"School" supplies for 1.5 year old

sechat322 · July 2013

My daughter is set to begin "school" this fall, when she'll be 16 months. She'll be there half days, every day, through lunchtime (and home in the afternoons and for nap). I know to get special dishwasher and fabric labels for her stuff, but are there other supplies you all like a lot for daycare or school for toddlers?

I guess I'm particularly thinking of lunch... I have a little insulated lunchbag for her, but I'm not sure what kind of containers and stuff to put her food in. Are there any that you guys particularly like? (It sounds like a dumb question, I know, since I pack my *own* lunch without issue every day, but it seems like there are so many kids' lunch products that I'm definitely overthinking it...)

thanks, guys!

Iblamethebeer · July 2013

I've gotten some of the cute reusable zipper snack pouches for my kids. They're expensive, but I like them and appreciate that it means fewer ziploc bags. I also end up using a lot of tiny tupperware (tommee tippee has multipacks of little 4 oz containers).

I still have not gotten around to purchasing good travel cups that lock into place or have lids so they're truly leakproof, but I would recommend one.

You'll also want a backpack or tote big enough to bring home art projects/papers.

JWSchwarz · July 2013

the cheap Take-n-toss containers are great! they usually sell them at the grocery store in the baby section next to bottles/binkies and sippy cups. They are a good size, and if they don't make it home you won't care.

You will probably also want at least two sippy cups.

ccam · July 2013

It's not a dumb question, I asked the same thing here! I found a few of those snap and lock divided containers at Marshalls recently and they work perfectly. DS eats both breakfast and lunch at daycare, so I have one for each meal. It's a lot easier than packing a whole bunch of tupperware into his diaper bag every day. Plus it's only 2 containers to wash and they never leak or pop open in his bag. I do it like this (yes, its weird that I have a picture! But that's another story)

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shannm · July 2013

For my toddler, she just has a lunch bag adult and we use the smaller ziplock containers. Lunch goes in one or two, snacks in others. I label the lids with sharpie each day and wipe it off with a tissue each night. I never understand the need for special kid containers unless you are into the cute bento box lunch trend.

If you will have them heat the lunches, you may want to ask them to do that after they put it on the plate assuming it is not plastic or pack that food in small glass containers. I bought some nice ones on amazon.

MamaAllison · July 2013

I like little pyrex/glass containers if DC will be heating things up. I have trouble finding ones small enough though. I had luck at Wegman's (a grocery store near us).

Netty_3 · July 2013

We have some sandwich skins, and we hit up the $1 section at Target for sandwich containers. I also have some glass ones fro things that need to be heated up, and take and toss for the sides. It's a hodgepodge, but they all work.