Toddler & Preschool Backpacks

One big enough for the preschool packing list but light enough for little shoulders. The Spixal Junior backpack is 25L with three compartments, weighs 400g empty, and has deep side pockets for a drink bottle, a D-ring for a hat clip and a water-resistant lining. It comes in six prints, each with a matching lunch bag and pencil case.

Use the school packing list and your child's fit together. A laptop, A4 folder and sports kit change the space needed, but a bigger bag still needs to sit comfortably when loaded. Check strap adjustment, access to the bottle pocket and whether your child can manage the zips. If the daily load is small, do not choose extra capacity simply because the next school year is approaching.

Use the wording on your own school's information pack when choosing supplies. Starting ages, orientation days and the equipment list can differ, even within the same state. A useful trial is a practice lunch at home: get the bag out, open the container, eat, close everything and put it away. That often shows whether a lid or zip needs more practice before the first full day.

One that fits two changes of clothes, bedding, a drink bottle, a hat and lunch without extra bags. The 25L Spixal Junior backpack does, and it's only 400g empty. Starting daycare? The Spixal Little Adventures Starter Kit pairs the backpack with a matching drink bottle and hat clip.

Ask the centre what stays there and what needs to come home each afternoon. Bedding and spare clothes can take more space than lunch, especially after a wet-weather change. Pack those items first, then check the remaining room for bottles and food. A bag's capacity is storage space, not a target weight for a toddler to carry; an adult may need to carry the loaded bag between home and the room.

Lay out the things your child takes on an ordinary day before choosing extras. A lunch box, bottle and separate fruit-break container usually need a place of their own; a library bag might only travel on borrowing day. Check whether the school supplies cutlery and whether lunch stays in the classroom or a fridge. That tells you what needs to fit together and which pieces you can leave off the shopping list.

Big enough for spare clothes, rest-time bedding, a drink bottle, a hat and lunch if your centre needs it. The 25L Junior backpack fits a full daycare day without needing extra bags, and it's only 400g empty.

A storage capacity is not a recommendation to load a young child's shoulders with that much gear. Check how the backpack sits on the child and decide who will carry it when it is full. If bedding stays at the centre, the daily load may be much smaller. Use the compartments to organise what is needed, and remove spare items once they are no longer part of the centre's routine.

The Junior has 25L of storage for items such as spare clothes, bedding and lunch. Whether it is an appropriate bag for your toddler depends on their fit, the centre's packing list and who carries it when full.

Try the bag with the usual contents inside, not just when it is empty. Adjust both shoulder straps so the load sits close to the back, and check that your child can walk and reach the zips comfortably. Keep heavier items close to the back and remove things that do not need to travel that day. If the fit still feels wrong, changing the load or bag size is more useful than tightening every strap further.

Yes. The water-resistant lining wipes clean, or you can machine wash the bag on a gentle cycle.

Open every pocket, remove loose paper and shake out crumbs before washing. Wipe small marks first; a whole-bag wash may not be needed every time. Follow the Junior care directions for a machine wash and allow the bag to dry fully, including the bottom corners, before refilling it. Check the name label and straps afterwards. Cleaning on a day when the bag is not needed gives it time to dry properly.

Every Junior backpack has a D-ring on the front for the Magnetic Hat Clip, so the hat stays on the outside of the bag where you and the educators can see it.

Give the hat a regular spot: clipped on before leaving home, back on the clip after play. Practise that movement with your child while the bag is on a hook. Attach the clip where the hat will not drag on the ground or cover a zip they use often. It makes the missing-hat check a quick glance at the bag, rather than another search through the lunch compartment.

Yes. The Junior range is sized for daycare, preschool and the first years of school, and each print has a matching lunch bag and pencil case for when they need more.

Age ranges are a starting point, not a fit guarantee. Check the actual school load, your child's height and how the bag sits when packed. A younger child carrying bedding may need more storage than an older child with a locker. Reassess the setup when the routine changes, such as starting a laptop program or adding after-school sport. You can often change the packing arrangement before deciding the whole bag needs replacing.