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Back to School is next week (insert shocked face) OMG!! I am not sure how I feel yet. But I have compiled some of my favorite school items because I know choosing from all the options can be overwhelming.
I had the pleasure of going on Houston Life (Let me know what you think) to share a few of my favorites.
Let’s start with the most important thing, the backpack. Backpacks carry all the folders, supplies, lunches so they need to be durable and comfortable to wear.
1: Backpack:
Sanna Baby and Child- Kingwood 
JuJuBe– offers a variety of sizes and designs to choose from. The best part is machine washable!! The interior fabric is antimicrobial to fend off bacteria, mold, and mildew. MOMS! WHAT WHAT?! This just made life a whole lot easier. This backpack is $60. My daughter is loving this floral print. JuJuBe bags have become a new favorite! The outside material can be wiped off with a wipe for easy clean up too.
Pottery Barn-We have had our backpacks for 3 & 4 years and they still look brand new. There are a variety of prints to choose from.
3 sizes: They offer three sizes from mini, small, and large, and even a rolling backpack. (But check with your school, most schools will not allow rolling bags). I would suggest the bigger one, I know it is going to look really big on your Kindergartener but it will need to hold a folder and other supplies. Trust me they will grow and it will begin to look smaller. If you are making the investment on a backpack, make it something that will last a few years.
Mini-$39.50
Small- $49.50
Large-$59.50
So many exterior pockets for carrying water bottles & snacks. Lunchbox connects to buckles in the front.
2: Lunch box: If you have seen my Instagram stories before you know we love our Planetbox lunchboxes. It makes it so easy to pack the kids lunches.
This stainless steel lunchbox is great for hot or cold lunches. Dishwasher safe just take off the magnets (I accidentally left them on one time).
Planetbox offers 3 different varieties. The magnets prints for Planetbox are hard to choose from, there are so many.
The lunch box comes with 2 containers, one small for dips and a bigger one for soup or anything you want to keep hot.
The blue lunch box is a plastic Bentgo kids lunch box. The same concept with multiple sizes to choose from and easy open/close snaps for the kids to do it independently.
*One thing to keep in mind when choosing lunchboxes is to make sure that the kids can open and close it by themselves. I know when I was teaching there was only one cafeteria attendant for the whole lunch. If a little one is waiting around for someone to open the bag, juice box, or lunch box they might miss their lunchtime. If you get a new product, give your children some time to practice before sending it to school by themselves.
3:Labels:
-Labels for clothing, lunchboxes, water bottles, school supplies
–Mabels Labels, Oliver Labels, Name Bubbles, Tiny Me
-Most of these labels are laundry, microwave & dishwasher safe. Most come with a waterproof pencil to write on if you need it too.
-Price Varies for each company and product.
You can get preschool packs for cups, food containers. You can even get shoe labels or sports labels for the bigger kids too. I grabbed meal container labels and shoe labels this year for my kiddos.
The shoe labels are new for us. I thought it would do double duty to label my son’s shoes and help him figure out which shoe goes on the right foot.
4: Water Bottles:
Metal Waterbottles I think are a great option to ensure drinks stay cold all day long, in our heat that sticks around until December…ok let’s be real, January.
Make sure the water bottle is double insulated so it doesn’t sweat everywhere. Available at Amazon, Target, Costco, Potterybarn, HydroFlask & ThermoFlask, and Klean Kanteen are great brands too.
Costco has a 2 pack for $16.99, CamelBak $20 on Amazon
5: Stasher Bags:
These are Reusable Silicone Bags. You can cook, store and freeze foods in these, great for cutting down on plastic bags every day. I hate to sound like a broken record but I know my kids can open and close these bags so they won’t have to rely on waiting for someone to help them.
Prices vary based on size and bundles. They have from pocket sizes $7.99 to the new stand-up bags $19.99. Offers a variety of prints too, look how cute the little blue and pink ones are. I use these to have my kids pack their snacks in.
You can purchase Stasher on their website or Pottery Barn and Target or Amazon.
6: Wet Bags
I have one in each of the kids’ backpacks and in the car for accidents because with kids you never know, right?. All you have to do is put the dirty clothes inside and zip them up to keep everything else around from getting wet or stink. Wet/ Dry bags are made with water-resistant material on the inside and fabric on the outside, has a zipper for easy open and close.
If you are a DIY-er you can make some of these. I have made some before but I have also bought them from a variety of places like Etsy, Amazon, Sometimes Target, and Pottery Barn will carry them too. Depending on the seller, they will offer a variety of sizes and patterns to choose from.
On Etsy, I found a 12X16 cost $21-$26 (depending on the seller too). These are great for older kids, with dirty P.E. clothes, cleats, sports gear, even parents after the gym throw your stinky clothes in the bag and your car or rest of your bag won’t’ smell.
These bags are machine washable too! To dry open the fabric and lay dry to flat, do not dry. It will melt the fabric.
Schools Supplies:
It is always a hassle to drag the kids to multiple stores to try and find the exact item on the list, but this year Target has made it SOO easy for everyone to get the right things and at a few clicks of the mouse!
Target Back to School!
-Click School List Assist
-Type in your zip code or school name
-Double-check school name (there could be another school with the same name somewhere else in the US)
-Select ONE grade at a time!
Target will collect all the items for you that quickly, and give you the option to add them straight to your cart. You can either have them delivered to your home or ready for pick up (at select stores).
The items I wasn’t able to find at Target, I was able to find on Amazon pretty easily. I miss our local teacher’s supply stores!
I hope these items help make your school year easier!!
Welcome back!
