This post is sponsored by Mabel’s Labels but all of the opinions within are those of The The Everymom editorial board.
"Whether you plan months in advance for back-to-school season or prefer to do things last minute, moms somehow get it all done before their growing child starts their first day of school. Let’s just take a moment to acknowledge all the mamas for all they do to start the academic year. Truly, you are all remarkable and deserve all the gratitude and praise. Nonetheless, there is always a lot going on in a mom’s brain, and there may be some things that you either forgot to prep for or didn’t know you needed before the school year began. This is especially true if your little one is attending school for the very first time. Rookie mistakes are common!
Even though my children have been in school for years now, last year it completely slipped my mind to gather materials for the school emergency kit. That year, I was the mom doing a late-night Target run to get the non-perishable food items and the emergency blanket before the store closed. In anticipation of what you may not have already prepared for back-to-school season, we’re sharing five things you didn’t know you needed so you and your child can have the best school year.
1. Avoid the Lost and Found with Name Labels
You spend so much time and money getting your kids all their school supplies and clothing, so the last thing you want is to have half of those items end up in the abyss of the germy lost and found. It doesn’t matter how much you teach your child to be responsible for their belongings, their personal items somehow inevitably make it to the lost and found. Plan for the unexpected by using name labels on all your kid’s personal items to increase the likelihood of retrieving that cute missing sweater. The editors at The Everymom—and teachers and child care providers—all swear by Mabel’s Labels to properly label all their children’s school supplies and clothing. They are the only name labels we unanimously agree actually work all year long.
Mabel’s Labels are great for children of any age because you can personalize everything from the font, color, and design of each name label. Just this summer, my son came home wearing one sock from swim camp. Sadly, we never were able to locate the missing sock. Had we used Mabel’s Labels clothing stamp, I bet we would have found it. Learn from my mistake and get your own name labels from Mabel’s Labels because they are dishwasher, microwave, and laundry safe. An added bonus is that they are so easy to apply to a variety of items, and they are durable so you won’t have to deal with them ripping, fading, or peeling all school year.
Designed for little ones going to school for the first time, these name labels can be applied to backpacks, school lunch containers, toys, school supplies, and clothing. The shoe labels even help teach little ones how to properly put on their shoes. Includes 40 rectangular labels, 70 Tag Mates stick on clothing labels, and 12 preschool shoe labels. Click here to get free shipping on your Mabel's Labels order! Try this hack by The Everymom editors: Place this mini clothing stamp in the laundry room. Every time you finish washing clothes, you can stamp any clothing items so socks—or any clothes— don’t get lost in the laundry or at school. This black ink name stamp can be used up to 500 times! Click here to get free shipping on your Mabel's Labels order!
Mabel’s Labels
Mabel’s Labels
2. Batch Making Lunches
In theory, making lunches every morning doesn’t seem that difficult. However, after day 20 of doing the same morning routine (or perhaps even earlier), the exhaustion sets in. Set yourself up for success by batching lunches at the beginning of the week. It may take more time on this day, but every day left in the week is so much easier, making it well worth the time investment. Simply use lunch boxes like the Bentgo ones, prep using their corresponding meal prep containers to assemble the remaining lunches for the week, and store them properly. And voilà, you just gave yourself the gift of more sleep with the time you saved preparing lunches in advance.
Keep all your child’s lunch items neatly packed in this bento-style lunch box that keeps food fresh, nicely organized, and easily inserted in any lunch bag or backpack. 25 colors available Purchase a few of these meal prep containers so you can batch your lunches and store them for later in the week. They keep all the food items separate in five different compartments so you can minimize all that your LO has to carry daily to school. 5 colors available
Amazon | BentGo
Amazon | Bentgo
3. Buy Supplies to Prepare for School Germs
With your kids going back to school, this means that the possibility of them coming home with icky school germs is highly likely. There is really no way to fully protect your child from sickness, but you can certainly take some proactive measures to boost their immunity with vitamins and supplements. You can also make sure your medicine cabinet is fully stocked with the most common kids’ medicines so you can soothe them when they come home with a sore throat. Lastly, we cannot forget that the pandemic is still happening, so stock up on any COVID tests for any potential exposure your kid may have at school.
Sore throats are never fun, but with these fruit fusion throat soothing pops, your little darling can get the relief they need. These have no synthetic colors or flavors and are non-GMO. Give your little one’s immunity a boost with these daily elderberry supplements that they will love. They’re made with real elderberry!
Amazon | Burt’s Bees Kids
Amazon | Zarbee’s
4. Have Measuring Supplies for Clothes and Shoes
You are probably many years away from your kids’ shoe and clothing sizes not changing for what seems like every six months. Avoid having to go to the store to measure their shoe size or having to do multiple returns by mail to find their right clothing size by purchasing a clothing measuring tape and a shoe sizer. With these low-cost items, you can save time and money when having to update the ever-evolving wardrobe and shoes of your growing child.
Because sometimes clothing sizes don’t really capture the true size of your child, this measuring tape can help you know what their actual clothing size is so you can avoid any returns. If your kid’s shoe sizes change as often as mine do, you want to have this handy shoe sizer on hand to get an accurate measurement of their growing feet. This item saves you a commute to the shoe store!
Amazon | The Phinus Store
Amazon | Squatchi Store
5. Organize Clothes at the Start of the Week
This is the hack of all hacks because having to pick out your child’s outfit daily—or them doing it on their own—takes a lot of energy and time. Take this task off your daily to-do list by prepping all your child’s outfits in advance at the start of the week. Similar to batching lunches, this is more work at the beginning, but you will be grateful that your child already knows what to wear every day afterward. If they are old enough, they can do this entire task on their own, from preparing their outfits to getting themselves dressed in the morning. This is an easy win for everyone involved!
Make organizing school clothes for the week interactive and fun by hanging this clothing organizer that has the days of the week labeled. It even comes with separate compartments for socks. 2 colors available
Amazon | Lillian Vernon Store
This post was in partnership with Mabel’s Labels but all of the opinions within are those of The Everymom editorial board. We only recommend products we genuinely love.