School Shopping | Backpacks and Lunchboxes

Thankfully, I know I have at least a few more weeks before I wander in to Target only to be overtaken by back to school shopping—notebook paper, pencils, crayons, and markers.  Still, I won’t spare you the images of back to school shopping.  Sorry.

These are my favorite backpacks.  They come in some great color/ribbon combinations and are great for monogramming.  The bags are lightweight but so sturdy—my daughter’s lasted her through three years of preschool and lots of trips to visit grandparents, loaded down with books, toys, and more recently, her Leapster.  And it’s still going strong.

This is the bigger sized backpack, great for an older preschooler and an elementary aged kid.  This snack square is a great size for a preschooler, but we’ve ordered a bigger kid sized lunchbox to take to kindergarten (the pink pony design pictured below is the bigger lunchbox).This backpack is smaller and works great for preschool.  They look perfect on a little one—now so big wearing their own backpack!Of course, as so often happens, there aren’t as many options for boys.  But I love the blue/green color combo on this one… And what bigger boy doesn’t love pirates?This is a selection of the patterns that are available.  If you see something you like, I’ll have to double check that they still have it in the bag that you choose.  If you want to see and feel these, I have one of each size available to look at.  As my kiddos have grown, we’ve now moved thorough this entire line!   (They also have duffel bags, nap mats, and lots of other products if you’re interested.)

I will plan to place an order on July 10.  This supplier has really increased their shipping charges lately, so I’d like to just make a single order.  If you’re interested in something let me know, and I’ll be sure to contact you before I place an order.  (Pricing is available on the backpacks page of my website.)

One other word on backpacks.  These backpacks (which I love, have I mentioned that?) don’t have all the pockets, clips, and padding that so many do now.  While a recent high school grad heading off to college might need all those bells and whistles, most younger kids don’t, and they just make the bag heavier and harder to carry.  And harder to monogram.  I can usually still monogram them, but it’s tougher, and there is usually an extra fee.  If you have your heart set on a backpack from Pottery Barn Kids or LL Bean, it’s probably best just to have them monogram it-- my feelings won’t be hurt!  And if you find a great JanSport backpack at Target that really meets your needs, bring it by and we’ll see what we can do.