Back-to-School Prep
Back-to-School Shopping Checklist
Backpacks, binders, the specific brand of glue stick the supply list insists on — you've got the classroom covered. But there's one category most lists skip entirely: the little stuff that keeps your kid healthy once they're back in a room with 25 other kids and their germs. Here's the full checklist, including the one aisle everyone forgets until it's too late.
1st Head lice cases spike within the first few weeks of the school year, when kids pile back together for close-contact play — which is exactly why prevention belongs on your list now, not in October
The classroom basics
Start with the school's official supply list, then fill in the usual suspects. Check them off as you go:
- Backpack (check last year's for broken zippers before buying new)
- Lunch box and a couple of reusable water bottles
- Pencils, pens, erasers, and a sharpener
- Notebooks, folders, and binders in the requested colors
- Glue sticks, scissors, markers, and crayons
- Index cards, sticky notes, and a pencil case
- Headphones or earbuds (many classrooms now require them)
Clothes, shoes, and the growth-spurt tax
Kids grow over summer in unpredictable ways. Before you buy, have them try on last year's shoes and jackets — you'll usually find at least one surprise.
- Everyday shoes and a pair of sneakers for PE
- Seasonal layers — the school year starts warm and turns cold fast
- A rain jacket and an umbrella that lives in the backpack
- Labeled everything: hats, jackets, water bottles (labels quietly discourage sharing, which matters more than you'd think — more on that below)
The health and wellness aisle (the one people skip)
This is where a little prep now saves you a frantic pharmacy run later. Close contact returns the moment school does, and so do the things that come with it.
- Hand sanitizer for the backpack and refills for home
- A refreshed first-aid kit — bandages, antiseptic, the basics
- Any daily medications or allergy supplies, refilled and up to date
- Sunscreen for recess and outdoor PE
- A lice-prevention plan — a fine-tooth metal nit comb and a detangling or prevention spray, kept on hand before you need them
Why lice belongs on a shopping list: Head lice spread almost entirely through head-to-head contact, and cases climb in the first weeks of school when kids cluster back together. Having a comb and a prevention spray already in the cabinet means a first itch turns into a five-minute check — not a 9 p.m. scramble to three closed pharmacies.
Free habits worth adding to the list
Not everything that protects your kid costs money. A few routines do more than any product:
- Tie long hair back. Braids and buns dramatically cut down on the hair-to-hair contact that's the number-one way lice spread.
- Teach "don't share headgear." Hats, helmets, headphones, and hairbrushes are the few items health officials actually flag — a labeled set stays out of the community bin.
- Do a weekly two-minute head check. Under bright light, part the hair behind the ears and along the neckline. Caught early, lice are a quick fix instead of a household event.
Good news on the school-policy front: Updated CDC guidance means a child found with lice no longer has to be sent home mid-day. They can finish the school day, get treated at home that evening, and return the next morning — so an early catch doesn't have to mean a missed day.
The one-glance cheat sheet
| Category | Don't Forget |
|---|---|
| Classroom | Supply-list items, headphones, labeled water bottles |
| Clothes | PE shoes, layers, labels on everything |
| Health | Sanitizer, first-aid refresh, sunscreen, refilled meds |
| The forgotten aisle | Nit comb + prevention spray — on hand before the first head-check text from school |
The bottom line
A great back-to-school list covers the classroom, the closet, and the medicine cabinet. Tuck a nit comb and a prevention spray in with the glue sticks now, and if the class-wide lice email lands in week three, you'll be the parent who's already handled it. Nit Happens is pesticide-free and safe for the whole family — a smart thing to have on the shelf before the school year even starts.
Sources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About Head Lice. https://www.cdc.gov/lice/about/head-lice.html
- CBS News. Lice concerns rise as kids are back at school. Here's what to know about prevention and treatment. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lice-kids-school-prevention-treatment/
- NPR. CDC guidance on head lice and schools. https://www.npr.org/2024/08/28/nx-s1-5090917/head-lice-schools-cdc-guidance
- LiceDoctors. Back-to-School Lice Prevention Tips for Parents. https://www.licedoctors.com/blog/back-to-school-lice-prevention-tips-for-parents