Back to School Essentials for 2021

by | Sep 1, 2021 | Lifestyle, Product Reviews

classroom with green chalkboard

This post includes affiliate links for Etsy and Amazon.

What kind of mommy blog would this be if we didn’t include a Back to School Essentials list?

Aside from the general back to school supplies list that school gives us, here is a list of back to school essentials we personally use in our house. This blog does not take sponsored posts or free stuff in exchange for a review, so you can rest assured everything listed I personally purchased (except for the backpack which was a gift from my mom and the lunchboxes which were from my MIL).

THERMOS FUNTAINER 12 Ounce Stainless Steel Vacuum Insulated Kids Straw Bottle

I got one in TEAL (my youngest LOVES the color blue but when I bought this earlier this month blue wasn’t in stock) and PINK (for my eldest whose favorite colors go from yellow to purple to pink to black depending on what time of day it is). The pros? Affordable and not too many pieces to wash, just the top, base, straw and rubber sippy thingy.  

Name Sticker for Hydro Flask by KarisCustomizables on Etsy

Out of caution, I didn’t get these made with my kids’ first names. Our last name isn’t common anyway.. These are waterproof and made of outdoor waterproof vinyl but they are not microwave or dishwasher safe. No problem, sturdy enough for me. I prefer to handwash my kids’ water bottles anyway (ask me how I’m doing a few months from now haha!). The labels I used before washed off our other water bottle so this is still an upgrade. If you truly require a dishwasher safe option, these daycare labels by PartyOnStickers look promising but the ones I ended up getting looked cuter, IMO lol. And I also didn’t need 95 labels.

Face Masks Seeing as this is the pandemic that will never end (grrr) and winter is coming and vaccines for the littles is STILL NOT HERE, I invested in silk masks for my family. Studies show that “silk is a hydrophobic barrier to droplets, can be more breathable than other fabrics that trap humidity, and are re-useable via cleaning.” Silk is also great for sensitive skin! The only con I can think of is the cleaning part. Silk has to be handwashed and hung to dry. Best news, you don’t need expensive silk soap, you can just use gentle baby shampoo (silk is a protein like hair so don’t wash with anything that would damage your own hair). Here are some other ways to wash silk. Here are the masks I bought:
4 Layer Mulberry Silk Mask with Nose Wire by HigginsCreek – I bought these fitted masks with chin guard because they are made with 2 layers of interfacing (no filter needed!). They fit like a dream, especially on my oldest daughter because masks always fall off her little Filipino nose which she inherited from me, awwww so cute.  

100% Mulberry Silk Face Masks (pleated) – I bought these to double mask over cloth or disposable masks, especially when the weather starts cooling down.

Skip Hop Toddler Backpack

My youngest is starting pre-school this year (where did the time go???) and she needs a bag to put her snacks in. This little backpack is small enough to not overtake her (I just imagine her falling backwards from the weight of a regular backpack hahaha) and big enough to hold her water bottle, snacks and extra clothes just in case. My mom bought this for her when she was born and now she finally gets to use it!

Bentgo Fresh Lunch Box

My MIL got these for my kids and they are GREAT! The compartment tray is leak-proof (good news for cut fruit that ends up sweating). It’s also dishwasher safe! My eldest will use hers for lunch while the youngest for snacks. I’ll probably end up putting a small ice pack in the biggest compartment for her if her snack ends up being something perishable like cheese slices and fruit.

SONO Healthcare – Travel Hand Sanitizing Wipes

I love these. They don’t dry out your hands and they smell good! And these travel packages are the perfect size to stash in a backpack without adding too much weight. The best part? They also remove dirt in addition to sanitizing so it’s almost **ALMOST** as good as handwashing.

Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion 2.5 oz.

My daughter has very sensitive skin, and last year her hands got so dry from all the washing and sanitizing so I sent her to school with a small bottle of Aveeno to keep on her desk and it helped a lot. You don’t even have to use Aveeno (this is just what we used) but you or your kids’ favorite travel sized lotion will work.

Art Bin Last year was a SUPER FUN school year (no, no it wasn’t) distance learning. We spent half the year storing my daughter’s school supplies in a gigantic Tupperware with no lid and that was a disaster. Everything was piled in and not organized which made it really annoying and stressful to deal with every morning. Since I’m an art school drop out, I already knew the wonders of the Art Bin, so I got my daughter this one. A bit bulky, but it keeps everything where it needs to be, plus it has storage space in the lid so she has access to stuff she uses frequently.

I hope my recommendations for back to school essentials are helpful to you! I’m on a minimalism kick so everything I bring into my home has a purpose and place.

Have a wonderful, safe and healthy school year!

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classroom back to school essentials list

 

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