Can you believe it? Jadyn is heading off to preschool on Wednesday! My little baby isn’t much of a baby anymore. She’s a full-blown toddler with her own amazing personality. She absolutely loves being around other kids her age, so I’d be doing her a huge disservice by not enrolling her in preschool until next year.
As you all know I work for Red Tricycle full-time, which means I’m “in-the-know” for a lot back to school tips, tricks, ideas, traditions and more. That means I’ve taken all those great resources for back to school and modified them for a preschooler. While Jadyn will be going three days a week for half days, there are still things she needs. Here’s my list of back-to-school essentials.
Personalized Cup
This is a must. If you read my blog, I’m sure you also follow Tara Henderson on YouTube or Instagram, so when she posted these glitterific tumblers for her girls, I had to dig deeper and see who made them. Barbwire & Lace by B&C Creations on Etsy did! I placed an order for Jadyn’s tumbler (and let’s face it, my own, too) and the result is perfect. I mean, how can you not love this mommy & me combo! You can also check out my latest “Reviews” highlights on Instagram to see the unboxing. The lighting doesn’t do it justice!
Barbwire & Lace was kind enough to give my Made To Mommy readers a discount code! Use code LEIGH10 at checkout to save 10% on your order!
Bento Lunchbox
photo courtesy of Amazon.com
This is an absolute essential, especially if your toddler hates having food touch. Jadyn isn’t that picky, but still. The compartments of a bento lunchbox makes things easy. We opted for the Yumbox Original Leakproof Bento Lunchbox for Kids in Hollywood Pink. I love how each section is labeled with a food group to help moms and dads pack the right stuff for lunch.
New Backpack
Let’s be real here; Jadyn won’t be bringing any homework home these first few years of preschool, but she does need something to carry her lunchbox in! Pottery Barn Kids was my go-to site for this. Their backpack selection is on point and so are the colors they have available. We opted for the Mackenzie Aqua Lavender Pretty Butterflies backpack in the size mini. Jadyn is absolutely obsessed with butterflies and it’s clear that her favorite color is purple since everything is “puh-ple.” Pottery Barn Kids has the option of customizing the backpack, but since she’s little and is growing so fast I opted not to customize this one. Maybe I will when she’s in kindergarten and I get one that’ll last her through first or second grade. We’ve got some time.
New Outfit
photo courtesy of Carters.com
This is a given for any age: a back-to-school outfit! Jadyn has tons of clothes, but I’ll likely be sending her off in this outfit from Carter’s. Who doesn’t love a “caticorn” and comfy leggings for playtime?
Felt Letter Board
While I love these for quotes, I’ve been seeing a lot of moms and dads documenting first days of school on a felt letter board. I found this one on Amazon for fairly cheap as you have black and white letters with some script and emojis, too. While Jadyn doesn’t start till Wednesday, I still prepped the board for pictures. One less thing I have to do, right?
Do you have a toddler in preschool? I’d love to know how you prepped for back to school! Let me know in the comments below.