It’s hard to believe that we even need to be thinking about going back to school, but as they say the early bird gets the worm! So let’s get things moving, be prepared, and avoid the last-minute rush.
The three things that we strongly recommend you order NOW are backpacks, lunch boxes, and pencil cases. These items are the ones that you want time for personalization and (the best ones) tend to sell out.
So, without further ado, we had so much fun researching and putting together our favorites. I hope you enjoy it!
Xx Meg
Our Favorite Backpacks For Kids
State Backpacks
These backpacks are just so fun and designed in a way that they are kid and mom-approved! We think they would be great for Pre-K through middle schoolers. With so many options to choose from, it might be fun to browse with your kid(s) to find one together, but here are a few of our favorites!
They also have the coolest personalization options, so you can monogram, add patches, and cool stickers too!
L.L. Bean
This book pack is about as classic as it gets and has the best value, with prices starting at $34. They are durable, and the zippers will last forever. Pro tip: If you want to personalize, we recommend only initials (versus their name) until your kids are old enough / fully absorb how to interact with strangers.
Target
How cute is this backpack from my favorite Target line — Cat & Jack? So precious and only $15! This pattern is also very sweet!
Hershel
We love Hershel Heritage backpacks for their affordable prices (only $39!) and great style/designs!!
Jansport
Would it even be a backpack round-up without Jansport? About as timeless as you can get and at a great price — $34 — these come in lots of great solid colors and patterns for your kid(s) to choose from!
Stoney Clover Lane
Stoney Clover has the most dreamy backpacks and really brings to life all little kids’ and tweens’ backpacks DREAMS! With their extensive personalization options with the most FUN varsity letters, patches, and MORE, your kids (especially girls) will die over these backpack options. They are on the splurgy side, but so so cute!
The North Face
Great for the high schooler or college kid in your life, this incredibly well-made backpack is great for those that will be carrying a laptop. It’s sleek, minimalistic design that provides a great function (and is great for travel tool!) It’s all just sooo good.
The Lifetime Student
For your High Schooler or College Kid — or those of us that still love that Fall reset as adults, here are our top picks:
- For Her — I ♥️ this recycled canvas LONGCHAMP TOTE (comes in more colors too!)
- For Him — I 💙 this Black North Face Backpack or this Lululemon Pack
OTHER THINGS WE PICKED UP
- Name labels from Minted — Things notoriously get left at school, so make sure you put your kid’s name on everything. Minted has tons of design options that make the whole process a little more fun and special. We also own this label maker, and it’s fantastic!
- Water Bottles — Make sure your kids stay hydrated and that you can keep track of their water bottles as they travel from school to sports and all their other activities.
- The Yeti Tumbler is the only water bottle we’ve found that doesn’t leak — even after you inevitably drop it — and is truly the perfect water bottle for children. For $25 it’s worth every penny in my book! Right now, you can even get yours personalized for free!!
- Lunch Box / Bento Boxes —
- We love this Original Bentogo Box and have been beyond happy with its performance! It’s great for giving the kids variety and has never leaked. We tried this Bentgo Chill Lunch Box last year and hated it, but I am excited to try this one that keeps only one section hot/cold, which I think will be perfect for our kids!
- Zippered Pencil bag / Pencil Box – How fun are these state pencil cases, this yellow one, this varsity letter pencil case, these sweet-as-can-be more unique ones or this perfectly classic one you could personalize for only $9 total? Finally, if you want to splurge on these cute personalized pencil cases.
While this isn’t our full back to school shopping, we are focusing on these items first. That way, we can prioritize what needs to be ordered now, and the rest can be parsed out as we get closer to back to school! You can trust we’ll share the rest of our back to school shopping journey!
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