My daughter is starting her Pre-K year soon, and my son is starting nursery school this year, too! (Cue my tears) We have one school year done already, so this list includes both what I’m buying for preschool, but also my preschool must-haves that are tried and true. Hopefully, if you’re also shopping back to school for a preschooler you’ll find this list to be helpful.
Back to School Preschool Must Haves
Snack and Lunch Time
The Bentgo box is a must-have if you pack a lunch box. It has a bunch of little compartments for different items, and even if you flip it upside down and drop it, it shouldn’t leak or mix anything together. I use these little plastic cups with covers for solo snacks (like grapes or strawberries) when I don’t need to pack a full lunch. For warmer or colder foods, this little hot/cold food container was the best. I used it often for sending greek yogurt mixed with fruit. And I also love the stasher bags for snacks like pretzels.
I got some of these flat ice packs for days when I send yogurt or other cold items. And this utensil set (and its container) came in so handy last year that I bought another.
Of the many, many water bottles we have bought and tried, my favorites are this BPA-free plastic one and this stainless steel one. Both are leak-proof and durable.
Backpack
My biggest piece of advice for the backpack: Choose something that they can carry alone. A preschooler does not need a full-size Jansport! In our experience the backpack is only needed to bring home artwork, extra snack items, etc. Pottery Barn Kids has a great visual on their site of what size backpack works for what age. (So for nursery school the mini and for preschool the small.)
Labels
I learned quickly last year that everything needs to be labeled. Last year we had these labels and they proved to be dishwasher safe and laundry safe too. I’m trying a new brand of labels this year to see how they do. They’re slightly more affordable and have rave reviews.
Shoes and Boots
Our school doesn’t love boots for the classroom, so even in the colder months we send sneakers. (Sometimes they go in the backpack and other times I’ll help the kids change as soon as we get to school.) But for rainy days or cold days I love these boots. They’re cozy and waterproof. For inside of the classroom or on non-rainy/cold days, my go-to sneaker is this Nike sneaker. And for the warmer days these are my favorite shoes!
Fall Coats
My favorite light fleece is made by Columbia. We’ve had this now since my daughter was in size 18 months! If you need just a rain coat, this hooded Columbia rain coat is a good choice for little ones.
Did I miss anything? What are your must haves for the preschool year?
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