As a new parent, the one thing I’ve heard people say over and over again is, “Cherish the time you have now, because they’re be grown before you know it!”.

It doesn’t matter how many times you hear that, nothing prepares you for how fast your child grows up. It feels like just a couple days ago, that we brought our firstborn home, and now he’s our little independent man dragging us through his milestones!

First it was weening himself off breastfeeding, then it was him being ready to be potty trained, now he’s dragging us kicking and screaming to preschool!

The last week of preschool has been super exciting for him, and the one item that he absolutely LOVES to bring with him is his little backpack. You can see in his face how proud and grown up he feels when he puts it on and begins walking with me to the car to go to preschool.

With that in mind I’ve partnered with Skeeter Nut Free to share some backpack essentials that you should definitely pack for your toddler for their first day of preschool this year. We’ll also be giving away this backpack, more on that at the end of this post!

With a little help from Brayden we took a trip to the store and assembled a backpack with what we feel are definite must-haves to bring and some items to share with their friends!

Art Supplies

One of my favorite coloring Items from my childhood were those scented markers with all the amazing smells for fruit, except that black licorice. Just toss that one out! Along with a couple activity books they’ll be nice and occupied during their coloring time.

Favorite Stuff Animal

Bringing something along with them to cuddle with and keep them secure on their first day is a must for your child. Even if they’re like Brayden, and run off super excited, barely even noticing you left on the first day, and some point they’re going to want some comfort, especially if its for nap time.

Drink and Snack Containers

Having something fun and sturdy is a must for sending your child off, as I’m sure you’re all aware. My son LOVES these metallic character sippy cups and containers lately. He picked them and insisted that I put them in the bag. So he knows the importance of keeping everything sealed while its in the bag as well as I do!

Actually I kind of don’t, I’m a mess with these things but that’s what Mom is around for!

SNACKS!!

Even if your preschool provides snacks, I like to send my child off with some extra treats just in case he’s being a little picky or fussy that day to keep him going.

Our preschool, as I’m sure a lot of other schools now have a nut-free policy. So in situations like these, my go-to grab from the pantry snack is Skeeter Nut Free crackers and cookies.

Brayden loves Skeeter Nut Free and honestly, I may like them more. They taste amazing and manufactured in a nut-free environment, making them a safe snack to share with his friends without needing to worry about any nut allergies!

Brayden’s favorites are the ChocolateChip Mini Cookies, but I like to add the Cinnamon Grahams in as well. That way I can have more of the cookies for myself!

This backpack with all the contents will be up for grabs on Skeeter Nut Free’s Twitter. So stay tuned for more info!

This post is sponsored by Skeeter Nut Free. All opinions are my own!