With two weeks of the Summer holidays left for most of us, now is the time to make final checks on what new purchases are needed before the new term begins. We are lucky this coming year as there’s no school or uniform changes, so blazers, jumpers, PE kit all remains the same. My shopping so far has consisted of school trousers, shirts, socks, football boots and trainers, and new school backpacks.
This Back to School guide will hopefully give you some ideas for what to buy for your own children. I hope you find it interesting x
Treads Shoes
For the first time, ever, we won’t be shopping for new school shoes. Back in April we tried out pairs of Treads Shoes – after a term and a half they still look new, so will have a good polish and will be fine. Treads Shoes have been a revelation to us, and we’re so pleased to be able to offer a GIVEAWAY – within this Back to School guide – for someone to win a pair of Treads Shoes of your choice, for delivery before the new term starts in September. Please scroll down to enter.
I promise you, once your children have tried Treads Shoes, you won’t buy anything else (you won’t need to!)
RRP: £45.00
To Purchase: Treads Shoes
Playstation Aluminium Water Bottle by GB eye
I don’t know about you, but we get through a lot of water bottles. When the children were younger they used to lose them. Then they started to chew the mouthparts, making them difficult to wash. Now the greatest risk comes from them being dropped. We’ve had a couple of broken, leaking bottles. So, as of next term, we’re trying aluminium bottles as they’ll hopefully cope better with the rigours of teenage handling.
This 700ml Playstation-themed aluminium bottle, by GB eye, is currently being fought over by both children!
RRP: £9.99
To Purchase: GB Posters
Get More Vits Naturally Flavoured Still Spring Water
Back to school usually also means ‘back to the bugs’ with the autumn term being prime time for sniffs, sniffles and tummy upsets. Everything that helps boost a child’s immune system is good, which is why these Get More Vits drinks are a great idea. Fortified with vitamin B to boost the immune system and tackle tiredness, and vitamin D and calcium to support growth, the naturally flavoured drinks are also sugar free. They taste good too, so are a win-win. For more information, visit Get More Vits.
RRP: £0.89
To Purchase: Ocado
Del Monte Squeezies: 100% Fruit Snack
Finding healthy snacks continues to be a big ask for us. These Del Monte Squeezie kids snacking range are 100% real fruit pouches, perfect for lunchboxes. They come in in three fantastic flavours, Apple, Strawberry & Banana, Apple & Mango, and Apple, Strawberry & Blueberry. They have no added sugar or artificial ingredients. Each pouch contains a portion of fruit making them a great way to get one of their five-a-day into their diet.
Toby particularly likes the Apple & Mango Squeezie.
RRP: £0.50
To Purchase: Asda
Peperami and Cheese Snack Box & Peperami Pep’d Up Chicken Bites
Protein seems to be the new buzzword in diets, and these two snacks are full of it. The Peperami and Cheese Snack Box contains 100% mild cheddar cubes and four mini original Peperami. The Peperami are 100% pork salami and provide a real protein kick. This product is gluten free too.
The Peperami Pep’d Up Chicken Bites are made with 100% chicken breast. The chicken is cooked, chopped, shaped and given a smoky tikka style glaze. This high in protein snack can be eaten on its own, or added to a salad or a wrap.
Both are great lunch box items.
RRP: Snack Box £1.50 / Pep’d Up Chicken Bites £1.50
To Purchase: Morrisons Snack Box / Morrisons Pep’d Up Chicken Bites
Stortass Mini Bag by Isbjörn
Even now, one of my favourite Back to School shopping sprees is for new backpacks. Over the years I’ve worked out what is required in terms of size, strength, and durability. This now has to take into account ever-increasing amounts of books and folders, but when they were younger it just needed to be large enough for their water bottle and snack. My children always wanted to wear their backpacks, so it was important for them to be ergonomic and comfortable. This 10 litre volume Stortass Mini Bag by Isbjörn of Sweden has wide padded carrying belts along with a chest belt. There’s two mesh side pockets for water bottles and two compartments inside. It even has a folded sit mat inside, and reflectors on the outside. The design and colour options are great too.
