This Back-to-School Gear Will Make Your Life Easier (Trust Me, I Have 4 Kids)

I’m the father of two middle-school girls and two grade-school boys. Weekdays during the school year are absolute sprints that start before dawn and end when my wife and I fall asleep before 9:30 p.m. As many of you can relate, it’s exhausting. As a gear reviewer, I’ve spent a lot of time dialing in the items that help keep the family on track and pulled together. Here are my top seven pieces of gear for busy families like ours.

At a Glance

Birkenstock Boston Clogs

Anyone with a teenager knows that Birkenstocks are the hottest shoe, by far, with the 12-18-year-old crowd right now. I’d wager that 40 percent of middle and high schoolers across America wear these, matched with a pair of white Nike socks, on the daily. The shoes are expensive, but I’ve become a big fan for two reasons: First, they’re easy to get on and have never once made us late to school. I remember waiting a full five minutes for my kids to squish their feet into Converse and then figure out the laces. With the clogs, we’re out the door immediately. And second, I’m in favor of my kids wearing supportive Birkenstock footbeds. My girls spend all day in these shoes, and even if they’re eating hot Cheetos for lunch, at least I know their feet are taken care of.

Woven Bin

The fastest way for your afternoon to fall apart is to lose your kids’ practice gear. The level of frustration I’ve reached while trying to track down errant shin guards rates an 11 out of 10. To avoid future frustration, my wife and I bought several of these bins at Target. Now, each kids’ sports gear goes in one as soon as they’re done so we know where everything is. At 11×13 inches, there’s enough room for shoes, jerseys, a ball, and almost anything else you want to stuff in there. I make my older kids do their own laundry, but I always wash their sports stuff so that I know with 100-percent certainty that, once it’s clean, it’s back in the correct bin.

Nike Ball Pump

We have at least 15 sports balls floating around our house. It started with soccer balls but now has expanded to basketballs and volleyballs as the kids have grown and tried out for new sports. Keeping track of the balls is one thing; keeping them inflated is another. Even if we find the right ball for the sport of the day fairly quickly, chances are that it’s flat and useless unless we can pump it up as we run to practice. There are a lot of hand pumps out there, but I’ve found Nike’s to be the best because it’s easy to use—a kid without much muscle strength can get the job done—and totally reliable. We’ve used our pump hundreds of times and it’s always worked without fail.

Apple Watch SE GPS + Cellular

Last year, we bought my middle school girls phones. It was a mistake. Like all kids with phones, they’re glued to the screens, and it’s a daily struggle to get them off. Instead, we should have gotten them Apple Watches, like many of their friends have. Watches that come with a cellular connection are perfect because they allow the kids to make and receive calls but aren’t so enticing that they lure the kids into staring at the screen for hours. The SE doesn’t have the always-on screen like the Series 10 version, but it boasts the same 18-hour battery life and the price is a full $100 cheaper. I also like that Apple offers a smaller 40mm size that actually fits on a kids’ wrist.

Gatorade 64-Ounce Jug

Two weeks ago I shipped my nine-year-old son off to a two-hour soccer practice with a standard water bottle. Temps were 98 degrees, and when I picked him up he was livid because he’d immediately run out of water and had to bum sips off his friends. To ensure he never ran out again, we immediately bought one of these jugs that holds a full half gallon. Thanks to a layer of foam insulation, the water and ice stays plenty cold and a large drinking spigot allows him to chug water if he only has a few minutes during breaks. The cap is mostly leak proof, but it came unlatched when it tipped over in the truck, so, to be safe, your kiddo has to keep it upright if they don’t want to lose any H20.

The North Face Borealis Backpack

Both my middle school girls wanted this backpack more than anything else on their back-to-school list because it’s en vogue with the pre-teen crowd. I was fine with splurging because the bag is a worthy investment. Made from 210- and 300-denier nylon, the Borealis will easily put up with the abuse a middle-schooler can hand out as it gets flung around classrooms, the lunch area, the car, and our house. I also appreciate that the bag has just a few main pockets so that they never lose assignments in a random crevice. Thanks to well-padded straps and a robust harness system, they’re both able to carry a fair bit of weight, which is necessary because they refuse to use their lockers.

Travel Size Hand Sanitizer

Studies show that washing your hands is more effective than using hand sanitizer. But as a parent I’ve found that kids are terrible at remembering to wash and at doing a good job of it, so we supplement the occasional washes by making sure they always have some sanitizer handy. I stuff something like this bottle from Purell in each of their backpacks, and if they occasionally remember to clean their hands with the stuff, we’re winning. I try to encourage them to use it regularly, especially when cold and flu season sets in, while continuing to remind them that overuse of hand sanitizer will leave them with chapped hands and that there’s no replacement for good old soap and water.