Best Daycare & Kindergarten Backpacks, Lunch Boxes + More

Written by Meg — mom of three (ages 5, 4, and 1.5) in Atlanta. Currently running one kindergarten lunch box, one pre-K lunch box, and one daycare cubby at the same time. Send vibes. 🫶

What's the best backpack and lunch box setup for daycare, pre-K, and kindergarten? We are currently spanning all three and here's my tested short list: the Crate & Barrel small kids backpack, a Bentgo bento box inside a Cactour insulated lunch bag, CamelBak Eddy+ or water bottle depending on the kid, and labels on ALL of it. The full setup, stage by stage, is below — including the part nobody tells you: you're not just buying this stuff once.

Real talk before the list: if you're reading this in fall, you didn't miss the window — you're IN the window. It's replacement season. The water bottle vanished at week three, the zipper lost its zip already, someone's lunch box came home smelling like a science experiment. So even when it's not "BTS Season" it kind of IS back to school season all the time as a parent, I have learned.

I DID get the matching lunchbox for my daughter and the zipper was weirdly defective right away. So I returned & got the Amazon version for her as well!

The part nobody says out loud: each stage needs different gear

Three kids, three stages, and I have found much of the gear is NOT interchangeable:

• Daycare needs a bag that fits a full crib sheet, a change of clothes (or three), and a sleeve of diapers on Monday restock day. Roomy beats adorable. We got the little Crate & Barrel backpack for my daughter once she could actually walk around with it (~20 months) but before that just had a labeled tote bag. Ask your center what they prefer!

• Pre-K is the true "carry your own stuff" era. But the backpack has to be light enough for a 4-year-old to actually wear, and the lunch box has to OPEN with 4-year-old hands. Most of the backpacks I found first were ENORMOUS. They're "youth" sized so they dwarf most 4 year olds.

• Kindergarten adds the folder. Nowww we want the bigger backpack - if the take-home folder doesn't fit flat, the backpack is too small and you'll be smoothing crumpled permission slips until June.

(And if you're touring daycares right now, my questions to ask on a daycare tour post is one of the most read posts on this blog!)

The backpack

The Crate & Barrel small kids backpack ($39, currently on sale for $22!). The side pockets are the killer feature — the water bottle lives OUTSIDE the bag, which means when (not if) it leaks, it doesn't soak the folder, the spare clothes, and the library book. It's sized PERFECTLY for the pre-K-to-kindergarten window, it's held up to being dragged across every parking lot in Atlanta, and it comes in prints kids actually like. These have served us well since we bought the first one back in 2021 and are still in good enough shape to pass through the hand me down circle.

• Mama Meg's Picks: Dinosaur Party (Tripp), Dinosaur Friends (Brooks), Wild Blooms (Kennedy)

• We opted for no names on them since I'm a #anxiousmom and you hear horror stories that it can be a safety risk if a stranger is to pretend to know your child. I now think 1) that's very unlikely to happen and 2) in daycare, it's going to get a label on it anyway!!

The lunch system (yes, it's a SYSTEM)

• The bag: Cactour kids lunch box — insulated, wipeable, fits the whole stack below, and cheap enough that a lost one is an inconvenience, not a mourning period.

• The box: Bentgo Kids 5-compartment bento — leak-proof, and the compartments mean my kids think anything I pack is super fun and "all snacks." Small hands can open it solo and it (naturally) comes in all kinds of fun patterns.

• The cold: Bentgo Buddies ice packs — thin, kid-themed, and they actually go back in the bag instead of being abandoned at school, because my kids think they're part of the lunch.

  • After purchasing these I saw Target had a good dupe for less!

• The utensils: Bentgo utensil set — these are great and easy for them to use. Opening the little utensil case takes a bit of practice but it's totally doable for my 4 & 5 year old.

• The hot lunch: Bentgo stainless food jar — mac and cheese, pasta, soup-adjacent things. At the beginning of the year I was sending a favorite (mac and cheese) that was coming home uneaten. He didn't like it cold. This thing arrived the next day and it's truly great.

• The secret weapon: the Uncrustable-style sandwich cutter — homemade crustless sealed sandwiches in 10 seconds, at a fraction of the frozen-aisle price. Our school is nut free (I think most are!) so we use sunflower butter and the jelly from Costco that my kids are obsessed with.

