Dreading back-to-school shopping with your pre-teen or teen? Try these tips from parenting experts.

• Go through your children's closets to get a sense of what they have and what they might need. While you're at it, pack up the things they haven't worn in at least a year, hand them down to younger relatives or take them to a thrift or consignment shop.

• Check with your child's school to see whether it has a dress code, says Sharon James, a family life educator at Beech Acres, a family services agency in Anderson Township. Many schools mail parents information, but if you haven't received anything, check the school's Web site or call. Knowing the school's guidelines can help stave off arguments, James says.

• Set the clothing budget ahead of time, rather than specify a number of outfits or a number of items of clothing. That way, kids have the responsibility of deciding whether to spend all the money on two pairs of designer jeans or 10 pieces of less-expensive clothing, James says.

• Let teens have a say in shopping, especially when choosing clothing for after-school and weekends, James says. "It's really important to them to feel like they fit in," she says. "In the end that's what parents really have to remember."

• Try shopping at outlet stores, secondhand shops and off-price clothing retailers, which often carry brand names at a fraction of the price.

• Consider postponing shopping until after the school year begins, especially if your child is just beginning junior high school or high school, James says. That allows teens to scope out the trends first rather than risk buying the wrong thing before school starts.

Lauren Bishop