40°C wash.

Why GSM matters more than the label lets on (180gsm vs 220gsm)

GSM — grams per square metre — is the single most useful spec on the page, and the one most listings hide. It tells you how much fabric you're actually getting.

• Lighter weights (around 150–180gsm) feel cooler and cost less, which suits warm-weather wear and tight budgets — but thinner fabric shows wear and can go slightly see-through on pale colours.
• Heavier weights (around 200–220gsm) feel substantial, hold their shape, sit better under embroidery, and simply last longer. For a uniform polo that has to look presentable all year, the extra weight is worth it.

If you're comparing a cheap childrens polo shirt against a slightly dearer one and the listings don't state GSM, that silence is usually telling you something.

A polo shirt is judged at the collar. If the rib has lost its spring and the placket is curling, no amount of branding will rescue it — which is why we start every job by looking at the blank, not the badge.

Colour seems like the easy part, until a school specifies "navy" and three suppliers send three different navies. Here's what genuinely matters when picking shades for kids.

The practical realities of each colour family:

• White children's polo shirts look crisp and pair with anything, but they show every grass stain and ketchup mishap. Fine for smart wear; demanding for daily junior school use unless you're happy with frequent washing.
• Navy polo shirts (childrens) and black childrens polo shirts are the forgiving everyday heroes — they hide marks, look smart, and dominate school uniform lists for good reason.
• Red polo shirts (children's), royal blue childrens polo shirts, sky blue, bottle green and burgundy are the classic "house" and school-identity colours. Strong, recognisable, and good at concealing wear.
• Yellow polo shirt (kids), gold and pink read as bright, friendly and high-visibility — popular for nurseries, summer schemes and sports days, though paler yellows can show marks like white does.
• Grey, purple and orange childrens polo shirts round out the range for clubs and themed events that want to stand apart.

The crucial point for branding: a school or club almost always has an exact shade in mind, and "navy" alone isn't a specification. Before you order in bulk, confirm the colour against a physical sample or a reference code — getting this wrong on a hundred shirts is an expensive lesson.

Children's apparel is sized by age band rather than chest measurement, typically running in two-year jumps:

1. 3–4 years and 5–6 years — early years and reception/KS1.
2. 7–8 years and 9–10 years — the core junior range.
3. 11–12 years and 13–14 years — upper juniors into early secondary.

Some ranges run smaller for baby boy polo shirt and toddler sizes; if you're buying baby polo shirts, check the exact age/chest chart because cuts vary between manufacturers. 

The instinct to "size up so they grow into it" usually backfires on polos. An oversized polo droops at the shoulder, the embroidered logo sits too low and off-centre, and the whole thing looks borrowed rather than smart. A polo that fits now — with normal washing allowance — almost always photographs and wears better. If you genuinely need growing room, go up one size, not two.

A quick word on washing, because it affects fit more than people expect: wash at 40°C or below, avoid high-heat tumble drying, and skip fabric softener on printed or embroidered areas. That routine is what keeps the fit true and the branding intact.

This is where a generic online polo becomes your polo — and where the most money gets wasted on the wrong choice. The two main routes are embroidery and print (heat transfer / vinyl or direct-to-garment). Each wins in different situations.

The short version: for a school or club logo on a kids polo shirt, embroidery is almost always the right call — it's the professional, hard-wearing finish that looks the part and survives the wash. Save print for bold graphics, slogans, squad numbers or full-colour designs that embroidery can't reproduce cleanly.

If you're commissioning childrens polo shirts embroidered with a crest for the first time and don't yet have clean logo artwork, that's worth sorting before anything goes onto fabric — a tidy, vectorised logo embroiders far better than a fuzzy screenshot. (We'll come back to that.)

Not every job needs the same treatment. Knowing which lane you're in saves money and avoids ordering the wrong thing entirely.

• Plain childrens polo shirts — for schools that add their own badge later, or anyone wanting a clean uniform base. Buy on fabric and fit alone.
• Branded / embroidered — the standard for kids school polo shirts, sports clubs and junior teams, where one consistent logo appears on every shirt.
• Personalised childrens polo shirts — individual names or numbers added per child. The go-to for leavers' polos, named club kit, and end-of-year keepsakes.
• Custom branded childrens polo shirts in bulk — for wholesale childrens polo shirts runs: whole-school orders, club seasons, summer schemes and promotional childrens polo shirts for events.

Once you know which of these you're ordering, the supplier decision gets much simpler — and that's where local printing earns its place.

