Reception year - a bookbag or a backpack?

[Octavia09]

I think my DS needs a bookbag because I am going to carry it myself anyway; I doubt there will be many books to bring home and then back to school. My husband thinks he needs a backpack. In his and my primary school days we used to carry books almost from the beginning. But kids these days do not have many workbooks in their reception year. Am I right? I really do not want to see him carrying a backpack or even a bookbag after a long day (first year then we will see).

We bought a school book bag last year for DD and it was useless. It hardly held shut on the velcro and it couldn't carry the water bottle they have to take too and from school. I bought her a backpack part way through the year, and have not bothered with a book bag for DD#2 this year, just got a backpack straight off. That said, the school do not like big bags, they take up too much space, so don't go getting anything too huge.

I can see what you actually mean about the water bottles and bookback. Most of them are almost flat.
DS has a nice backpack already; enough for a water bottle and some snack. I do not know whether it is big enough for the workbooks but then I have not seen them yet.
Do you think I need to see the workbooks first(if there will be any) and then buy a backpack if this one is going to be too small?

Ds (just finished reception) only needed his book bag tbh.

When weather was hot and he needed to take his water bottle in he used to carry that seperately and the teachers mark a specific spot in class room for them and let them change water throughout the day so its not horrid and warm.

He also carried his PE bag in on a Monday and left it and school till Friday

pe bag, water bottle, lunch box went into backpack.

school issued a book bag which also went into the backpack.

My DCs infant school doesn't have room on the pegs for back packs. They use book bags, at the most they carry 1 reading book, 1 reading record and 1 library book to and from school. Water bottle should be separate because they leak (eventually).
When they get to year 3 a back pack is more useful.

They also need backpacks for some school trips.

Book bags are better as usually the children store their bags in their own individual drawer. Backpacks are too bulky and the drawers get stuck meaning none of the children can access their things.

A teacher's plea .......bookbags please backpacks take up far too much space and really aren't necessary for small children.

At our school we have both, the book bag carries the reading books, reading record and any letters from school get put in the book bag as well as part invites and thank you notes. Then they have a back pack (they stress that please small back packs) for a change of cloathes for the little ones (reception through KS1), water bottle, a snack if you want to send one (fruit is available) and a sun hat incase if it sunny. PE bags get taken in on a mon day and stay in school till friday, most people leave them at school until they want to wash. If child is having a packed lunch then a lunch bag.
Can feel a bit like a pack horse on a monday and of dd is having a packed lunch however she likes to carry it all herself and she is a small child and manages just fine.
I guess it depends on the school, if you have been told they don't need spare cloathes I would probably just go with a book bag.

My 7 yo daughter has an old fashioned (or should I say 'vintage') red leather satchel which we bought on Ebay.

She used to have a book bag but the books, paper and pencils etc. she had in it were too heavy for the useless velcro fastening on the bag to cope. Therefore, we invested in the satchel as it is something she'll use through primary and middle schools, maybe even college.

all children in DDs school have a book bag only until Y3.

all they carry in it is a reading book (from october half term) and maybe a couple of sheets of paper (notes from school, party invites etc..)

when it is hot they carry a water bottle separately
lunch box is separate

the book bags are all put into a plastic box in the morning for the TA to go through, take out any notes and swap the books. it would be a nightmare if they had 30 backpacks, where would they all go?

we only take PE kit home at half term!

Depends how they're off for spacewise in terms of backpacks to be honest. Some schools store the kids' bookbags in their trays or a plastic stacker box during the school day - in which case a backpack wouldn't fit.

PE kits don't tend to go to and fro very much anyway - I used to send them home every half term unless mums wanted them back before then for a quick desmellify. Water bottles most kids carry them in their hands if they make it home at all - and I'd never advocate sticking a water bottle in the same part of any bag as school books - I've had to do emergency rescues of far too many reading diaries at 8.30 am when water bottles have leaked in transit!

I have a bottle bag which could be carried separately. It looks as the best thing is not to buy a book bag. I will decide whether to buy it after the first day. So many things to condsider. Thanks everyone.

