I have set myself a little project. It is called Sewing On Nametapes, and I will work at it every night for the next fortnight. On about 25 separate school garments, probably at a rate of about three a night. Yes, I could do iron-on (or even go for the shameful option of handwritten, using CD marker pen), but there is nothing quite like the eyewatering labour of the hand-stitched name tape, as a reminder that your child is slowly but surely growing up and leaving you.

Indeed, although this summer has been a washout, the definitive sign that we are in the middle of August has been the arrival of those giant posters in the high street that depict gleeful children leaping around waving fluorescent pencil cases and wearing shiny shoes.

However, for many, going to school for the first time is anything but joyous; and I don’t just mean the children. As a rite of passage a child’s first day at primary school is up there along with the purchase of a mobile phone, ear piercing and alco-hol-induced vomiting. And some parents find it tough.

Siobhan Freegard, a mother of three, is the founder of Netmums, the UK’s biggest parenting website. To help angst-ridden mothers cope with these tricky first weeks she has launched an online campaign, First Day Mums. “It came from my own experience,” says Freegard, whose children are now aged 12, eight and five. “Each time my children started school it was a pivotal moment for me. When my eldest first started I was so worried. And every year, we get so many e-mails from anxious mothers that this year, we decided to devote a whole section of the site to it.”

First Day Mums is certainly thorough. There are sections giving advice about school uniform (go to the supermarkets, and remember to buy two jumpers at the outset because you might never find them in stock again), packed-lunch advice and tips on my particular bugbear, getting to school on time (key tip: make sure you sign all school forms the night before).

There is also going to be an online event where parents can log on as soon as they have dropped junior off at the school gates and get in touch with nutritionists, life coaches and fellow teary-eyed adults.

It’s all helpful, but is it really necessary? Surely advice such as remembering to lay out everything you need the night before, and preparing the dreaded packed lunch in the evening is common sense. Apparently not. According to Freegard, some parents are in such a panic about their children attending school for the first time that in Liverpool a local councillor has been assigned to help them cope. What does she think their chief concern will be?

“That the child will be overwhelmed by the experience of it all,” says Freegard, who says First Day Mums has already attracted about 1,000 parents. “And that he won’t be able to ask about things like where the lavatory is, or how to cope with lunchtime. Mothers worry their child won’t be able to eat lunch, and there will be no one around to prompt them.”

Findlay Green, who has just turned four, is about to start school at Cromer Road primary in New Barnet, Hertford-shire. His mother Lara is anxious about how her son will fare, largely because as his birthday was on August 2, he will be one of the youngest in his year. “He’s a tall lad but I am worried about whether he will be as advanced with the alphabet, and recognising his numbers as the other children,” says Green. “He’s a gentle boy, and it’s just going to be a whole new kettle of fish for him.”

She has already used Netmums’ First Day Mums to give her advice about what might go into Findlay’s lunchbox. Did she really need to? “To be honest, I’m so busy at home and work,” says Green, a free-lance magazine writer, “I don’t have time to think about things like that. It’s been very helpful having a list of suggestions.” (Actually, the site offers handy advice even if your child is at school – for instance, having specific boxes or drawers for the uniform, and remembering to buy a batch of envelopes for school letters, are a couple of good tips it gives).

What else can be done to assuage their (and your) fears about that big day when the shiny shoes will be worn in earnest? Practising at home is a good idea, says Freegard. “Try having a day where you give your child a tray and they have to carry their lunch to the table. Or set up a mock ‘school’, where you pretend to take the register. In the end it’s all about familiarity.”

You and your child could also have a look at the school website together, and check out any photos of the teachers online. And try to link up with at least one child before school begins. “Over the summer our members have been linking up with other mothers with children going to the same school. If the child sees just one other child they recognise on that first day, it’s a massive help,” says Freegard.

Of course, one thing all parents must remember is to recharge their digital camera for that key photo-opportunity, where your little darling will stand on the front doorstep in his or her giant blazer, clasping a shiny satchel with pride.

“I’ll definitely be taking pictures,” says Green.

Will she feel emotional about the moment? “Very. I didn’t think it was such a big deal until we went to the open day and saw all the other children who will be in Findlay’s class. I didn’t realise it was such a big step he was taking. I guess he will grow up really quickly now.”

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