The water bottles (plural, because kids)

Two winners, different jobs: the CamelBak Eddy+ Kids — the bite-valve classic, basically indestructible, survives being launched off the top of the playground structure, this is what Kennedy (20 months) takes.

The Oisiz straw-lid bottle, the ones my boys have used since age 2. We've got a LOT of these and have had each boy pick a color and mostly stuck with it to avoid the "No, I want the red water bottle!" morning squabbles. Each one knows their color, where to find it, can easily fill themselves. Bingo bango.

The supply case

The UP&UP clear hard-sided case from Target — these went crazy viral for a reason. Can do any pencil-box job, for a few dollars, and CLEAR, so the teacher (and your kid) can see what's inside without dumping it. Clear cases are the same trick as my clear makeup cases: visibility is the organization. We have several of these and use them for backup clothes & diaper change stuff now that we've graduated from the diaper bag.

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Label. Everything.

I remember being told to label every item for my oldest when he started daycare, down to each individual sock. I was totally not prepared but quickly found some things that I've continued to go back to because they're that good.

• Dishwasher-safe stickers for bottles and backpacks, lunchboxes, shoes - ours are from Zazzle

  • I always get one set of big circles (backpacks, water bottles, inside each shoe) and a skinny set (handle of lunchbox, clothes that aren't easily stamped like black shorts)

  • Mama Meg's Picks: Simple Type Boho Kids Waterproof Name Labels (Adhesive)

    • Blue Grey Dusty Rose for Kennedy

    • Light/Brown/Transparent for Brooks

    • Blue Grey/Slate for Tripp

• Stamper for clothes - ours are from Etsy

  • Mama Meg's Pick: Fabric, Self-Inking, Font like Nora James (below!)

• Tip from the drop zone post: label the CHARGER-style stuff too (lunch bag, ice packs) — anything that travels daily.

We keep these right by the front door in our "drop zone" so it's easy to stamp or sticker anything new!

HOT TIP. If you are planning for more kiddos, you could consider getting the clothes stamper with ONLY your last name on it, so hand me downs are a bit more seamless. It's not a huge deal by any means, but was something I thought about with my second once he was wearing everything with his brother's name stamped inside. (We just added a second stamp with everything with his name, because of course I did).

The bottom line

One backpack with side pockets, one lunch system where every piece opens with small hands, two identical water bottles, a clear supply case, labels on all of it. That's the whole setup, it covers daycare through kindergarten with size adjustments, and every piece on this list earned its spot by surviving — or by being cheap enough to replace without a sigh. The gear is the easy part anyway; the mental load of the school year is the real boss level fight.

Quick FAQ

What size backpack does a daycare kid need? It depends on the age! For infants, it needs to fit a full crib sheet, a change of clothes, and diaper restocks, so a roomy tote may be best - ask your center! For pre-K and kindergarten, the spec flips: a backpack that's light enough to self-carry, and big enough for a folder to lie flat.

What's the best lunch box for preschool and kindergarten? A leak-proof bento-style box (I use Bentgo Kids' 5-compartment) inside a cheap insulated bag, with a thin ice pack. The non-negotiable test: your kid must be able to open every latch alone, and ideally close it back too. This is something to practice before school starts!

What's the best kids water bottle that doesn't leak? Bite-valve bottles (CamelBak Eddy+ Kids) are the most leak-resistant and most durable for younger toddlers; straw-lid water bottles are easier for kids and cheaper to replace. Either way, buy two identical bottles per kid — one will be lost by October.

Do I really need name labels for daycare? Yes — most daycares require them, and everything on this list is identical to five other kids' versions of it. Dishwasher-safe stickers for gear, stamp in for clothes. Clothes sometimes go home with the wrong kid by mistake and this ensures it makes it way back to you!

How do I keep lunch food warm until lunchtime? A stainless insulated food jar — fill it with boiling water for a few minutes first, dump, then add the hot food. Mac and cheese packed at 7am is still warm at 11:30.

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You've got this, mama 🫶 — Meg

Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links (including ShopMy and Amazon links), meaning I earn a small commission if you click through and purchase — at no extra cost to you. All opinions are my own and I only share products my own three kids actually carry, lose, and occasionally launch off playground equipment.