Or more like – “Here we go!” for my family. I can’t believe my little guy is going to Kindergarten in a matter of weeks. It feels surreal that he’s becoming an independent little guy. As we approach Back to School season, I wanted to share some of the essentials I’ve purchased for him going into Kindergarten. If you know me, I’m all about doing the research before making a purchase, as well as trying to get it at it’s very best price. So without further ado, here is my list!

Backpack

I went with a Herschel backpack because I previously purchased the smaller one for preschool and I love the padding in the shoulder straps and also the clip so that it doesn’t slip off. We were given some bigger backpacks for him, but they were a bit flimsy or had no padding at all and I found that it slipped off a lot when he was using it. I also love that they come in different coloured designs. Herschel usually has some good sales a couple times during the year, but we are fortunate to also have a Herschel outlet store nearby to save some money.

Lunchbox

I found that this was the most difficult thing to shop for. I bought from different brands, sizes, price points and it seems for the most part, each one was always missing something. My goal was to find something that was easy to open and could accommodate cold and hot food. W also has a big appetite, so I found many of the lunch boxes were a little small for him. The first lunchbox I had my eye on was the Omiebox, but at the time couldn’t justify the hefty price tag. So I did more digging and looked into other alternatives – and by the end, I was convinced that the Omiebox made the most sense since it satisfied all the items on my list of must haves.

Shoes

When it comes to shoes, I feel like comfort is key – and of course, accessibility. I love the Nike Star Runners, I’ve bought them for W ever since he could walk – and since we live so close to a premium outlet, I usually get them for a good price. They’re slip on and they have a nice bendable sole to them which make them easy to wear.

As W is heading into a uniformed environment, we needed black shoes, so I went with Skechers and their Slip-Ins Ultra Flex 3.0 runners. They are easy to slip on and I was lucky enough to catch them 50% off in a recent sale.

As it rains a lot here in Vancouver, I feel like its important to invest in good rainboots (and rain gear in general). We’ve had different brands of rainboots and I found that many of them felt heavy and not very easy for kids to walk around in. I ended up buying Hunter boots because I love the bright, vibrant yellow they came in. I always find that boys clothes and shoes are always such dull colours. I was lucky to score these boots on sale during the off season, about 25% off.

Labels

Mabels Labels. I think most parents come to know and love them – at first I was resistant and tried to label W’s clothes but the labels ended up getting rubbed off or came off his clothes. I love that Mabel’s also has allergy, shoes and warning labels. They usually have sales here and there, the most I’ve seen is 20% off, so I usually wait and stock up then.

Jackets

Vancouver is definitely a 4 season type of place and it means we have to be mindful about how to keep W warm and dry. A jacket is always the first line of defense and so we have a couple depending on the season/temperature.

For the Autumn and Spring, I really like the North Face Toddler Warm Storm Rain Jacket. It’s got fleece lining, lining/insulation in the sleeves and a great big hood that keeps the rain out. I like this jacket so much, I just keep sizing up and buying it again when it’s on sale. I love the colours too – my favourite one was the bright red one they have, but I believe that’s discontinued.

For Summer, we wanted a light windbreaker and something that would also guard against the sun. We went with Columbia Kids Flash Challenger Windbreaker as it works really well for the occasional summer rain but also because it has UV protection (UPF 40). This also goes on sale regularly, so watch out for that.

For snow days, we have a Gap winter jacket – it’s incredibly soft and warm without being too bulky. I find that it keeps W warm on even the coldest days.

Thermal Innerwear

W gets cold pretty often, so we are big fans of Uniqlo’s HEATTECH items. W has the shirts and socks. The shirt makes for a good base layer – their HEATTECH wicks the body’s moisture into fibers and converts the kinetic energy into heat keeping the heat close to your body.

Patches and pins

Finally, this is a little fun but I love finding random patches and pins to spruce up W’s backpack – during Christmas and Halloween, we switch up the cute pins to celebrate the occasion.

I”m curious to know how your back to school shopping is going and if you’ve found any great deals? If you have, let me know in the comments!