RRP: £30.00
To Purchase: Isbjörn of Sweden
Daily Goal Setter by Mål Paper
Now this one isn’t just for older school children, but for any adults too (especially bloggers addicted to writing to-do lists, like me!) This is a simple, stylish and effective planner that not only provides space to prioritise daily tasks but also encourages daily gratitude and affirmation practice.
Each page includes space for the date, and day. There’s space for you to write down 3 things to be grateful for. Following this there’s the daily affirmation: “I am … “. Then there is space for your daily task list. At the end of the day you then write down the ‘Great things that happened today’, and finally a 1-10 score of how you rated your day.
The Daily Goal Setter lasts for 6 months. It has a PU faux leather hardback cover and 244 pages inside. Each page is 100 gsm ivory paper and there are two ribbon dividers. At the back is a useful document holder.
This is fantastic if you want to practice mindfulness!
RRP: £20.95
To Purchase: Mäl Paper
Lamy Safari 2019 Special Edition Mint Fountain Pen & Kaweco Classic Sport Fountain Pen, from Pen Heaven
The Lamy Safari Special Edition Fountain Pen is available in Rose, Mint and Light Blue for 2019. Lamy is well known for its ease of use and durability making them an excellent pen for a scholar of all ages. The special edition colours are also collectible.
The Kaweco Fountain Pen is perfect for children over 10. The brand offers a wide variety of fabulous colours, and is fun and playful (as well as being highly functional).
RRP: Lamy Safari Fountain Pen £17.02 / Kaweco Fountain Pen £17.68
To Purchase: Pen Heaven Lamy Safari / Pen Heaven Kaweco Fountain Pen
Yeti Nano Microphone by Blue Designs
Do you have a child wanting to be the next big YouTuber? Well, this Yeti Nano is for them! Specifically it’s for media students looking to create great content for projects from the comfort of their own room. A integral element of both A-level and university curriculums focuses on digital media. UCL’s media course, for instance, includes a module on digital media production and streaming. Students on media courses often develop websites where visitors listen to media files in real time, similar to YouTube.
Blue Microphones’ Yeti Nano is the number one USB mic for streamers and content creators in the world. The mic is especially popular with the millennial generation, including those making YouTube videos. The USB mic is incredibly easy to use, with a plug and use functionality, compatible with all laptops and computer setups. It comes in four different colours, and it can definitely help creative media students enhance their projects with crisp, clear sound. We are currently reviewing our Cubano Gold Yeti Nano, so please do pop back to read the full review soon.
RRP: £89.99
To Purchase: Amazon
BIC Gel-ocity Quick Dry Gel Ink Pens
One of the children’s highlights of Back to School shopping is buying stationery. I think stationery addiction is genetic as we’re all drawn to pretty sets of pens … and these ones from BIC really caught our eye. Available in packs of 6 and 13, the BIC Gel-ocity pens dry up to 3x faster, so cause less smearing, compared to other gel pens. These pens have a traditional thumb-press open/close operation, and the barrel has a comfortable grip.
The point of the pen is 0.7 mm, which is just right for writing and detailed designs.
RRP: Pack of 6 £11.99 / Pack of 13 £24.99
To Purchase: Amazon
Norfolk Natural Living: Garment Refresher & Sportswear Wash
Norfolk Natural Living products are 100% hand-made natural cleaning and garment care products that are biodegradable, non-toxic, free from chlorine and bleach, use plant based ingredients and yet, are gentle enough for even a baby’s delicate skin. They use PET packaging as it’s 100% recyclable, and if you live near the north Norfolk coast, you can even refill your bottles in their store.
With two smelly pre-teenage children, two products that are invaluable to us include the garment refresher and the sportswear wash. The garment refresher is perfect for keeping school uniforms smelling fresh between washes, while the sportswear wash tackles the stains and smells of the PE kits.
