Back-to-school checklist: four things we sort out before term starts
Every August I make the same list for my two kids. It's not long, and none of it costs much, but skipping any one item means catching up on it in October instead.
1. Book the routine checkups early — dentist, eye test, and for my younger one, a chiropractic appointment to check how she's carrying her school bag now that it's heavier with a new set of textbooks. Nothing urgent, just done before the term gets busy and appointments get harder to find.
2. Sort the lunchbox before the first day, not on it. Bread goes stale by Wednesday if it's not wrapped properly, and cut fruit browns in the bag. Dates don't have either problem — they go in whole, keep for the whole week in a side pocket, and nobody has ever complained about a soggy date.
3. Walk the route to school once with them, even if they've done it before. Term one always has a new shortcut somebody's older sibling mentioned, and it's worth confirming it's actually safe before they start using it alone.
4. Set the evening routine back two weeks before school starts, not the night before. A tired kid eats worse and sits worse at a desk, and that shows up in the same posture the chiropractor ends up checking.
Why dates end up on this list every year
They're the one snack that survives being forgotten at the bottom of a bag for two days. Sweet enough that a nine-year-old will actually eat it instead of trading it away, and there's no wrapper to argue about throwing in the bin. We buy a box, split it between both kids' bags on Sunday night, and that's most of the "healthy snack" problem solved until the next shop.
None of this is complicated once it's written down. The hard part is doing it in August instead of promising to do it in September. If you want to stock up on healthy snacks before term starts, our contact page is the quickest way to ask about a bulk order.