Our Favorite Back-to-School Essentials for Preschoolers + a GIVEAWAY
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see disclosure for more information. All opinions are 100% my own.
Does anyone else feel like your little one(s) JUST got out of school for the summer?! I, for one, certainly do! But sadly, it’s already August, and the summer is unfortunately coming to an end soon. Oh, who am I kidding?! I’m not sad at all. Okay, maybe a little, because my baby girl is headed off to her 1st year of “toddler preschool” this year, and I will totally be a crying mess in the school parking lot. However, with that said, I’m actually super excited for the school year ahead (minus the icky germs that come along with preschool). While I don’t quite know how my daughter will like preschool yet, my son absolutely LOVES it! I always enjoy hearing about his days at school and I love seeing the fun little projects he brings home.
My littles will be heading off to preschool in just 3 weeks. And since we are currently in back-to-school shopping mode, I wanted to share my favorite back-to-school essentials for preschoolers! Both of my little preschoolers will be eating lunch at school, so this post includes some of our favorite lunchtime essentials, too!
- Bottle Bands | Bottle Bands by Pumpkin Doodle – if your preschooler is required to bring a sippy cup/water bottle to school with them, then you’re probably asked to label said cup with your child’s name. And let me guess…you likely use tape to do so, right?! Well, guess what?! You can now say goodbye to tape & re-labeling the same cup every.single.morning. These bottle bands are writable, erasable, and reusable. They are microwave and dishwasher safe, as well as BPA free. And my favorite thing about these bands? You can choose to permanently write on the bands by submerging in boiling water for 30 seconds, so there is no need to re-write names every day! When I came across these bottle bands on Instagram, I was SUPER excited that there was actually a product out there to make this step of our school mornings easier! The bands are also perfect to label baby bottles for daycare, and can even fit on adult-sized water bottles, too. Be sure to read this post until the end, because you will have the opportunity to win a set of these bottle bands for yourself! {Click here to order your set of bottle bands AND use code “sumersgift” to receive 20% off your order at checkout!}
- Lunch Box Containers | Easy Lunchboxes Bento Lunch Box Container – I am a huge fan of the Bento lunch box because it encourages your child to eat a variety of food. Not to mention, the Bento box makes packing a lunch incredibly easy. These lunch box containers are perfect for preschoolers – they are kid-friendly and easy to open. They come in a variety of fun colors and are also microwave & dishwasher safe. The one downside with these containers is that they are NOT leak-proof; however, I don’t really pack any liquids inside our containers, so this isn’t an issue for us. Overall, these have worked great for us!
- Silicone Baking Cups | Pantry Elements Silicone Baking Cups – While I absolutely love the adorable Bento lunches seen all over the internet, I don’t really have the time to devote to playing with all of the fun little accessories. So instead, I use these brightly colored silicone baking cups inside my son’s lunch box container as little dividers for his snacks. They are super simple and the perfect size for portioning out his food, too. I also love that they add a fun little pop of color to his lunch!
- Kids Water Bottle | Contigo Gizmo Flip Kids Water Bottle – I have always loved Contigo water bottles (for both my kids & myself), but their Gizmo Flip line is probably my most favorite water bottle they make. The biggest thing that makes these water bottles stand out to me is the tethered straw feature, which ensures that the straw stays attached when drinking. I also love the fun designs they offer in their Gizmo Flip line!
- Lunch Box | Olive Kids Lunch Box – This will be our 2nd year using an Olive Kids lunch box. They are the perfect size for preschoolers and they hold the Easy Lunch Box containers mentioned above – with room to spare. I am able to fit a lunch box container + a milk/juice box inside with no problem at all. After a full school year of our Olive Kids lunch box being thrown around by my 3 year old on the playground, it has held up extremely well. This year my daughter will have her 1st Olive Kids lunch box, too!
- Kids Multi-Vitamin | Smarty Pants Kids Complete Gummy Vitamins – These are the ONLY vitamins my picky 3 year old will eat. He LOVES them, and so do I. Since his diet isn’t the best, having him on a quality multi-vitamin is important to me. And with cold/flu season on the horizon, I want to do everything possible to boost his immune system. These vitamins offer pretty much everything I look for in a daily multi-vitamin supplement, including Vitamin D3, B12, & Omega 3s. There are no GMOs, artificial flavors or colors, or high fructose corn syrup. And the best part? They are made with only 1 gram of organic, fair trade cane sugar (per gummy). These are a part of our morning routine every day, and if I accidentally forget to give them to my son, he is always sure to remind me that he needs his “gummies”!
