The First Parenting Plus Back-to-School
Yep, just a couple of weeks to go. Back-to-school shopping can get out of hand very quickly. But if last year’s backpack has seen better days, or those school shoes have finally been outgrown, a new school year is a good excuse to replace what needs replacing.
So we’ve gone through this season’s latest launches and picked the things we think are actually worth a look: practical enough to make parents happy, but still fun enough that the kids might actually remember to bring them home. See which ones jump out for you!
✦ 1. Skip Hop Besties Squad Straw Bottle
Part of Skip Hop’s new Besties Squad collection for nursery, preschool and younger primary-school children, this 355ml reusable straw bottle comes in playful animal designs and has a flip-down straw, carry strap and lightweight construction. The bottle container is made using 50% certified recycled content and is suitable from 12 months+. (Mumzworld)
Why we love it: It ticks the very unglamorous but important school-bottle boxes: easy to carry, straightforward for younger children to use and dishwasher-safe on the top rack.
Why our kids will love it: The Besties characters. There are few things more persuasive to a five-year-old than drinking water from a unicorn.
Instagram:@skiphop.arabia
Shop: Mumzworld
✦ 2. Done by Deer Kids Backpack
A particularly good option for younger primary-school children, Done by Deer’s 7.5L backpack has a main compartment, adjustable padded shoulder straps and a chest buckle, with water-repellent fabric. Designs include Playground Green, Tiny Farm Powder and Celebration Sand. (Mothercare)
Why we love it: The chest buckle and padded straps are practical additions for smaller shoulders, and the 7.5L size makes more sense for younger children than sending them into school wearing a backpack half their height.
Why our kids will love it: Done by Deer manages to make children's products fun without covering every available centimetre in cartoons.
Instagram:@donebydeer.arabia
Shop: Mothercare UAE
✦ 3. LEGO x Herschel Retreat Small Backpack – Garden Floral
This collaboration brings LEGO details to Herschel’s Retreat backpack, with a custom LEGO print on both the exterior and interior lining. It is available through LEGO Certified Stores in the UAE.
Why we love it: It feels like a children's school bag without looking overly childish, which gives it a little more longevity than some character backpacks.
Why our kids will love it: It’s LEGO. On a Herschel backpack. That argument pretty much makes itself.
Instagram:@legostoresme
Shop: LEGO UAE
✦ 4. lululemon New Crew Lunch Box
lululemon's New Crew Lunch Box has space for a bento box and ice pack and is designed to fit inside most backpacks.
Why we love it: A lunch bag doesn't need seventeen clever features. It needs to fit lunch, fit inside the school bag and survive daily use. This keeps things reassuringly simple.
Why our kids will love it: For older primary-school children starting to reject anything that looks remotely “little kid”, this feels considerably more grown-up.
Instagram:@lululemonme
Shop: lululemon UAE
✦ 5. lululemon Back to Life Sport Bottle 18oz
The 18oz bottle, approximately 532ml, features double-wall insulation, a built-in straw lid and textured finish designed to provide a more secure grip.
Why we love it: The insulated construction is useful for UAE school days, while the straw and textured exterior make it easy to grab and drink from between lessons and activities.
Why our kids will love it: It looks more like the water bottle Mum or Dad carries than a traditional children's bottle - a definite plus once they reach the “I'm not a baby” stage.
Instagram:@lululemonme
Shop: lululemon UAE
✦ 6. ECCO BIOM 2.2
ECCO's BIOM 2.2 is one of the key footwear styles in its 2026 Built for Curious Feet Back-to-School collection, created for children and teenagers aged 4–17. The wider collection focuses on lightweight soles, flexible construction, soft linings, premium ECCO leather and school-friendly black colourways. Prepare to splurge, but they are totally worth it if you want your child to wear them for a couple of years. Think durability and comfort.
Why we love it: School shoes have a fairly brutal job description: classroom, playground, stairs, running, clubs and sometimes several kilometres of accumulated walking. ECCO has deliberately designed this collection around movement, comfort and durability rather than simply making miniature formal shoes.
Why our kids will love it: They look like proper trainers while still working with many school-uniform requirements.
Instagram:@ecco
✦ 7. Hype Backpacks
British brand Hype has launched its Back-to-School range across the GCC for the first time, aimed primarily at older children and tweens. The backpacks come in the brand's bold prints and feature spacious compartments suitable for schoolbooks and laptops, padded adjustable shoulder straps and durable fabrics. Matching lunch bags, bottles and pencil cases are also available.
Why we love it: This is a good bridge for children who've grown out of character bags but aren't remotely interested in carrying something plain. The padded straps and generous storage also make it a more practical option for the heavier end of primary school.
Why our kids will love it: The prints are loud, colourful and very definitely not chosen by their parents.
Instagram:@justhype.me / @mapyr.baby
Shop: Available through UAE retailers including Lifestyle, Virgin Megastore, noon and Amazon.
✦ 8. Personalised Backpacks on noon
For parents who know that someone is going to come home with the wrong backpack at some point, noon's Back-to-School offering includes personalised backpacks starting from AED 59, alongside personalised bottles, lunch boxes and notebooks. Its Back-to-School Sale runs from 14 August to 2 September 2026, with up to 80% off selected school essentials.
Why we love it: Putting a child's name straight onto the item isn't revolutionary, but when you're staring at twelve identical bags outside a classroom, it suddenly feels very clever.
Why our kids will love it: They get something that is actually theirs - name and all - with character collections spanning Disney, Marvel, football, gaming and anime.
Instagram:@noon_uae
Shop: noon UAE
The P+ take
You definitely don't need to replace every pencil case, backpack and bottle just because a new school year has arrived. But if something does need replacing, we'd rather buy once and choose something practical enough to survive the term and appealing enough that our children might, with any luck, stop leaving it at school.
