We’ve been busy getting ready for back to school! Between us, we’re sending three young kids to school this year, and there’s tons to prepare for. But it’s certainly made easier by all of the necessities and great products that Well.ca is carrying for back to school.

Here are some of our back to school picks for this school year:

Backpacks

We each have a daughter going into junior kindergarten, and so we’re both on the lookout for a perfect kindergarten sized backpack. Parkland is a Canadian brand that has a kid-sized pack with Bayside. And this Grapezoid one has such pretty, eye-popping colours! Parkland also has great backpacks for older grade school kids, teens and adults with their Meadow, Vintage, Academy and Rushmore bags.

Skip Hop also has tons of cute packs that Rebecca’s daughter loves, like this Forget Me Not Heart Backpack that comes with a matching lunch bag. It’s awesome that the two nest together so that kids don’t forget their lunch bag! SoYoung backpacks are also a great option for active kids. Their backpacks, like this Aqua Bunny printed one, are fully machine washable and have a laminated linen exterior and nylon lined interior for easy clean-up. For Erin’s son, who’s going into grade 1 this year, we think that Lassig’s Mini Quilted Backpack in Camo is the perfect find! It can fit everything he’ll need, and it’s extremely lightweight.

Lunch Bags

We’ll need lots of lunch storage for the school year ahead. And since we’re both interested in going green in all aspects of our lives, we’ll definitely be looking to stock up on litterless lunch essentials. Parkland’s Rodeo Lunch Kits match perfectly with Parkland Bayside backpacks. And we love that the outside zip pockets add extra room for snacks.

Another great option to match with the SoYoung backpack is the Aqua Bunny print lunch box. It’s fully insulated for keeping cold lunches fresh and hot lunches warm and yummy. Sugarbooger’s Ocean Lunch Tote is also a great option, as it’s fully waterproof so any spills won’t leak into their backpack. Erin bought this one two years ago and has used it over 700 times! It’s easy to open and has different sections for snacks and sandwiches.

Lunch Gear

For packing a litterless lunch, we’re looking to stock up on containers. Sugarbooger Good Lunch Snack Containers come in two different sizes and are key for different sized snacks. Sugarbooger also has meal boxes that fit inside their lunch bags, with room leftover for extra snacks or a drink. Erin’s daughter loves soup, and so the Crocodile Creek Butterfly Insulated Food Jar will be getting some heavy use come fall!
Kids Konserve has some nesting food containers that won’t take up too much space in our cupboards, and Lunchbots Trio Bento in Green Dots portions food perfectly for our kids. And Rebecca’s daughter loves the Monbento MB Tresor in Kiwi. It comes with interchangeable top token for personalization and it’s so cute — it’s no wonder she can’t wait to take it to school!

Snack Bags

Reusable snack bags are a perennial favourite, and between us we have so many that we use for baked goods, crackers, and other snacks for our kids. Some of the ones we love are the Colibri bags. For small snacks, we like their owl printed one, and the adorable fox printed one is great for larger snacks or sandwiches. And for messy snacks, Fluf Snack Packs are perfect. They’re machine washable and have a fully wipeable interior lining. So genius for sending to school with our little kids!

Water Bottles

Water bottles that are spill-proof and easy to use are so important to us. When we send our kids off to school, we want to know that they won’t have any troubles with their drinks. That’s why the Eco Vessel Frost Triple Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle is such an amazing product. It’s spill-proof and has a flip-up straw. Klean Kanteen also has a great sport cap water bottle that’s easy to drink from.

Another spill-proof bottle that’s also odor-proof and virtually indestructible is the Nalgene Grip-n-Gulp. So practical! But we both agree that the S’well Stainless Steel water bottle in Bikini Pink is too pretty a colour and design to ignore.

Snacks

With nut-free school environments, we’re always on the lookout for healthy nut-free snacks that we can send to school with our kids. Three Farmers Crunchy Roaster Chick Peas are a crunchy, nut-free treat. And for an amazing alternative to peanut butter, our go-to is Wild Friends Organic Honey Sunflower Butter.

Of course, our kids definitely have their favourites. They think that the MadeGood Strawberry Organic Granola Minis are a tasty treat, and we’re embarrassed to say just how many of Annie’s Homegrown Organic Cheddar Bunnies we go through!

Educational Toys

Getting our kids ready for school has been so much easier with Learning Resources’ All Ready for Kindergarten Readiness Kit. The activities are great for kids ages 4 to 6, so it’s a help even with Erin’s son. And Melissa and Doug’s Magnetic Responsibility Chore Chart has helped get our kids used to the structures that they’ll soon be taught in school.

Vitamins and Personal Care

It can be hard to make sure that kids get proper nutrition, so we give our kids a daily multivitamin to make sure all their bases are covered. And we love the gummy version from Adrien Gagnon for our kids. We also want to make sure that our kids’ have healthy digestion, so we’ll be stocking up on Renew Life’s FloraBear chewable probiotic tablets. And for Rebecca’s daughter, the Tangle Teezer is a miracle brush. It helps avoid tears and makes hair brushing a lot less painful for everyone involved.

Extras

Grade 1 means a pencil case is a must, so Erin’s got her eye on the Parkland High Point pencil case in Blue Tangent for her son. And once we’ve check off all the items on our back to school checklists, we’re both going to pick up some Emily Press Labels for our kids’ lunch gear, backpacks, and school supplies. We want to avoid losing any of their new school gear!

What’s on your back to school checklist? We’d love to read about it in the comments!