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You are here: Home / Blog / School Supplies to Make the Transition Easier

School Supplies to Make the Transition Easier

August 31, 2018 By Shann 14 Comments

School Supplies

By now, you’ve probably battled the crowds (or were smart, unlike me, and ordered online!) and purchased all of your school supplies. However, there are still a few school supplies you probably need.

Going from late nights to early bedtimes, freedom to structure, and not listening to….well, hopefully, listening…is hard on children. It’s not so easy on us parents either. Change can be difficult for everyone.

So, I’ve come up with a list of school supplies to make the transition back easier on the whole family. Especially us moms!

Transitions

What is it about transitions that make them so hard? For me, I get used to a certain routine, and to change it all, I really need time to adjust. Even though we’ve gone through the back-to-school transition a couple of times now, I’m not sure if it will be any easier.

I’ve been really lenient with the boys lately and letting them have a lot of freedom. There have been quite a few pajama days and a little too much Llama Llama on the TV. There have been late night walks, BBQ’s with the neighbors, and Beyblade battles in the living room. I wish I could say there have been late, lazy mornings, but that’s not happening. No matter how late to bed, it’s always an early morning around here.

So, since school starts in a few short days, we have to start getting back into the routine of an early bedtime, a productive morning, and an active after-school schedule. Mr. B is starting soccer again this Fall, and he also is in Scouts. I will be teaching dance, and my husband still has to work all hours, since he’s in real estate.

Again, we’re going to let the twins adjust to school before adding in any additional activities. So, that means keeping them occupied during drop-offs/pick-ups and all the time in between.

So, here are some ideas and school supplies to help you get some more sleep, get you out of the house on time, and keep your sanity intact.

School supplies to make the transition back easier #schoolsupplies #backtoschool

*This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. If you click-through any of the pictures, you will be taken to the item on Amazon. There is no additional cost to you, and I may recieve a small commission. I also was gifted 2 of the products in the post in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. For more information, please read my full disclosure policy HERE

To Help You Sleep

Sleep is probably the most important part of a transition. If you and your child are well-rested, everything else is so much easier.

For the past couple years, the twin have been falling asleep to music. However, when the CD ends, they get out of bed and start it over again. Not only does it disrupt their sleep, but we have very thin walls, and it interrupts ours, as well.

That is where the white noise machine by AuCuTee comes into play. It’s continuous, it’s not annoying (like that darn CD!) and it subtle enough to not wake the rest of the house.

school supplies

There are 20 different sounds or songs to choose from. Plus, you can either have it play continuously, or you can set the timer for 30 minutes, 60 minutes, etc.

school supplies
I asked him to come over and listen to it. He totally fell asleep. Wink. Wink.

We’re making the switch tonight, so I’ll let you know how it works. If the twins don’t like it, I’m taking it for our room! Get your own by clicking HERE or through this picture with my Amazon Affiliate link:

Now that we have sound covered, let’s talk lights. In particular, night lights.

I actually found these night lights at Costco and bought them for my husband. Not only do they work as color changing night lights, but they are also flashlights that work in case of an emergency. You pull them out of the plug, and the flashlight is on the end.

Since there is not a flashlight to be found in our house, these are perfect for an emergency.

Now, back to the sleep solution…

The twins love to have the hallway light on. I do not. It shines right into our bedroom, so then I have to close the door. I then get super hot because we only have one vent in our room. So, I have to open the door. Then I can’t sleep because of the light. See the problem?

So, we’re working on using one of these in the twins room.

It has a switch to stay on continuously, or it can be motion activated. Plus, it changes colors, which the twins love.

Something that makes our house safer and allows me to sleep better? Yes, please.

To Get Out the Door

Even though the kids get up early around here, the bus still seems to come before we are ready.

So, I like to get outfits set out the night before, lunches/snacks packed, and everything in the backpacks. No scrambling for overdue library books, no crying over the wrong shirt or pants, and no big debates on what’s for lunch.

For clothing, this is amazing. You can plan the entire week. The twins can share, since they also share a room and their clothes are still pretty small. Mr. B gets his own.

Luckily, none of the boys really care what they wear yet, so it’s all me….and I like it.

Next, for the lunches and snacks:

Bento boxes are awesome. The kids love all the separate compartments, and they keep everything cold or hot with a built in thermos.

I make sure to pack lunches or decide if they want hot lunch the night before. I usually let the kids pick hot lunch once a week because it gets expensive, and I can’t be sure if they are eating it all. Mr. B always buys milk with his lunch.

Lastly, for the backpacks:

I have a hook for each backpack, and a cubby for each kid. That way all their home work and library books are in the cubby, with backpacks below. They get packed and hung the night before.