Don't buy a backpack! bookbags are far better and not all have velcro fastening
ours are similar to this

Thanks mrz! I meant to say that as we have a backpack already I better not buy a bookbag before starting the school. May be after a few days I will get a better idea what he will need in his first year of school.
I like this bag mrz with clip fasterners. Very cute.

Our school has crappy bookbags, with no shoulder strap, really rubbish if you cycle or walk. So DD has a bag v. similar to the one in Mrz's link, altho it is a Charlie and Lola one. But she is the only one in her class who doesn't have the blasted official bag and she's currently campaigning for it.

DD's school put the bags in a box and use them to pass messages from the school and from other parents. There isn't enough room in the cloakroom for backpacks, as we have PE bags and welly bags on their hooks already.

Doesn't your school stipulate what kind of bag is needed? At my children's schools, a book bag is compulsory until Y3, whereupon they have to have a school backpack. Before Y3, no other bags are allowed. Nice and straightforward!

OracleOfDelphinium, the school did not mention which bag to buy but as far as I know they sell bookbags only, all without shoulder straps. I do not know whether at this age it is safe to have a bag with a strap. Is it ok? Amazon sells exactly the same bookbags which you can buy on the yourschooluniform but without your school logo. Quadra bookbags. I like the look of the one Mrz reccommends. I wish it was cheaper and widely available.
I will see what to buy on the 1st day of school. My DS going to be for 1/2 a school day anyway.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

Bookbag only from reception to Year 2. They are kept as someone else said in a tray in the middle of a table in the classroom.

If a child is carrying a lunchbox I guess they might need a small backpack to put it in but to be honest I would in those circumstances just use a very small coolbag.

All they bring home is reading books and the odd homework sheet of A4 paper. PE kits go in on the first day of term and are brought home each half term.

www.bestinthecountry.co.uk/Book_Bags_Document_Bags_and_Portfolios_C723.aspx

www.fashionatwork.co.uk/p-Quadra_Junior_School_Book_Bag_With_Strap-%28901%29.aspx

www.jklclothing.co.uk/r/p-junior_book_bag_with_strap-901.aspx

www.mapac.com/schools/schoolbags/products/book-bags/primo-book-bag

Thanks mrz! I like the last link but the delivery is £10.00.

I have found these www.simplycolors.co.uk/messengerbags funky messenger bags. A bit expensive though.

DS school sells the book bags without straps like the Quadra ones but they are going to be all the same colour. With such delivery charges I might just end up buying a book bag from DS school and attach a tiny toy to it for him to recognise it.

At our school the kids tend to take both - the book bags should only have reading books and homework books in them, and they go in a plastic tub so they are easy to find when people read or books need changing. TAs and helpers often go through these when working with the kids.

The book bags and everything else tend to get brought in a backpack as most kids also bring lunch boxes, water bottles, raincoats, jumpers, and not to mention the toys that are totally forbidden but they sneak in anyway . These bags are not supposed to be touched by anyone but the kid who owns them and sit on their pegs.

Sorry I didn't look as far as delivery just thought they were reasonably priced but not with extra £10
We don't have room on pegs for big bags as the pegs are in a corridor and quite close together. We don't touch the children's bookbags the children are responsible for bringing books and homework to the teacher.

My son's bag has to go into a tray in reception so they have book bags that the school sell.

They literally carry a reading book and reading record in it so nothing remotely heavy.

By the time they get to yr3 then they can have a rucksack which ds1 is having for the first time.

Ooh, all v complicated, Octavia. I am grateful that my children have regulation everythings!

Nothing complicated OracleOfDelphinium. I am going to get that Quadra bookbag with the school logo and that it. There are bookbags which I have found quite interesting but then the price is over £10.00 plus the postage over £5.00 or sometimes even £10.00. No, I better buy that bag from a school shop and attach a soft toy so my DS would see his bag immediately. I also think he does not need an expensive bag anyway. He could have perfectly used for his workbooks a Snopake Storage Box with Carry Handle www.amazon.co.uk/Snopake-BoxOffice-Storage-Carry-Handle/dp/B000KN2A7S/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1282772043&sr=8-3-fkmr1