Where I YOU PRINT fits: custom and embroidered children's polo shirts, printed in Croydon

Everything above is the advice we give before a single shirt is decorated — because we'd rather you start with the right blank than try to rescue the wrong one later.

For most school and club orders, our 220GSM Childrens Classic Polo Shirt (UC103) a substantial 220gsm piqué that holds its shape, takes embroidery cleanly, and comes in the school-and-club colour range parents actually ask for — white, navy, royal blue, sky blue, red, burgundy, bottle green, yellow, gold, grey, black and more. Because we embroider and print in-house here in Croydon, we can match your colours to a sample, keep the branding consistent across an entire order, and turn jobs around locally rather than shipping them across the country.

A few common pairings we set up regularly:

• Need a logo embroidered but don't have clean artwork? Our logo design service 
• Want a lighter option for PE and summer? Pair the polo with the 180GSM Childrens Classic T-Shirt (UC306) 
• Kitting out a club for colder months? Add matching layers from our kids hoodies range so the whole squad looks consistent.

You can also browse the full kids T-shirts and polos range to see every fabric, weight and colour side by side.

Ready to order children's polo shirts for your school, club or business?

If you've got the fabric, fit, colour and finish decided, the last step is the easy one. Take a look at the options and colours on the children's classic polo shirt page choose your embroidery or print and send over your logo — we'll handle the rest from Croydon.

Not sure which colour or fabric suits your order? That's exactly the kind of thing we'll talk through before you commit to a bulk run, so the shirts you receive are the ones you pictured. 

Children's polo shirts: frequently asked questions

What GSM is best for children's school polo shirts?

For daily school wear, a heavier polo of around 200–220gsm is the sensible choice. The extra fabric weight holds its shape, sits better under an embroidered crest, and survives constant washing far longer than a thin 150gsm shirt. Lighter weights are fine for warm-weather or budget orders, but won't wear as well.

Are polycotton or 100% cotton children's polo shirts better for kids?

For everyday school use, polycotton usually wins. The blend resists shrinking, holds its colour through frequent hot washes, dries quickly and barely needs ironing. Pure cotton feels softer and breathes beautifully, but shrinks and fades more — making it better for occasional or premium wear than daily uniform.

Should I add a school logo by embroidery or print on kids polo shirts?

For a school crest or club badge, embroidery is almost always best: it's professional, textured and outlasts the garment itself. Choose print (heat transfer or DTG) instead when you need full-colour artwork, photographic detail, slogans or squad numbers that embroidery can't reproduce cleanly.

]What colours of children's polo shirts can I order?

Common school and club colours include white, navy, royal blue, sky blue, red, burgundy, bottle green, yellow, gold, pink, purple, grey and black. The important step is matching the exact shade your school or club specifies — confirm it against a physical sample before a bulk order, since "navy" varies between suppliers. 

How do I choose the right children's polo shirt size by age?

Kids polos are sized by age band — typically 3–4, 5–6, 7–8, 9–10, 11–12 and 13–14 years — rather than chest measurement. Resist sizing up two ages "to grow into": an oversized polo droops and sits the logo too low. Go up one size at most. 

Can I order personalised children's polo shirts with names?

Yes — personalised children's polo shirts with individual names or numbers are popular for leavers' polos, named club kit and end-of-year keepsakes. Names are usually added by embroidery or print depending on the look you want. Send a clear list of names and sizes to keep the order accurate.
Do you supply wholesale or bulk children's polo shirts for schools and clubs?

Yes — wholesale and bulk children's polo shirts are a core part of what we do, from whole-school uniform runs to junior club kit and promotional event shirts. Ordering in bulk also keeps branding consistent across every shirt.
How should children's polo shirts be washed so they don't fade or shrink?

Wash at 40°C or below, turn them inside out, skip fabric softener on branded areas, and avoid high-heat tumble drying. This routine protects the colour, keeps the fit true, and stops embroidery or print from lifting. Polycotton polos cope with regular washing better than pure cotton.

How long does it take to get custom children's polo shirts printed in London?

As a Croydon-based printer, we produce embroidery and print locally, which generally means faster, more controllable turnaround than ordering from a distant supplier — and the ability to check colour and quality before the full run goes ahead.

Can you match my school's or club's exact colours?

The safest route is to share a physical sample or an exact colour reference so the polos and any embroidery thread are matched before production — avoiding the common problem of three suppliers producing three different "navies".

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