Crate & Kids’s New Back-To-School Essentials Are Just Too Cute

Before I became a parent, I failed to anticipate just how much of my life would involve looking for, washing out, and refilling the three main products that my daughter takes everywhere: her backpack, lunch box, and water bottle. Backpack/lunch box/water bottle are the equivalent of wallet/keys/phone for a kid — you just don’t want to be out in the world without them. Now, Crate and Barrel’s kid product line, Crate and Kids, has released a new line of these three essentials that kids will love for their awesome patterns and and their grownups will love for their functionality.

You might associate Crate and Barrel with snappy-looking furniture that never falls apart, or kitchen tools that both look nice and last forever, and this new product line has that same combination of being both fashionable and durable. The backpacks and lunchboxes are both made from recycled water bottles, and have all the features you might need: The lunchbox is insulated, the backpack has extra pockets, and there’s even two side pockets in the backpacks that will hold not one but two water bottles. Every one of the products is available in 17 new patterns that hit all the common kid interests — space, dinosaurs, rainbows, zebra-corns (regular unicorns are so last year), and even snakes for the kid who can’t get enough of the reptile house at the zoo. The only problem you might have is figuring out which of these cute designs to pick.

Backpacks

The new line of backpacks comes in three sizes: small, medium, and large — so both the big kids and the little kids in your family can find the perfect size. And there’s nothing kids like more than seeing their own name prominently displayed, so you have the option to monogram these products— especially useful if your kids want the same pattern and you want to avoid morning fights about whose is whose. Getting the backpack personalized adds an extra $10 to the prices listed below. The full array of pattern is available on the Crate and Kids site, but a few samples are here.

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The medium backpack is just right for an early elementary school kid. It’s 15 inches tall, 12 inches wide, and perfect for storing all the essentials (in elementary school these days, that seems to be school folders, books, tablets and pop-its). Your kid will be kept extra hydrated since, unlike many backpacks which only have one water bottle pocket, this one has one on each side. Padded shoulder straps and an adjustable chest strap make this comfortable for a kid who might be loaded down with gear.

A true dinosaur-loving kid will be able to take you through the species of each and every colorful dino on this adorable backpack, which really does look like the dinosaurs are having a party! The small size backpack is great for little shoulders, coming in at 13 inches tall and 10 inches wide. Despite its smaller size, it still has all the features of the larger backpacks: an outside pocket and two side pockets that will allow your kid to easily carry 30 ounces of water at a time. The padded strap on top makes it easy for them to lift, and the outside pocket would be a great place to pack anything that might mess up the goods in the main compartment, like crumbly crackers or markers that could leak.

Lunch Boxes and Water Bottles

Modern parenting standards for hydrating your kid are higher than they used to be (one viral tweet asked “Do any other 1980s children remember never, ever drinking water?”) But these water bottles look so good that all of us under-hydrated ‘80s kids might have to snag them for ourselves. The lunch boxes are also a big step up from the brown-paper bag days, and will keep food so fresh and delicious that hopefully you won’t have the dreaded still-full lunch box (and child whining that they’re starving) at school pickup. There are even more patterns available on the site, but a few favorites:

This cute shark (a young shark devotee will be quick to tell you that it’s a whale shark, the largest species) on a chartreuse background is so bright and eye-catching that hopefully this water bottle won’t get lost like the last five water bottles did. Made of stainless steel, it will keep hot liquids hot or cold liquids cold for up to 6 hours — the length of a typical school day — so they can sip hot tea or ice-cold water all through class. Best of all, it’s dishwasher safe, so you don’t have to spend time scrubbing it out.

Some kids like flashy patterns and others go for the more understated look. This colorblock lunchbox is a great choice for the kid (or the adult) who wants a high-quality lunchbox without all the fuss. The lunchbox comes in both navy and ochre as well as yellow and green (the yellow and green option is pictured above). Like the backpacks, these lunchboxes can be personalized with your child’s name for an extra $10. The insulated pack has sections inside it so that you can pack an ice pack for cold food without cooling down food that’s meant to be kept hot. At 8.25 inches wide and 4 inches deep, it’s large enough to hold plenty of sustenance without being so bulky that it won’t fit into the backpack.

Snakes have never been my favorite, but these friendly guys aren’t likely to creep anyone out. With bold swirls of red, blue, orange, and green, these patterned cobras on a dark green bag with an aqua trim are downright gorgeous. If you choose to get it personalized, the name comes in stitched in a cross between sea-green and baby-blue. The outside pocket is a handy feature that could hold napkins, utensils, or a little note that will make your kid feel extra-special in the middle of a busy day at school or camp.

You can mix and match the patterns, or get the products in all 3 for a cohesive look. Whether you get these for summer camp or grab them during back-to-school shopping this fall, this new line of matching products will serve you and your kids well during any adventure.