It’s hard to say what “normal” means anymore, or if it will mean anything ever again!
But there is one thing we can all count on as parents. We need to keep moving forward for the sake of our families and ourselves. Eventually, the world will force us forward, anyway.
And now, many children will be told they can return to classrooms on a part time basis. For better or for worse, it’s time to prepare ourselves and our children to return to public life safely. Back to school means big changes for parents as well as kids.
Clearly, it’s no ordinary school year, so our back-to-school tasks will differ, too. There’s a lot to consider in terms of safety, cost-effectiveness, and convenience for your back to school shopping. The safest way to shop these days is online. Masked, social distanced shopping in stores is OK as a last resort, but for our purposes we want to avoid that as much as possible.
Provide Age Appropriate Context
You should prepare your children for what they’re going to see when they return to public spaces. If they are very little, there is a chance they are still unable to grasp the importance of keeping their masks on at all times.
Before they return to public, impress upon them the severity of removing their mask and keeping their hands to themselves in a way they can understand. Try incorporating iconic characters or situations from children’s media that your kids enjoy as a means of conveying the lesson in a way they’ll remember.
However, only children over the age of 2 should wear masks. Kids younger than two years of age are at risk of suffocation if they wear masks.
Budget Appropriately in Advance
Your children won’t really need a whole new wardrobe if they are only attending school a couple times a week or even just a few times a month. If most of your child’s learning will be distanced, you can invest in a few solid staple pieces that will last them until their next growth spurt.
You can also subscribe to a kids clothing box like kidpik. A subscription box for kids’ clothes offers flexibility and convenience that in-person shopping just doesn’t these days. For one thing, kidpik offers a 7-day trial window where your kids can actually try on the clothes at home and test them out to see if they’re a good fit. Kidpik offers free shipping and returns for any items you prefer to send back.
The best part of subscription style boxes is the fact that you can skip the visit to a brick-and-mortar location. In the age of COVID-19, keeping our loved ones safe should be the primary concern. And when you can get a great deal online with even more perks like free, no-hassle returns, why bother going to the mall at all? The only thing you have to gain is potential exposure to coronavirus.
Aside from clothes, you’ll need school supplies. Notebooks, pens, papers, and the whole nine yards can be found at your local dollar store or online for even cheaper. You shouldn’t feel the need to splurge or spend serious coin on stuff like this. You know what kind of course load your child will have and how many notebooks they’ll need.
Finally, there’s the matter of feeding your kids. Will you pack them lunch or have them buy it at the cafeteria? Find out what kind of pricing structures the meals have and budget appropriately. Keep in mind that some schools offer summer meals programs for kids, which can provide a free lunch to our children as they try to learn in a post-COVID-19 world. There are plenty of options out there, so find one that fits your budget and stick to it!
Splurge Where it Counts
The best thing you can do for your children is to prepare them for a future in the digital space. You can give them a head start by taking advantage of the worldwide transition to remote learning.
Investing in your child’s computer skills by giving them the right tools is as simple as setting them up with a laptop and giving them pointers on how to use it. Kids are great at figuring out the rest—just be sure to supervise your child’s computer time.
There’s a good chance some form of coronavirus will affect our lives again, even if this current explosion of cases abates.
Of course, “splurge” can be relative. The kidpik clothing subscription box costs, on average, around $95 a box. However, consider how much you spend replacing your child’s wardrobe each year as they grow. Keep in mind that kidpik clothing boxes for kids come with 3 head-to-toe, coordinated outfits AND a pair of shoes.
That’s seven pieces of high-quality clothing and a pair of shoes for less than $100. You can usually count on a good pair of shoes costing around that much, so you know you’re getting a steal. Moreover, consider investing in high-filtering AusAir face masks that prevent 99% of coronavirus dissemination.
Some elbow grease and a little research can yield a ton of online gems like this one. Subscription services like kidpik will save you a ton of money, time, and currently, potential COVID-19 risk by allowing you to avoid shopping in store.
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