RRP: Garment Refresher £12.00 / Sportswear Wash £14.50
To Purchase: Garment Refresher / Sportswear Wash
Modibodi RED: Modern Protective Underwear
Remember being a young woman, where life seemed to be put on hold once a month due to your period? Days when you couldn’t do PE and you nervously checked for any leakages through clothing? Not anymore. Not since Modibodi revolutionised women’s underwear by designing a range of leak-proof, lightweight and stylish knickers that help protect clothing during our periods. Their range has expanded to include different styles, including seam-free, high waisted and thongs – underwear suitable for swimming as well as the gym.
Their ‘Modifier Technology‘, incorporated into their underwear, features three-layers: the top layer quickly wicks away moisture, fights bacteria and stops odours; the middle layer absorbs fluid and locks it away; and the third layer gives you extra leak-proof protection … Enabling you to carry on life as usual.
Modibodi has released a new range – RED – aimed at tweens and teens. These very trendy and cool undies come in a range of styles and colours, and are designed to hold 1-2 tampons-worth of liquid. Given that it takes roughly 500 years for a sanitary pad to decompose in a landfill, by switching to Modibodi RED you are helping to save the planet too!
RRP: RED Hipster Boyshort £18.50 / Modibodi Classic Bikini £21.50
To Purchase: RED Hipster Boyshort / Modibodi Classic Bikini
Limitless Sports Bra
During puberty a girl’s body continually changes – clothes that fit one week might not the next. No truer is this statement than when discussing bra sizes. For confidence and support it is important to have a bra that fits well and is supportive, especially when playing sports.
Lucy Horsell designed The Limitless Bra so that girls get the support, comfort and confidence they deserve to enjoy being active. The bra is designed to be one of the most adjustable sports bras available – it has been designed to grow and flex with you.
There are four steps to make your Limitless Bra fit perfectly. First, you need to get the fit right around your ribs, so you unhook the green clips on either side of the bra. Secondly, you hook these green clips into the right pocket along the elastic (looser for everyday wear, tighter for sportswear); the clips should be in the same pocket on each side. Thirdly, you need to make sure the fit is right at the back; you do this by adjusting the length of the vertical back elastic until it feels comfortable. Finally, you can adjust the cup size; there’s the option of no cups, or you can slide light cups or medium cups into slits on either side. The result is a perfectly fitting bra.
And because it is done up using a front zip, it’s really easy to put on, even under a towel.
RRP: £30.00
To Purchase: Limitless Bra
♥ ♥ ♥ GIVEAWAY – WIN A PAIR OF TREADS SHOES ♥ ♥ ♥
One lucky winner will be able to choose a pair of school shoes from the Treads Shoes website. It’s really easy to enter … simply fill in as many fields as you can below. Closes Midnight on 28 August. GOOD LUCK!
I have been quite organised so far with uniform. I do still need to get some stationary and some shoes though!
I have a couple of lunch bags left to get and my youngest shoes and then I’m done for all 5… phew.
Some fab ideas here! I have shoes to get yet, and all done . Such a good feeling
It’s great that you’ve found some shoes that last as kids shoes can take quite a battering in the playground, especially boys! We’re trying to cut back on the amount of new stationery we buy when going back to school as we have draw fulls of the stuff.
I love that daily goal setter! I’m a bit stationary obsessed 😉
The school year is coming and we have done nothing. Thank you for sharing this will def add this to our back to school shopping lists.
Oooh, I love the look of these shoes, they look really strong and durable which is something we need for back to school.
Im pretty organised this year i just need to get some pe trainers for the older 2 boys
Some great ideas here ! Love the sound of the shoes !
Thank you for mentioning my bra! I was googling myself today for some web development for a new business and this popped up! I just wanted to tell you how nice it was to see it on this list of essentials…I hope Millie-Mae liked hers xx