Then, it’s off to catch the bus….hopefully (read this POST)

To Keep You Sane

While a good night’s sleep and a few child free hours are a great start, all of that progress can go right out the window as soon as your kids jump off the bus and exclaim the dreaded “I’m bored”

So, since we’ll be in the car driving Mr. B to soccer or scouts, I need some boredom busters.

These travel trays are awesome. Not only do they keep my new car clean, by holding the drinks and snacks, but they provide a great surface for coloring. The twins also like to drive their trains and cars on them.

 

The twins are really on a coloring kick lately, and while we use crayons in the car, we like to use lots of different materials at home.

Kwik Stix sent me a package, and they are so much fun. They work like watercolor paints, without the mess. Since they are nice and big, the twins have no problem holding them.

school supplies

They each had their favorite colors, so no fighting!

I actually found it pretty relaxing myself. So, I might be stealing these too.

school supplies

Click this picture below to purchase through my Amazon Affiliate link.

Finally, how can a mom stay sane without coffee in the morning….

 

a drink in the afternoon (I’m talking about ice tea, of course!)

…and wine at night!

I love the Yeti that I have, but I’m going to add these last 2 to my collection.

Cold drinks stay cold, without the ice melting. I’ve also used mine for coffee, and I’m happy that the coffee taste washes right out…in the dishwasher.

 

I hope some of these suggestions will help you and your family as you head back-to-school this Fall!

What things help you transition?

school supplies

Filed Under: Blog, Reviews, School Tagged With: activities, affiliate links, amazon, AuCutee, back to school, Bey Blade, bus, cars, coffee, energy, Kwik Stix, lap tray, reviews, routine, sane, school, school supplies, sleep, sound machine, trains, white noise, wine, Yeti

Comments

  1. Patricia Chamberlain says

    September 2, 2018 at 5:52 am

    Transitions are really hard in our house too! These are great suggestions.

    Reply
  2. Akaleistar says

    September 2, 2018 at 1:14 pm

    I love the idea of a white noise machine 🙂

    Reply
  3. Shybiker says

    September 3, 2018 at 6:16 am

    Wow! These products are ingenious. I can see how they’d make life easier for parents. I wish they existed when I was growing up.

    Reply
  4. joy abou zeid says

    September 3, 2018 at 8:47 am

    very interesting post, that sound machine seems really nice!!

    Reply
  5. Coral says

    September 3, 2018 at 6:47 pm

    I’m not a mom yet but I loved these tips! I feel like I’m going to totally relate to what you said about it being difficult because your schedule gets switched around. Once I get into the groove of a routine, it’s hard to completely change it. These are all such great tips for making that transition easier! I’ll have to check back in with your blog when I have kids someday. But I feel like some of these tips could be applicable for any big change (change in job, switching to working at home, early classes, etc.)

    Reply
  6. Stephanie says

    September 3, 2018 at 7:28 pm

    Well I’m not going back to school – nor do I have children going back to school, but this post would be so helpful for my sister, so I’ll definitely have to pass it along so she can find the right items for her kiddos!

    Reply
  7. Summer says

    September 3, 2018 at 8:09 pm

    That little lunch container is perfect! How practical.

    Reply
  8. Leigh Suznovich says

    September 3, 2018 at 9:23 pm

    This is great, love that clothes organizer especially! I want one for myself, ha.

    Reply
  9. Indya | The Small Adventurer says

    September 4, 2018 at 4:18 am

    My partner and I are both in uni and we’re STILL not used to the transition. Those few weeks off are always bliss, but as soon as uni starts up again, it’s a huge shock, as we’ve just spent the last few weeks sleeping in, and now that’s gone. It’s even worse because my partner works night and I can NEVER get to sleep until the clock is back in the AM, so I might have to try that white noise machine for myself!

    Reply
  10. Evelyn Hernandez says

    September 4, 2018 at 10:53 am

    Cool list, fortunately for us we are now done with the school supply shopping.

    Reply
  11. Ruthie Ridley says

    September 4, 2018 at 2:22 pm

    They are so cute!! Looks like you have the essentials here!!

    Reply
  12. Melissa says

    September 4, 2018 at 7:17 pm

    I love my Yeti for a nice cold drink! The clothing organizer is a fantastic idea. Many of my students have the Bento lunch boxes and they are so wonderful too!

    Reply
  13. Karin says

    September 4, 2018 at 9:32 pm

    What a great round up of helpful items for the back to school transition! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  14. Helen Greene says

    September 22, 2018 at 5:03 pm

    >So, I like to get outfits set out the night before, lunches/snacks packed, and everything in the backpacks.

    That’s the way to do it! I do it with myself too. Set out my clothes, etc. ahead of time. Just makes life so much easier.

    Reply

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Meet Shann

Shann Hi! I'm a mom, writer, and dancer. I love sharing my parenting experiences, my healthy living tips, my money saving ideas, and our travel plans. My passion to help other women inspired this blog. I hope you'll stay a while and come back often.

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