Getting the children ready to go back to school can be rather overwhelming and it is, for this reason, we would suggest you get a head start and don’t leave it until the last minute. No one wants to be dealing with ill-fitting uniform items or searching for missing lunch boxes and water bottles just a few days before the new term starts. Whilst the list may seem extensive, we have a checklist of the most important essentials that your child needs ready to go back in September.
We all know how important it is to stay hydrated and children are at greater risk of dehydration due to their size and the larger proportion of skin that could be exposed to heat and likely to lose sweat. Often children don’t recognise thirst and may forget about having a drink unless they are reminded. Dehydration can lead to headaches, poor concentration and tiredness, amongst other things, so it’s important to ensure children keep their hydration levels up.
At Lawsons you will find a great range of water bottles in a choice of colours and sizes so that your child can pick one that they like. With BPA free plastic and stainless steel options as well as insulated bottles and bottles with sipper straws, there is something for everyone. Browse all water bottles here.
If your child needs to take a packed lunch to school then they will need something practical and trendy. There is so much choice these days and lunch boxes and lunch bags come in all different sizes, shapes and colours. You can browse our full range of lunch boxes and lunch bags over on our website.
Whilst we cannot dictate what you put in your child’s lunchbox, we would encourage a healthy balanced packed lunch that will offer plenty of energy and fuel for little bodies and minds.
It’s a good idea to include some starchy carbs, this should make up about a third of the packed lunch. Things like bread and wraps, rice, pasta and potatoes are a great source of energy, fibre, calcium, iron and B vitamins.
Proteins help to keep you feeling fuller for longer and offer plenty of important vitamins as well as iron. Things to include are wafer thin meats, fish and eggs.
Fruits and vegetables are great sources of essential vitamins and minerals and if you include some in your child’s packed lunch you will be well on your way to achieving your five a day. Pots of fruit or jelly, as well as sliced carrots, salad items or pieces of fruit, are all great options.
If your child loves yoghurt, what about some healthy, homemade EasiYo yoghurt. It’s super easy to make, is available in a great choice of delicious flavours and there are plenty of lunch box friendly accessories to store your yoghurt in, including these Reusable Yoghurt Pouches.
A new school year means new uniform unless you are one of the lucky ones whose children haven’t grown half a foot during the holidays. This can be exciting, daunting and sometimes a little expensive especially if you have siblings to buy for too.
We would highly recommend purchasing good quality school uniform garments over cheap and cheerful ones. They will probably need replacing less and are much more likely to be outgrown rather than outworn. High quality uniform is less likely to shrink or discolour in the wash and is usually much more hard wearing. We stock a great choice of essential uniform items such as school skirts, shirts and trousers, for both primary and secondary school students as well as school approved uniform pieces for several local schools including Ivybridge Community College, Tavistock College, Stowford Primary and Woodlands Park Primary.
A pet peeve for many parents at the start of a new academic year is all the new clothing, shoes, sports kits and bags that need to be labelled. It’s so important to label your child’s belongings otherwise you risk them getting lost and never returning, which can be an expensive business. You could just write your child’s name on the label with a permanent pen or even a biro, but eventually, that could still wash off over the course of a few weeks. There are many options available now from waterproof stick-on labels to name stamps but if you are like us, we prefer a good old traditional iron-on label. You can iron into the clothes when at the same time as you would iron them anyway and you can write the name and or initials of your child as you go.
We are all hopeful for a more normal school year for all of our children and we hope that this essentials checklist will help you to prepare and stock up for the return of the Autumn term.
Sources:
https://healthy-kids.com.au/parents/children-hydration/
https://blog.whsmith.co.uk/how-to-make-a-balanced-packed-lunch/
