Kids’ gear guides, sorted by what needs to work.

Start with the lunch box your kid has to open or the rain layer they have to wear. Pick the part of the day that’s giving you trouble.

School Gear

School & Lunch

This is the gear that has to work at 7:40 a.m. with nobody helping: the lunch box latch, the water bottle lid, the backpack zipper.

Explore School & Lunch
Four preschool water bottles beside a lunchbox, backpack, bottle brush, and straw partsPreschool EssentialsWater bottles for preschool that won't leak in the bagFour kids lunch bags arranged on a bright school cubby benchSchool LunchLunch bags you can wipe out after a yogurt leakTwo soft lunch-box ice packs, one patterned and one plain navy, on a wooden table beside an open insulated lunch box holding a bento container and a drink bottleSchool LunchSlim ice packs that fit a bento boxKids snack containers with berries, crackers, cheese, and fruit beside school bagsSchool LunchSnack containers for the backpack and the carOur Bentgo Kids Chill packed for lunch on the family dining tableSchool LunchLunch boxes kids can open alone at schoolYellow and light blue Native Jefferson shoes worn on grassSchool ShoesSchool shoes for 5-year-olds who drag their toes at recessOur Wildkin Jurassic Dinosaurs 12-inch backpack hanging on a dining chairSchool GearKindergarten backpacks, including the Wildkin our son usedRed Ten Little Everyday Original shoes worn while walking on a forest slopeSchool ClothesPreschool shoes kids can put on by themselves

Rain and Outdoor Gear

Outdoors

Kids play outside in whatever weather shows up. The gear here has to go on fast and come home in one piece.

Explore Outdoors
Four kids water shoes on wet pebbles at a rocky shorelineSwim GearWater shoes for splash pads, rivers and rocky beachesKids swim goggles on a poolside towel next to a swim bag and capSwim GearSwim goggles kids won't pull offFour kids camping chairs arranged on level ground at a wooded campsiteOutdoor PlayKids camp chairs light enough for them to carryColorful child-size gardening tools beside a damp raised bed, watering can, and empty glovesOutdoor PlayKids garden tools that dig real dirtBug Bungalow bug catcher for kidsOutdoor PlayBug catchers, butterfly gardens and a ladybug habitatChild holding the adjustable bar of a blue and yellow GOMO three-wheel scooter on dry pavementOutdoor PlayKids scooters from 3-wheel starters to the Razor A5Fubbles Mini Bubble Machine on a wooden backyard table with bubbles drifting above itOutdoor PlayBubble machines, wands and no-spill tumblersClose owner photo of the larger visored bright-green Giro Hale MIPS against a shaded metal shelterOutdoor PlayKids bike helmets, from the Giro Scamp to the Specialized ShuffleBlue Strider 12 Sport leaning against a low stone garden wall beside a child’s helmetOutdoor PlayBalance bikes for a first ride: Strider, Woom and moreNavy Columbia kids rain jacket on a wooden wall hook beside a bright window with rain boots on the floorRain GearKids rain jackets for drizzly school daysGreen Oaki rain pants and red rain boots on a wet stone doorstep beside a shallow puddleRain GearRain pants for recess, puddles and muddy kneesFour kids binocular picks arranged on a wooden trail table in the woodsOutdoorsBinoculars small hands can actually focusFour kids fleece jackets hanging at a wooded trailheadOutdoorsKids fleece jackets for chilly trailheadsMerrell Moab Speed 2 Low waterproof kids hiking shoe on a wooden table beside folded socks, a water bottle, and a plaid blanketOutdoorsWaterproof hiking shoes for kids: Keen, Merrell, ColumbiaMud-covered yellow Okabashi Kendall rain boots worn with rain pants outdoorsRain GearKids rain boots for wet playgroundsDock & Bay Kid's quick-dry towel in a multicolour checkerboard print, spread flat on dry beach sand beside a straw bag and leather sandalsSummer GearKids beach towels: quick-dry Dock & Bay vs. cottonBlack and gray Oaki rain suit with light mud flecks on a wooden hanger above damp rain boots in a family mudroomRain GearKids rain suits for daycareFour labeled kids sunscreen sticks on a sunlit park tableSun GearMineral sunscreen sticks for the daycare bagBlack and charcoal pull-on winter boots on a muddy boot tray beside a snowy doorwayCold WeatherWinter boots for cold, slushy walks to schoolPurple Arctix Kids Insulated Snow Bib laid beside black winter boots on a pale wooden floorOutdoorsSnow pants and bibs for deep snow and cold recessKids snow mittens on a wooden bench in natural lightCold WeatherSnow mittens that stay on at recessBlue galaxy-print kids winter parka hanging alone on a mudroom wall hookCold WeatherWarm winter coats a kid can still move in

Toys and Creative Play

Toys & Creative Play

A toy that gets played with once and then lives under the couch isn't a good toy. We look for the ones kids come back to.

