The Back to School Essentials List

It’s that time of year. Don’t panic, I’m not talking about Christmas (although you really should be making a list so that you allow yourself enough time to check it twice *ahem*). I refer to the day that most parents come to really value as a yearly high: Back to School. I know it’s awful to say but I am exhausted by the antics of my children and am metaphorically counting the hours.

What I am actually doing is ticking things off a list (told you you would need to make a list), and let me tell you that the uniform list for The Girls’ school is quite long. Which has a direct effect on the amount of time I will be spending labelling their precious uniform: it’s not cheap and I don’t want to have to replace it for anything other than a sizing issue.

Thus I give you my ultimate Back to School Essentials recommendations

1. You will not beat Stamptastic for labelling clothes. It’s quick and easy and no self-inflicted needle/iron wounds necessary. Everybody wins. I bought two stamps after seeing @mediocre_mum review it last year, and they have already paid for themselves. In the last academic year, LBG’s feet grew two sizes, which meant naming six new shoes, not to mention three new dresses and all the other bits. So I can tell you with confidence that the stamp wears well, whether in the sole of the shoe or the back of the neck. And when it fades, you can top it up. Did I mention no needle-related injuries?

 

 

2. I adore the backpacks from Lands End. They are hardwearing, have plenty of pockets and reinforced handles that make it just as easy for parents to carry them as children (let’s face it: you will be doing most of the carrying.) They are seriously cute too, which is important when you have two girls. You can also get your child’s name monogrammed so there’s not even a need to label them. Thoughtful design: that’s why I love Land’s End.

3. Lunchboxes. Or bags, as they seem to be now. My Girls really really like their selection of Bento boxes that I have been buying slowly via eBay. But they need something reasonably solid to fit into, and the insulated lunchboxes at Pink Lining are perfect. They make my heart sing, they are so cute. Insulated, easy to open, cute: they tick all the boxes.

4. Even if your children have school dinners, they will need a water bottle. Step forward this fabulous Elephant Water Bottle from #SBS winning Lunchbox World. It’s so very sweet, even with just water in it!

5. Stabilo has an amazing EASYoriginal pen which is ergonomically designed to help new writers. Ideal for LBG, who is in the process of learning to write, we were really impressed with the one we were sent to test: there are even indents on the pen to train your child how to hold a pen correctly. It has made LBG’s summer homework a breeze.

*disclosure: we were sent backpacks by the lovely people at Lands End to test for the purposes of this review. We were also  very kindly sent pens, including the EASYoriginal, by Stabilo to review. Our opinions of the products we were sent are our own. We just happen to love them.