Now, for the GIVEAWAY I promised! Our friends over at Pumpkin Doodle have teamed up with us to offer one lucky reader of ours a chance to win a set of bottle bands! Head on over to our Instagram account to learn how to officially enter. Winner will be announced Saturday, August 6th!
Hope you are enjoying these final weeks of your summer vacation! Would love to hear YOUR favorite back-to-school essentials in the comment section below! And if you haven’t already, be sure to check out my post on our Favorite Back-to-School Books for Preschoolers!
xo,
Sumer
{Disclosure :: The bottle bands were gifted to us. However, all opinions are 100% my own. I am loving these bottle bands, and think you will, too}
37 Comments
Diana Elle Blog
A must for me is a good Tupperware that fits a variety of food options… I’ll check out the lunch box container you mentioned!
Sumer
Yes! Have to have good Tupperware! 🙂
susie liberatore
This is awesome thanks for sharing! My son doesnt start preschool for a few years but it has my mind thinking already, gosh time flies by!
Sumer
It goes FAST! 😉
Chanel
These are all so cute and colorful. I just added the baking cups to my Amazon cart. Thanks for the suggestion!
Sumer
Oh, yay! You’ll love them! Thanks for reading, Chanel!
Anita Mckaney
I am so glad you included the vitamins! I used to always forget those when my kids were in preschool.
Julie
I am way past these days, but so many of my old students and some family are just entering with their littles. Thanks for sharing.
Stephanie
With school starting up at the end of the month, I’ve been giving our son an extra dose of Vitamin C in a chewable along with his daily vitamin. Here’s to a new school year…. illness free!
Sumer
Smart! Any little extra bit helps! Thanks for reading, Stephanie! Best of luck with the upcoming school year 🙂
Jacki
I love all these items! Those bottle bands would’ve been a lifesaver when my oldest was in daycare!
Sumer
Oh yes!! They are fantastic for daycare!
Emily
I just ordered some Silicone Baking Cups. I am excited to use them both for muffins and my daughter’s lunch this year. So handy!
Sumer
Awesome! They are really handy! Thanks for reading, Emily!
Jeanette
Awesome stuff. Really like those smart lunch boxes 🙂
Sumer
We love them! Thanks for reading, Jeanette!
jill
Love the vitamin suggestion! Thanks for sharing, my daughter starts kindergarten this year and those are great tips for kinder too.
Sumer
Yes! Also perfect for kindergarten, too! Best of luck to her this year!!
Amanda
Great tips, Sumer!! I will be thinking of you as you are sending your littles off to school!! ?
Sumer
Thank you, Amanda! 🙂
Amber
Can’t believe its that time of year already! My son starts next week and I have to get supplies and clothes and all kinds of stuff. I was looking for some bento boxes for lunch to keep everything separated for him. Great list.
Sumer
The Bento boxes are so great. We love them! Best of luck to your son with the school year!
JeeYoung
Love this list, those bands are so cute and practical!
Sumer
They are! Love them! Thanks for reading!
val
Great list! Loe Contigo waterbottles for the whole fam. You should try the Olly brand gummy vitamins for kids from Target – they have a probiotic and my kids think they are candy 🙂 Happy back to school season!
Sumer
Thanks for the vitamin suggestion, I’ll check them out! Thanks so much for reading!
Amber
Love all these back to school essentials!! I LOVE those bands!!
Amber | http://www.everydaydame.com
Jessica
I love the bottle bands! What a great idea!
Sumer
They are SO practical!
Shahla Sandoval
Great list! Those vitamins are our favorite…the kids always ask for them. I need to get those silicone liners…they are so versatile!
Sumer
Yes! My son is obsessed with the vitamins, too! The silicone liners are awesome, definitely recommend getting a set.
Melissa
This post is so helpful. I will definitely keep it in mind when my little guy starts preschool!
Rachel
Great list! Thanks for sharing it. I’ll have to pin it for later.
The Home Loving Wife
I need to get some of those silicone baking cups!! They’re adorable, and I’m sure WAY better than the paper!
Sumer
They work fantastic! I love the dual purpose! 😉
Brittany Ashmore
I love all of this! Personalizing water bottles with those bands is so cute! I love using silicone baking cups!!!
Sumer
Thanks, Brittany! I’m obsessed with the bottle bands and the silicone baking cups. So simple, yet so practical!