Must Haves for Back to Preschool & Day Care
Wanna know what I wore for the first day of high school? A purple plaid shirt with puffy sleeves, purple corduroys, and my gold “W” necklace. Back to school time is a memorable time.
My baby girl just turned two. And I’m already deep in the preschool application process. Yup. No Joke. For the Fall. Of 2010. School is coming. For the wee ones and the big ones. Next year will be our first ever “back to school” season. I’m not sure what you call “back to school” time when you’re not coming back but going for the very very first time, but we’ll be in it. And here are the three must haves that my little Bean will not face the day after Labor Day without.
New Shoes. The Bean will definitely be sporting a new pair of kickers on her first day of preschool. If your wee one is off to preschool or day care this year consider shoes by Stride Rite or New Balance.
Stride Rite is well known for their incredible quality, durability and style, but they recently came out with amazing new shoes for early walkers based on cutting edge research into babies little feet! Based on their studies, they created “Sensory Response Technology,” designed to optimize the biomechanics of the foot and encourage development of a healthy and natural gait. Their SRT shoes come with a moisture-wicking lining, multi-directional flexibility, an amazing fit check system (just remove the lining and hold your wee one’s foot up to it–special marks will tell you if it’s time for new shoes), and rounded edges to prevent falls. The most amazing feature, to me, are the “sensory pods” in the bottoms of the shoes that allow your baby to really feel the ground. Also reducing falls. I don’t know about you, but if her shoes can keep my baby from falling down at daycare, I’m all for it.
And if you’re just looking for some super cute sneaks for fall, consider the new line of New Balance sneakers coming out in October…featuring the Peanuts! In general, I’m not a fan of slapping cartoon characters on shoes. But there’s something about the Peanuts characters that’s different to me. They are classics, and the scenes depicted on these sneaks take me right back to 1980–in a good way. I’m totally loving the shoes featuring Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin. But you can also get this classic running shoe with scenes from Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving or Christmas. The shoes come sized for infants, preschool and grade school kids, are constructed with premium materials for comfort and breathability, and feature EVA cushioning in the midsole and heel and a solid rubber outsole for excellent support and durability.
A Lunchbox. OK I had a Charlie’s Angels lunchbox in 1977. I have no idea where it is. I miss it. To quote John Mayer (for the second time I believe…what’s up with that?) “whatever happened to my lunchbox?” I have, in general, been so emotional about the idea of my wee little baby (ok I know she’s two) eating lunch at preschool that I have weeded out all the schools that require 3 year olds to eat lunch. Snack she can handle. But lunch…without me?!? Well, the Citizenpip Soup to Nuts Reuasable Lunch Kit has come close to making me change my mind. I kinda shudder to think abut all the baggies that I threw away(in addition to two, count ‘em, two, retainers) in the 18 years my mom packed me pb & j, chips, a piece of fruit, and cookies. This super cool lunch kit is better for the environment and quite frankly, awesome. It comes with: 1 insulated lunch bag with nametag and carabiner that easily attaches to a backpack, 1 stainless steel water bottle, 1 stainless steel insulated food jar, 4 BPA-free airtight food containers, 1 stainless steel fork and spoon set, and 5 100% cotton napkins. Thank you so much Citizenpip for sending one for us to try out and put away for next year. We got the “Tasty” style and it is adorable. Looking for a wee kit for your wee tot? All the components are available a la carte as well. (And just a heads up…be sure to check back in September for a Citizenpip Giveaway!)
Ok, I guess she can have lunch school after all…
A Camera. Because the back to school photo is a definite must have. And if I were a better blogger, I’d have some old grainy photo of me and my brother to post here. But I don’t. Want to take that first day of school pic in style? Check out the new smart cameras by Samsung! These seriously tricked out cameras were designed for today’s seriously digital world. The DualView TL225 and TL220 both feature dual LCD screens with one on the front so you can see yourself in that awesome facebook pic you’re trying to take in front of your new minivan. Also, and get this, these cameras feature a child mode which, when enabled, plays a little clown movie on that front LCD to get your wee one’s attention and up the odds of him actually smiling for the camera. And want to get that photo to Grandma in a heartbeat? The Samsung CL65 features Wifi and Bluetooth so you can upload the pics directly–no computer necessary. Smile! This camera will be available in September…just in time for school.
