With back to school right around the corner (some have already started–wut?!) I thought it might be helpful to share some safer back-to-school swaps that we have made! I am by no means perfect when it comes to these things but we have been making safer swaps for our family for a few years now and I love sharing what has worked for us and what I have learned along the way! So without further adieu — back to school swaps!
Starting with lunchtime since this is a biggie if your kiddo is bringing their own lunch! We have used and loved the Planet Lunchbox system for the past 4 years! We have the Rover with the accessories and bag (they came in a bundle) and everything has held up beautifully! The bag washes well and we just hang it to dry. The actual lunchbox looks brand new because, well, it’s stainless steel. We try to use the least amount of plastic as possible for our food so we are also big fans of these Stasher bags! I have found that the actual Stasher brand does hold up much better than the less expensive alternatives. This sandwich size and this snack size work great for kid’s lunches! For hot lunches we love to use these Thermos Funtainers! Addie loves to bring oatmeal (I just make it in the morning and leave out the milk) and soup and says they both stay nice and toasty until lunch time. Our Funtainers were well loved by a different family and handed down to use and still work great!
Onto other school supplies–first up is hand sanitizer. There are plenty of hand sanitizers out on the market now (thanks Covid!) but a lot of them are filled with junky (aka unsafe!) ingredients! We have used and loved the Everyone Hand Sanitizer for the past few years. I have a bottle in every purse, vehicle and give the girls one for their backpacks and desks! On the same note as hand sanitizer, I know a lot of schools are asking for “sanitizing wipes” for the classroom. I did some research via the EWG (a great resource for checking products/ingredients BTW!) and found these Arm and Hammer Sanitizing Wipes that sore pretty great safety-wise!
Another great option is Force of Nature — this is a cleaning system that we have used over the past year and truly love! It is a system that uses salt, water, vinegar and electricity to create a safe and super effective cleaning solution. It is EPA certified and kills 99.9% of viruses and bacteria and approved for use to disinfect for COVID! They have tons of information on their website which you can check out here. Now that I have our girl’s teacher information, I will be contacting them to see if we can work out a plan to use these vs. the wipes! I am happy to donate a system to the classroom vs. have them using the other wipe options that are (mostly) no bueno! If you decide to dive into Force of Nature and use this link you will get $15 off a system and free shipping!
A few other things to note– choose unscented everything, including the “fun” scented markers and crayons! Seriously, no one needs to me sniffing those things all day and they are filled with who knows what to make them actually smell. hard pass over here! Addie used this backpack last year (clearly needs a wash 😉 and it has held up perfectly so she is going to use it again this year! It looks like it is sold out basically everywhere but this one, this one and this one are the same style and look to be available! I just ordered this one for Emmie and I think it is the cutest thing ever for preschool since it is a little smaller but can still fit a folder/notebook!
Lastly, if you want to score big with your little gal, pick up a set of these lip jellies and tuck one into a mermaid keychain for her backpack! Both of our girls are obsessed with these jellies and I adore the cute little mermaid tail holder!
Wishing you a great and healthy start to the school year!
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