The Best Back-to-School Gear and Tips

Label everything. Sharpie, label-maker, be as fancy as you want. Just put your kid’s name on it to increase the chance of it coming home again. 

Practice using that gear. Go on lots of picnics! That beautiful monogrammed lunch bag and stainless steel lunch box aren’t going to do any good if your kid can’t open and close them quickly.

Learn to wolf down lunch. The school lunchroom is utter pandemonium. Bell schedules vary, but it could very well be 20 minutes for lunch. That includes time to find your lunch bag, sit down, open the containers, eat, clean up and line up. (So really, three minutes for eating.) It’s no wonder kids come home ravenous. In between the lunch monitor calling out, “Five-minute warning! Two-minute warning!” and all the kids shouting, it’s enough to give anyone indigestion. Send your kid off to school with a belly full of breakfast, and have a mega-snack ready after school.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in 2018, and updated in July 2022.