Daycare & Pre-School Must Haves

Happy Wednesday, friends! Back to school is pretty much everywhere now and even though here in New England kids still get to enjoy the rest of the summer until at least end of August, I did want to share some daycare and pre-school must haves since I have now been through the process three times! You might be asking how have you done this 3 times with only 2 kids? Well funny you should ask! When Sophia was 15 months old she started daycare for a few days a week and only went for about 5 months before the pandemic started. Then we started her in July of 2021 thinking she’d go full time by the time Mason was born but again it was too deep into the pandemic, so we pulled her out and hired a nanny (that we absolutely adore) and now they both started daycare & pre-school in May! So, like I said – I have gone through this a few times and even though each center has their must haves, these are all pretty universal to have.

Feeding Time ||

The main part of sending kids to school seems to be food! It’s also the thing I stress out about the most, but this section isn’t about lunch ideas, it’s about the products needed for said food. I have two different lunch boxes for Sophia, depending on what I pack for her that day. A few different water bottles, some fun little utensils and also some ice packs. Mason is still pretty easy since he’s drinking pumped milk & a few teethers and some lunch. I’m not entirely comfortable sending him with finger foods yet even though he eats that at home, but he gets plenty of fruit for snack time. I’ll have to retire the mesh food feeders soon.

Bentgo Box || Bento Box || Ice Packs || Frozen water bottle set || Toddler Tumbler || Food Picks || Leakproof Storage Containers || Mesh Food Feeder || Silicone Spoon Set || Spill Proof Sippy Cup || Mini Lunchbox

I forgot to add the bib to the feeding section since it’s always at school, but a must for an infant / baby!

Packing Up & Other Things ||

Sophia has a smaller backpack for school that she keeps a change of clothes just in case and also a little stuffed animal if she needs some extra snuggles. Even though she doesn’t nap at school anymore, she still has quiet time, so we drop off a sheet and blanket at the start of every week. I have a dedicated backpack for Mason that has the usual diaper must haves including a change of clothes, but we take diapers, wipes and some diaper rash cream whenever they’re running low to keep at school. I also give them a crib sheet and sleep sack and take it back every Friday to wash. The must have for any kid in school in my opinion are label tags. I love the daycare set from Mabel’s Labels and they stay on through many many washes – regardless of if it’s on clothes or on lunch items. It’s a must! During the warmer months I do add a hat for Sophia and Mason and just leave it in their cubbies and take it home at the end of the week.

While a “first & last day of school” sign isn’t a necessity for attending, but I do have a couple in my cart right now. Ideally, I’d get something that can be reused by both of the kids.

What are some of your back to school essentials for infants and kids not quite in grade school?