The back-to-school season involves a lot of shopping and errands — your kids each need school supplies, backpacks, lunch boxes, haircuts, paperwork, and check-ups before getting onto the bus on the first day. And no end-of-summer to-do list is free from purchasing some fall clothes and shoes for your growing kids, who somehow fit into almost none of their wardrobe from the spring. To be brief: It’s a lot.

So when a couple of Scary Mommy editors got the chance to try Stitch Fix’s online styling service for kids, it seemed very worth exploring if this strategy for back-to-school shopping could be worth the extra cost in exchange for convenience and happy kids.

Here are our experiences with using the service with three different kids of different ages (and different personalities).

Willa, Age 11

To be perfectly honest, I was almost positive that this would go badly. My nearly 12-year-old daughter is just entering middle school, and she seems to be at the height of 1) wanting to fit in and 2) brand obsession. Just like I wanted that pair of Guess jeans more than anything else in the world when I was in sixth grade, Willa was extremely set on exactly what she wanted to buy for fall, and a lot of it was out of our budget and/or slightly ridiculous (I’m looking at you, Lululemon). And while she begrudgingly filled out Stitch Fix’s online survey to better understand her tastes, there was a lot of sighing. In short, I did not think that she would do well getting some random clothes in the mail from a strange adult.

We were both pleasantly surprised, though. Willa told her stylist she likes loose-fitting, comfy clothes like sweats and hoodies, and athleisure wear like Nike and Lululemon. She was the most jazzed to find a pair of sweats with a fun cowboy emoji on the thigh, which the stylist paired with two boxy t-shirts. And she flipped out for a white puffy vest, which she immediately put on along with a tie-dyed sweatshirt she found in the box.

Most surprisingly, my Gen Alpha kid, who never, ever wears denim, tried on two wide-leg pairs of jeans (yes, after a bit of a battle) and found out that she loved them. I’ve never gotten her to try them on in a store, and I think having them at home made the difference.

The only thing she didn’t like was one cardigan that wasn’t her style — and her little sister claimed it. A 9/10 hit!

Overall, I was surprised by how well the stylist seemed to understand current styles for tweens. Willa really loved getting the lovely wrapped box in the mail, and every item fit. I didn’t think I would say it, but paying a bit extra than I would at, say, Target and getting nine really nice curated items (without ever having to leave the house) were big wins.

We did have to supplement the box with a visit to the Nike outlet store for the exact shoes she wanted, plus some more sweats and hoodies, but we were done in one trip. Not bad at all.

— Sarah Aswell, Deputy Editor, News & Social

Joey, Age 9

My daughter Joey is perhaps the exact opposite of Willa, as sisters so often are. Joey could not give less of a flip about fashion, what other people think, or how she looks. But she does have some sensory issues that make shopping for her a challenge. She’s super-sensitive to certain fabrics, hems, and tags, and being irritated by her clothing can really ruin a day for her. Joey is 100% about cozy comfort and feeling at home in her outfits. They’re a barrier between her and the loud, often sh*tty, outside world.

Joey is also super creative and loves colors, patterns, and fun — without looking babyish, she always stresses. And she hates nothing more than shopping for clothes.

When her Stitch Fix box arrived, she wasn’t excited at all to try things on, but once she donned a couple of things, she brightened up. Our lovely stylist, who had gotten our note about Joey’s sensory sensitivities, had packed a box of the softest, most cozy clothing items I’ve seen. And unlike a lot of softer items we’d found at department stores, this stuff was more stylish and looked more put together.

Joey loved the three pairs of joggers she received, as well as a super-soft cardigan and a fleece pullover. A fall jacket and a classic pair of Van sneakers rounded out the box.

The most surprising item? My sporty kid, who would ~never~ try on a dress, tried on the cute, cozy dress and cardigan set the stylist packed, and she loved it so much that she wore it on the first day of school. With a pair of joggers on underneath, of course.

— Sarah

Eila, Age 5

When I filled out the profile for my daughter, adding her favorite colors, clothing styles, and patterns, I could not really imagine how much Stitch Fix would nail it… but they were pretty spot-on for Eila’s style. I mentioned that my girl loved pink and dresses, and her stylist was like, “SAY NO MORE!”

Right off the bat, I could tell that the Stitch Fix stylist who hand-picked Eila’s items really paid attention to what I mentioned in her profile. Her box was packed with dresses and pink everything, including an adorable pink-and-white-striped Barbie t-shirt that she has not stopped wearing. I also mentioned how much comfort matters to Eila, to which they included the softest (pink!) shirt I’ve ever touched in my life.

Eila loves clothes (and getting packages), so this was a very exciting experience for her. She opened the box with me, and we “oohed” and “aahed” over every item. I thought each item was reasonably priced, especially for the quality of clothes and shoes. Honestly, the experience of opening the box with her to see the surprises inside was enough to make it worth it!

— Katie Garrity, Senior Editor, News & Social

Our Final Thoughts

I honestly thought that the experiment would be fun but ultimately too expensive for me to use on a regular basis. However, both orders came in at just over $200, which is not bad at all for 10 quality clothing items — especially considering that I never had to leave my home. And I felt like I could be confident that my kids had a few new items of every kind before starting the year, even if it didn’t fill every single need for the fall.

I also feared that my kids would be much pickier than they were. They were much more open to trying things the stylist suggested, which I really think broadened their horizons.

I was also impressed that all 20 items my kids tried on fit well.

Finally, I was touched by how closely the stylists looked at what my girls had to say about their needs and helped them get things they would be comfortable with, while still stretching them slightly out of their comfort zone. I consider both my kids pretty difficult to shop for, and the stylists did it easily.

I would totally use this service again!

— Sarah