Explore Toys & Creative Play
Four glue stick picks arranged on a craft table beside a rain-speckled windowCreative PlayGlue sticks for school, from Elmer's purple to UHUStrathmore 100 Series Youth Drawing Pad on a desk with colored pencilsCreative SuppliesSketchbooks for kids who draw every dayFour colorful paint stick sets arranged on a bright craft tableCreative SuppliesPaint sticks: Kwik Stix, OOLY Chunkies and PlayColorMelissa & Doug Easel Paper Roll on a wooden art easelCreative PlayArt paper for kids: easel rolls, mixed-media pads and sketchbooksOOLY Chroma Blends Neon Watercolor Set tin packaging with neon paint pansCreative PlayWatercolors for kids, from pods to liquid paintUnbranded modeling dough, simple tools, and handmade shapes on a family craft tableCreative PlayPlay-Doh, Mad Mattr or Hey Clay? Dough for kidsColorful fuse beads sorted in trays with pegboards and craft tools on a tableCreative PlayPerler, Aquabeads, Artkal or IKEA PYSSLA? Fuse beads for kidsOwner-used Crayola Super Tips 100-count marker box open on a family art tableCreative PlayWashable markers for kids that clean up without dramaBright children's playroom with toys and storageHome GearToy storage kids can put away by themselvesPrince Lionheart mesh bath hammock holding toys above a bathtubHome GearBath toy storage that actually dries outGreen Toys Ferry Boat with its yellow and blue mini cars beside a bathtubHome GearBath toys you can clean (no hidden mold inside)Kinetic Sand Sandisfactory box surrounded by colorful sand and tools on a classroom activity tableRainy-Day PlayKinetic sand sets, and what the cleanup is really likeCrazy Forts Original (69 Piece, Multicolor) set up with a sheet draped over the frame in a living roomRainy-Day PlayFort kits for rainy weekends: Crazy Forts, AirFort and moreOur Melissa & Doug four-puzzle dinosaur set, with completed puzzles and divided wooden storage box on a tablePreschool PuzzlesFirst jigsaw puzzles for 3-year-olds, 12 to 36 piecesUnbranded wooden and translucent plastic marble runs assembled on a family play tableToysMarble runs from HABA for toddlers to GraviTrax for 8+Colorful translucent magnetic-tile castle with loose pieces on a playroom rugToysMagna-Tiles, Connetix, PicassoTiles or Tegu?Natural wood Guidecraft Classic Kitchen Helper tower with star cutouts beside kitchen cabinetsHome GearKitchen towers for toddlers who want to helpBRIO World Starter Travel Train Set box beside an assembled wooden figure-8 track with a viaduct bridge and red passenger train on a playroom floorToysWooden train sets: BRIO, Tiny Land and Melissa & DougFour exact LEGO Creator 3-in-1 models assembled on a family playroom tableToysLEGO Creator 3-in-1 sets worth rebuildingUnbranded kids kitchen tools with nylon knives, a glove, a finger guard, and cut fruit on a counterKitchen ToolsKid-safe knives and kitchen tools for little cooks

Toddler Gear

Toddlers

Toddlers want to do it themselves. Good gear lets them, safely, and still fits in three months.

Explore Toddlers
Four stainless steel kids cup picks arranged on a family kitchen tableToddler GearStainless steel cups for toddlers learning to drinkBlack-and-white Kanga Care Wet Bag beside folded diapers and baby wash on a nursery tableToddler GearWet bags for the daycare cubbyToddler utensils comparison featuring ergonomic forks and spoons for self-feeding practiceToddler GearFirst forks and spoons for toddlers feeding themselvesColorful modeling dough containers for supervised toddler table playToddler ToysToys a 2-year-old keeps coming back toLow-profile green BabyBjörn step stool beside a standard-height bathroom vanityToddler GearStep stools for toddler handwashing and counter helpCeraVe, Vanicream, Aveeno, and Aquaphor baby moisturizers in a family bathroomHealth and CareLotion for kids with dry skin: CeraVe, Vanicream, Aquaphor

Travel

Travel

Everything in the bag has to earn the space. The best travel gear is the stuff a kid can manage without handing it to you.

Explore Travel
Kids sleeping bags on a bedroom floorTravel GearKids sleeping bags for sleepovers and first campoutsFamily cargo e-bike leaning against a garden wall with kids helmets and a lunch box nearbyFamily TravelCargo e-bikes for the school run: Tern, RadWagon, Lectric and moreDarkened hotel room window with soft light peeking through blackout curtains and a crib nearbyFamily TravelBlackout curtains and tents for naps away from homeUnbranded child-size rolling suitcases with packing cubes near an entrywayTravel GearKids rolling suitcases they'll really pull themselvesUnbranded kids travel headphones with a tablet, backpack, cable, and airplane adapterTravel GearVolume-limited headphones for toddlers on planesCompact kids travel toys packed into a navy backpack on airport seatsTravel GearTravel toys for planes, car rides and waiting rooms

Family Tech

Family Tech

Every device for kids comes with an app, a charger and a settings menu. We say how much of that you're signing up for.

Explore Family Tech
Blue Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids tablet on an airplane tray table with kids headphonesTravel TechBest kids tablets for travel: Fire, iPad, Samsung, LenovoOur Yoto Player 3rd Generation in its blue Adventure Jacket beside cards on a keychainScreen-Free AudioYoto, Toniebox or Eddi? Story players for kidsLight purple Garmin kids' smartwatch on a stone countertop beside rainbow hair ties and a whistle, with a park blurred behindFamily TechKids smartwatches for calls and GPS, no phone needed

Sleep

Sleep

If a sleep gadget needs its own bedtime routine, it didn't help. These are the ones that stay out of the way.

Explore Sleep
Four kids sleep-training clocks on a child's bedroom dresserSleep GearOk-to-wake clocks: Hatch Rest, Mella and GroclockVAVA Baby Night Light glowing softly on a child bedroom dresserSleep GearNight lights dim enough for sleepAden + Anais, Burt’s Bees Baby, Little Unicorn, and Copper Pearl baby blanketsBaby GearBaby blankets for strollers, floor time, and daycareCool-mist humidifiers on a dresser in a child's bedroomSleep GearKids room humidifiers, and how hard each one is to clean