With all the excitement and nerves that come with attending their first EVER sleepover, a masterful pack of your kids backpack could be the difference between a fabulous night of fun with friends and a crying midnight pick-me-up call.
Whether they’ve been begging for months or their first invite has just rolled around, your little one will understandably be super-duper excited and naturally a little nervous for the big night.
And while we might be thanking our lucky stars we won’t be kept up with whispers and giggles all night long, as we wave goodbye and drive away, we might admittedly be feeling a little anxious too.
Nip your worries in the bud using our foolproof overnight packing guide. Rest easy knowing they’re feeling comfy and cared for, with all the things they need for an unforgettable night of fun.
- A Sturdy and Organised Kids Backpack
The first step to packing… finding a bag that’s big enough and able to neatly organise all their stuff. While you might be able to neatly fold and pack their items tightly into a small backpack or tote bag, kids are a little less patient/skilled when it comes to repacking their items. Don’t risk a bag returning home with busted straps or zippers – opt for a larger bag with plenty of room.
Another important factor to consider is how easy your chosen bag is to organise, aka, how many pockets does it have? Packing your child’s items neatly into separate organisational compartments and showing them where each item is prior to the big night, will ensure they’re able to quickly and easily find anything they might need throughout their stay (particularly during the night).
Our super roomy and highly organised Big Kids Backpackpack is a great option! It’s quick and easy to organise while packing and even easier to unzip and find items for your little ones! Our Big Kids Backpack has 30 litres of storage and five zippable organisational compartments, including a side zip pocket (perfect for a mobile phone if they have one), an easy access front pocket (perfect for toiletries and medication) and two separate inner compartments (perfect for separating clothes and blankets or toys). It also has an inner clip for their Coin Pouch or Wallet.
- Pajamas and Clothes
Another consideration is making sure your little ones have appropriate clothing for the activities they might undertake during their stay. An easy way to figure out what clothes they might need is to first, consider the season and second, ask the parents hosting the sleepover what activities they have planned for the evening.
Packing appropriate clothing in your kids backpack will ensure they feel comfortable and confident throughout their stay and should eliminate the need for asking to borrow items, which can cause a great deal of stress for shyer children.
If they have arts and crafts, gardening, or cooking planned, consider packing them some clothes you wouldn’t mind scrubbing stains out of. If they’re going swimming, pack their togs, goggles and a hat. If they’re going out for dinner or a movie, pack an outfit your child will feel confident in. If they’re getting active, pack some sneakers. You get the gist!
Outside of activity-based clothing, you can assume your child will need pajamas, underwear and a change of clothes for the morning. Some snuggly, cuddly pieces like a big warm jumper and soft socks in case they get chilly.
An absolute necessity for Little and Big Kids, our Clean and Dirty Bags are a discrete and sanitary way to repack dirty items to come home for cleaning.
For the accident-prone littlies – the Clean Bag is the perfect place to store fresh changes of underwear and the Dirty Bag serves as a great courtesy to the host’s parents, who might not be feeling brave enough to deal with any soiled underwear or clothing.
For older children, the Clean Bag stands as the perfect place to store their fresh undies and a discrete period pack (if needed). The Dirty Bag could also serve as a discrete way to pack yesterday’s underwear.
It could also prevent the possibility of forgetting to pack away used underwear, or the possibility of them falling out of their overnight bag, which is cause for embarrassment at any age.
- Toiletries and Medication
Avoid unnecessary return trips for essential toiletries and medications that could easily be forgotten in the hurried excitement of packing your kids backpack, with this easy checklist.
- Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss.
- A hairbrush, a spare hair tie and any other necessary hair products (e.g. detangler, bonnet).
- Medication
- Glasses
For Older Kids:
- Deodorant
- Face wash/moisturiser/make up (if necessary)
- Sanitary products (if necessary)
- Contacts/contact solution (if necessary)
It’s a great idea to pack some additional food for your child, particularly if they’re a picky eater, have allergies or intolerances, or are too shy to ask for seconds. It’s also a good idea to let the host’s parents know about any of your child’s dietary requirements prior to the big night.
Save the host’s parents having to cook an extra meal, or order extra food and settle your worries that your child might go hungry if they refuse the options on offer. Pack our Big Bento Box into your kids backpack to provide them with a yummy and nutritious meal on their night away from home.
The separated compartments are perfect for picky eaters and to prevent the cross-contamination of foods. Pair it with our Big Cooler Bag and Chill Pack combo, if they’ll be undertaking activities outside of the host’s home to keep the meal fresh and food safe till dinner time!
- A Little Pocket Money
Whether the Host’s parents have planned an outing, or takeaway for dinner – it never hurts to send your little one with some pocket money to save them having to spot the cost. Perfect for smaller children, our Coin Pouch has a lobster clip, which attaches to the inner clip in our Big Kids Backpack to prevent it from getting lost.
Perfect for Bigger Kids, our Wallet has room for storing their IDs, keys and coins. It’s also cleverly attached to an adjustable lanyard, so they can keep their essentials close and their hands-free, on any outings they might be taking. When they return to the host’s home, their Wallet can also be clipped inside their Big Kids Backpack to prevent it from getting lost.
- Their Favourite Toy or Blanket and Pillow
It’s always a good idea to send your child off with their favourite pillow to remind them of home and to ensure they have a comfortable sleep. Bringing a favourite blanket or toy to play with is a nice reminder of home and a good source of comfort (particularly for little ones).
For older kids bringing along an activity (e.g. a notebook and some pencils, a deck of cards, etc) to keep both children occupied way up until bedtime, is a great way to keep their mind off any anxieties they might have about the evening.
With that, they’ll be all packed and ready for a night of fabulous fun at their friend’s place!