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Back-to-school is NEXT WEEK for us! I’m *ready* for the kids to be in a routine and on a schedule. I’m prepping by gathering all my favorite back-to-school must-haves!
**Updated for 2020**
Since Quinn is heading into 1st grade and Cooper is starting his final year at preschool, this year isn’t nearly as stressful as last year’s transition to kindergarten and I feel totally prepped!
So today I’m sharing a few of my favorite back-to-school must-haves!
Behind-the-Scenes Stuff
Back-to-School Sign
I LOVE seeing everyone’s back-to-school first day pics on social media but, honestly, I wasn’t seeing any that I loved last year… so I made my own! You can download your own here + see the entire post here.
Air Scrubber
This is probably something you’ve never heard of… but it’s amazing. Hoffmann Brothers installed an Air Scrubber in our home back in February and it’s a great addition to any home with school-aged kids, newborns, or families with allergies and asthma.
The Air Scrubber can actually remove up to 99% of the harmful contaminants on surfaces such as tables, doorknobs, counters, sinks, and bathrooms… which is pretty amazing.
Feel-good story: Hoffmann Brothers is a longtime partner of Stray Rescue St. Louis and after they had a bad Distemper (a highly contagious viral disease spread by inhalation) outbreak in 2016, Stray Rescue had to close its doors for a month and lost many dogs to the outbreak. Hoffmann donated and installed Air Scrubbers throughout the facility to help reduce airborne bacteria in the shelter.
If you are trying to keep your family healthier and improve your indoor air quality, give Hoffmann a call to discuss an Air Scrubber!
Hoffmann Brothers // 1025 Hanley Industrial St Louis, MO 63144 // call or text 314-664-3011
Lunch Essentials
For school days, we’re lunch packers! I have two favorite lunch boxes that are great for elementary lunches.
Snack/Lunch Box 4 Pack
These are the best bang for your buck! I LOVE these – they come in a pack of four and I make all Quinn’s lunches for the week on one day so all we have to do is grab them from the fridge each morning. They fit inside the standard Pottery Barn lunch boxes, too! // shop them here
Bentgo Lunch Box
I like these plain and simple Bentgo boxes for lunches, too, I just don’t own one for every day of the week to make lunches in bulk. My favorite thing about this box is the little circle container in the middle for ranch or another dipping sauce or treat. Overall a good lunchbox and we still use them a bunch! These also fit in the inside the standard Pottery Barn lunch boxes, too! // shop it here
Puzzle Piece Ice Packs
Love that you can combine these to make a bigger ice pack, throw them in a cooler, or just use a single for lunch boxes. // shop them here
Thermos Stainless Steel Water Bottles
These are really great, keep water cold, and have a covering for the straw so it’s not exposed when your child isn’t drinking from it. Also leak-proof! // shop them here
GulpBliss Stainless Steel Water Bottles
I got these for the kids for Christmas and we love them but it looks like most are sold out :/ // shop them here
Contigo Stainless Steel Water Bottles
These don’t have great reviews but we’ve had them for 3 years and LOVE them! No mold issues, will not leak or spill, and they’re stainless steel & insulated so beverages stay cold and if you’re trying to eliminate plastic, they’re great // shop them here
Contigo Plastic Water Bottles
These are a great 2-pack of leak-proof water bottles for school-age kids. The price and reviews are awesome and they come in other color combos if pink & purple isn’t your jam ;). We’re going on year 2 with them and no complaints! // shop them here
Snack Tower
This thing is genius for dips, snacks, candy, nuts, anything! I just ordered 2 more. Add more to make it taller or just use one or two. // shop it here
Reusable Snack Bags
If you make one small change this school year, let it be ditching plastic snack baggies to switch to reusable snack bags. They’re washable and you can use them over and over and it’s an easy way to be a little more environmentally friendly. This brand comes in 26 different prints and is also available in sandwich size // shop them here
Bags & Apparel
Lunch Box
We’ve only ever owned the PBK original sized lunch boxes but they’ve held up nicely and are washable in the dishwasher or the washing machine.
Backpack
This goes without saying but a new backpack is a MUST for every school year. Here’s my 2020 roundup of backpacks!
Friendship Bracelets
This one is a little unconventional but helped immensely last year for kindergarten – at the recommendation of my gal Kristin, I bought a set of friendship bracelets for Quinn and I to wear the first couple weeks of school as a reminder that we were both thinking about each other.
Madewell Friendship Bracelets // Etsy Friendship Bracelets
It helped ease any BTS anxiety for her and they are really freaking cute!
Face Masks
Like it or not, some schools are requiring face masks. We like this brand!
jessica says
Hi there – I’m curious about the lunches you pack at the beginning of the week… what do you put in them? Do they stay fresh? I love the idea of doing it once for the week and would love to hear what works for you
Val says
We pack her lunches in these containers https://rstyle.me/+Amio0w-usN3VZaKr3uhf3A and just store them sealed in the fridge for the week! She just takes one out every day and pops it into her lunchbox. I don’t do sandwiches but the meat/cheese/veggies/fruit I pack stays fresh just fine 🙂
Joslyn says
I’d love to see each bag! My daughter starts pre school this month and I just want to give her the cutest and we’ll needed stuff for school that’s unique so she don’t have the same stuff kids will have here.
Chrissy says
As a teacher and mom I am trying to limit the contact my kids will need from other adults. I took out their shoe laces and bought the plastic ones that convert their shoes to slip ons. (You would only need to touch wet shoe laces once to understand.) I think we will start with fully disposable lunches for awhile too. We will also have extra masks labeled in disposable or bags that can be easily wiped (and waterproof) in their backpacks. We had a big talk about mask rules and they can put them in and take them off alone. I got water bottles with covered straws. I have been doing lots of prep work that is different than in years past. We are being very strategic.