What School Kids should have in their bags (school things and more)

When my daughter started preschool, I was both intimidated by my first school

shopping experience and very excited because I love office supplies the way
some people love shoes. I totally marked myself as a first-time parent when,
during the classroom orientation, I asked the teacher where I could find the
supply list so I knew what to buy. It turns out that we didn’t really need to buy
any supplies. It’s not like you send the kid to school empty-handed, though, so
here’s a list of things to consider purchasing/providing for your preschooler.
(Also, it goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: check with your individual
program. My experience is based on a half-day cooperative program with a
twice-weekly lunch option.)

Tote Bag

 Notice that I did not say “backpack.” Do not buy a backpack unless you
want to be the enemy of every volunteer or staff person in your school.
Kids are constantly bringing home art, Scholastic mailers, and flyers;
these things are incredibly difficult to stuff into tiny preschool
backpacks and sometimes they don’t fit at all. Buy an open-top tote
that is at least large enough to hold an 8 ½ x 11 sheet of paper. If you
insist on a zip-top (I do, because spill-proof!) make sure the bag is
unzipped when you leave it at school. My school sells an inexpensive
reusable tote with the school’s log on it, although I prefer my L.L. Bean
tote. Some parents simply use reusable grocery bags with the child’s
favorite character on them. Just remember: open top.

Waterproof Bag and Change of Clothes

 Your waterproof bag can be a simple Ziploc or something more

environmentally friendly like a small or medium Planet Wise wet bag.
 In your bag should be a complete change of seasonally appropriate
clothes: top, bottom, socks, shoes, and (if appropriate) underpants.
 Mine has the most recently outgrown pair of shoes—you know, the
ones that are small enough that you’ve gotten a new pair, but not so
small that they’re painful or totally unwearable—and a cheap pair of
leggings with a cheap t-shirt. Bonus tip: I keep a similar kit, minus the
shoes, in both my vehicles. The $30 spent on three Circo outfits that
almost never get worn has been worth it.

Diapers

 If your child is in diapers, you should have another waterproof bag with
some extra diapers in it. We used a hybrid cloth diaper system, but to
make things easier for the preschool we used disposable diapers for
the two mornings a week my daughter attended. (We didn’t want to
have to teach all the co-oping parents and the staff about how the
system worked; cloth diapers seem to intimidate people who aren’t
familiar with them.)
 If you’re using bags that aren’t see-through, use painters’ tape to label
which one has diapers and which one has clothes.

Clothes You Don’t Care About

 We heard this one from both experienced parents and our teacher at
orientation: DO NOT dress your child in twee, Instagram-worthy
ensembles for preschool. They don’t always use washable paint there,
just FYI. Really, though, your kids are going to be doing arts and
crafts, playing outside in all kinds of weather, crawling around on the
floor to practice gross motor skills, cooking, and eating without a bib.
Dress them for the occasion. On the days when I’ve wanted to dress
my little one in something special (think Halloween and school picture
day), my daughter’s teachers have planned neat activities and/or
offered to help with a change of clothes.

Water Bottle
  You’ll definitely want this if your child eats lunch at school, or if it’s
required as part of providing your child’s snack, but it’s something you
should think about even if that’s not the case. My daughter’s preschool
has water available all day, but the kids use open cups or the water
fountain. Even with all-day water access, she’s always thirsty when I
pick her up, so I keep a water bottle in her bag. I love
Thermos’s Foogo vacuum-sealed straw bottles, which I’ve found keep
water cool for 24 hours. If you prefer a larger bottle, Thermos also has
the FUNtainer line in 12-ounce and 16-ounce sizes; I don’t find that it
keeps things cold as long, but it’s still leak-proof like the Foogo.

Lunch Box/Bag

 If your child has to provide their own snack daily, or your program has
a lunch option, you’ll want a nice lunchbox or bag. We love Skip Hop’s
Zoo Lunchies. They’re not too pricey, so we’re a) not sad if the
lunchbox ends up lost or damaged and b) able to collect them all! They
are also just the right size to hold my daughter’s Foogo and her
Yumbox (more on that handy little box is next.)

Food Storage

 Look for something your child can open on their own. I’m a huge fan
of Yumbox because they’re leak-proof and all one piece—no lids or
pieces to lose! There’s a sandwich-style box, a more traditional bento
box, and a small snack box.

Labels

 Label your stuff: Tote bag, wet bag, child’s coat, lunch box, food
storage containers, water bottle, you name it. I love Mabel’s Labels,
which can be ordered as personalized items from their website and are
also available as write-on labels from Amazon.
Trash

 Stay in touch with your child’s teacher to see if things like shoe boxes,
toilet paper tubes, and empty paper towel rolls are useful to hang on
to. It seems weird, but that’s all stuff that can—and does—get
repurposed into craft projects. And I always feel like the request for
the item comes just after recycling pick-up, so I try to be proactive
now.

So there you go! All set for preschool. Go get ‘em, tiger!