Back to School Shopping: Three Things You May Not Have Thought Of, But Should

But as a mom, back to school time means a lot more. First of all, there’s the shopping. We all have pretty similar lists, right? Backpacks, lunch kits, indoor shoes and for many, all the incidental school supplies like binders, paper, pens and pencils, calculators (must have sin, cos, tan buttons, don’t you know!) and endless other nick-nacks that weren’t even invented when we went to school: post-it notes and memory sticks are just a few. Heck, my daughter even needs a mesh bag (yes, a mesh bag) for school. Plus: you’ll likely have to get your child a whole new wardrobe, because the chances of them fitting into last year’s school clothes (or school uniform) are, of course, nonexistent. Most moms will also kit out the pantry with school snacks and lunch items the kids will enjoy. Granola bars, juice boxes and applesauce cups all make a return to my shelves after a summer hiatus. 

Whether your kids are just starting out in Kindergarten, or if you’re an old pro sending the little ones off to be educated, you’re likely to be walking around in a haze during the last two weeks of summer wondering just what typhoon it was that hit you. What things do your kids actually need (is an iPad really on the list of required school supplies)? What things do they just want (again with the iPad) and what things are reflective of their peer-group trends (AE hoodies, puma bags, converse runners)? It can be a complicated maze to navigate, no matter how young or old your child.

Of course many schools are very good at helping you prepare. My younger daughter’s school, for instance, purchases all the supplies for each child (parents pay school fees to cover them) which means that everyone has the same kind of pencil box, pencils, erasers, rulers, crayons, notebooks, agenda, etc. All we have to supply is the backpack, lunch kit and indoor shoes. It’s great! My older daughter is in middle school, so getting a sweet little pencil box with crayons in it isn’t exactly going to happen, but the school does still provide an agenda and a lock for her locker. Also, each year they publish a list of recommended school supplies on their website. Just click, print and shop. Easy.

But over the years I’ve compiled a list of other items that make the transition from summer to school much easier for everyone. Here are my top three things you may not have thought of but should:

2. First Aid Kit

Okay, not every kid is going to take a fully-stocked first aid kit to school with them, although there are some important exceptions, like epipens, insulin, etc. But whether your kid takes it to school with them or not, it’s important for you to be prepared with a few key essential items. Make sure you have bandages (and plenty of them) for all the little scrapes and boo-boos that kids get at school. Playgrounds are the perfect opportunity for kids to get scrapes, bumps, and blisters/calluses. Even a good papercut can be painful enough to merit at least a sympathy bandage. A little antibiotic ointment or spray wouldn’t hurt, either. Your kit should also include a pain reliever/fever reducing medication. Again with the germs, but this is a big one: especially if your child hasn’t been at daycare and the Kindergarten classroom is their first foray into the world of school, they are going to be bombarded with new bugs. I stayed home with my kids after my second daughter was born, and I swear she spent the first two years of school with a constant runny nose and/or fever. We would not have made it through those “feverish” first few years without it. And if your child has non-life-threatening allergies, you’ll want to consider keeping antihistamines on hand. My older daughter has pretty persistent seasonal and environmental allergies, and keeping a chewable antihistamine in her lunch kit helped her make it through the school day without all the bothersome allergy symptoms that would have definitely distracted her from her learning.

1. Mobile Phone