Back to School Essentials
Back to school is just around the corner! Schools, especially in the south, start to go back as soon as early August, so I am sharing my favorite products to prepare you for what essentials you may need before the first day!
One other reminder that I have learned over the years is teachers always recommend not to personalize a child's backpack with their first name for safety of a stranger not being able to call out their name. Instead, if you want a monogram choose their initials. Lunchboxes are ok to monogram with their name! If you have a little one starting daycare or preschool, I curated all the essentials they actually need, here.
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I bought this 14×11 board for my kids' first and last days of school, and I love that it's double-sided, and the liquid chalk pens that come with it are vibrant! It's such a fun and cute way to remember the start and end of each school year!
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This is the sign we own for back to school! It is available in tons of colors, themes and sizes!
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This snack bag has a built in ice pack so you can throw it in the freezer and then can pack it with snacks in the morning to keep it cool! A great brand for adult lunch bags too.
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I don’t personally own this but I know several people that do and love it! It’s especially good for kids that don’t love a sandwich and prefer hot food in their lunch! It has a hot food compartment within the lunch box so you don’t need an extra thermos and you can put hot and cold food in it together. It also has a handle so you don’t need a separate lunch bag, and the thermos compartment has an easy twist off top with handle so kids can get it off easily.
The OmieUp is meant for kids a littler older, the thermos section is bigger and the smaller section has a built in ice pack underneath.
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I searched high and low for a good stainless steel lunchbox for kids. So many I got were way too big, tricky for kids to be able to open or close on their own or weren't leak proof. But this one checks all the right boxes!
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Wildkin is one of my favorite brands on Amazon for back to school essentials and these insulated lunch bags are perfect for storing your lunchbox.
Shop girl prints here.
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Every year, Target brings in the cutest new prints on their back to school collection! They really think of everything you may need and coordinate the most adorable prints with it! From backpacks, to lunch bags, water bottles, snack packs, and more, it has everything your little one may need!
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This Bentgo Chill Lunchbox is awesome because the bottom tray is an ice pack you can take out and throw right in the freezer to keep your lunch cool!
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These snack cups are a great stainless steel and leak proof option if you need to send a snack with your kids to school each day! They come in a set of 3, each 1 cup in size.
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State backpacks are on the higher end of backpacks, but their designs and quality are unmatched. They have the cutest prints and themes, as your little one gets older and outgrows the youthful character phase they have such a fun elevated assortment and the backpack will last them years. They come in 4 sizes, starting at bags for age 2 and up. Heads up, the popular styles they release each year do sell out!
Use code ‘MEGGIE15’ for 15% off your purchase!
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This Ello Stainless Steel water bottle is a great option for kids to bring to school. It is 100% leak proof when the top is closed (I have tested it!), it has a soft spout straw to drink out of and comes in a handful of colors. The 22oz size makes it perfect for elementary age kids or older who may drink more water during the day vs so many of the kid sizes.
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This Reduce Water Bottle for kids is one of the best leak proof options out there. It is ACTUALLY leak proof when the straw is closed and there is an extra locking mechanism to ensure it stays closed and doesn’t leak all over the bottom of a bag. It comes in 2 fun colors for younger kids and is the perfect size for them at 14 oz.
For older kids I like the 24oz size here.
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These lunch box ice packs are slim and reusable, the perfect size to slip in your child’s lunch and keep cold for 4 hours. They come in several cute shapes.
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If you have a child that is about to experience a big change, that could mean starting Kindergarten, a new school or daycare or living situation, The Kissing Hand is such a sweet book that helps address those fears and ease their little mind.
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This Wildkin backpack is my favorite option for preschool age kids. My kids have both used these adorable backpacks for daycare when they were 4 and under. They are the perfect size for them to comfortably carry and can fit all the necessities.
Girl prints available here.
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This insulated food thermos comes in over a dozen kid friendly colors and patterns, and keeps your food cold for 7 hours or hot for 5 hours. 10 oz capacity.
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These lunch bags are awesome, you literally throw the whole bag into the freezer at night and the gel lining will keep your lunch cool so your perishables don't spoil.
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This is a great size lunchbox as kids go off to school. Its rigid walls keep the food protected or you can fit a Bentgo box inside it. You can also customize it with cute prints and their name!
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This is the perfect first lunch box for little kids ages 3-7. You can perfectly portion out their meal, the tray is microwave and dishwasher safe and it is drop proof! These fit into the Pottery Barn "cold pack" size lunch boxes perfectly too.
The Bentgo version with a built in ice pack is also awesome and available here.
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L.L. Bean backpacks are my top choice once your kid is in 4k and up. They are durable, last many school years, and come in junior (age 4-7) or original (age 8-12) sizes. We started with the original size knowing my kids would grow into them.
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This set of customized name labels are dishwasher and laundry safe to label anything from a water bottle to a lunchbox to clothing. We have them for all 3 kids, they come in fun themes!
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If you need a good solution for saving your child’s memories from school, make a file box for each kid and save a folder of the most important artwork or memories worth keeping. These boxes fit letter or legal hanging files. We also use these to store holiday books!
Shop the letters, hanging files and totes in the link above.
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LilGadgets wired kid headphones come in 7 colors with a share port so you can connect multiple headphones to one device. They have volume limitations to protect those little ears and fold compactly for easy storage when traveling, this size is great for toddlers. A better size for school age kids is this over ear set here.
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I love this visual calendar for kids. It helps them understand days of the week and look forward to activities that are to come. Every Sunday evening my son and I sit down and fill it out together, it is one of his favorite parts of the week. I would recommend buying the “premade” kit so you don’t have to assemble all the pieces and velcro on your own. If you don’t buy the premade kit, this pocket organizer is very helpful for storing all the pieces.
Use code “20EVERYDAYBESTBUY” to receive 20% off your purchase of a calendar.
Paid links and prices subject to change.
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I love State bags for high quality and an awesome print assortment that matches their backpacks. My code ‘MEGGIE15’ gets you 15% off!