The first-year daycare backpack
At daycare, the backpack doesn’t carry books: it carries a change of clothes, a bib, a pacifier, and little else. That’s why the criterion isn’t capacity, but that the child can open it alone and the caregiver can identify whose it is without opening it.
View daycare backpacks Material list by ageA daycare backpack is a small backpack, between 24 and 30 cm tall, without a rigid structure and with a single continuous zipper. It’s designed for children aged 1 to 3 who don’t carry school supplies yet, just change clothes and hygiene items.
What really gets lost in the first term
In a 1 to 2-year-old classroom, everyone has the same blue bag. The change clothes get mixed up on the changing table, the bib stays in the dining room, and the change bag comes home with another child’s clothes. It’s not anyone’s fault: fifteen identical unmarked garments are indistinguishable.
What reduces that problem isn’t a more expensive backpack, it’s that the name is visible from the outside and doesn’t peel off after the third wash. That’s why we insist so much on labeling and so little on capacity in liters.
Recommended selection
Children’s School and Daycare Backpack (0-6 years)
from €14.95
Double-Compartment Change Bag
from €19.95
Simple Baby and Daycare Change Bag
from €19.95
Daycare Dirty Clothes Bag
from €10.95
Children’s Cushion
from €12.95
My First Day of Daycare Boho Sign
from €19.95
Why it works
Let the child open it, not the caregiver
Smooth zipper with large pull tab. At this age, the goal is independence: for the child to reach their bag and take out their bib without anyone handing it to them.
Separate compartment for wet items
The double-compartment change bag keeps dirty clothes separate from the rest. It’s what prevents the clean change from coming home smelling like the previous one.
Name that lasts the school year
Heat-transfer textile vinyl on fabric and laser engraving on faux leather or silicone pieces. No fading marker or paper label that falls off in the washing machine.
Size proportionate to the child
A primary school backpack on a two-year-old’s back reaches the knees and unbalances them when walking. The ones in this section do not exceed 30 cm in height.
Frequently asked questions
What size backpack does a daycare child need?
Between 24 and 30 cm tall. Above that, the backpack rubs the legs when walking and tends to pull backward. In daycare, no more capacity is needed because no books are carried.
Backpack or change bag?
Many daycares ask for both: the backpack for what goes in and out every day and a change bag that stays in the classroom with the spare clothes. It’s best to ask the center before buying, as each has its own list.
How do I label clothes so they don’t get lost?
With heat-transfer textile vinyl, which is applied with heat and pressure and withstands washing. Permanent markers fade in a few weeks and sewn-in labels come undone. We explain it all in our school supplies labeling guide.
Can the backpack be washed in the washing machine?
Fabric ones do, inside out and cold. It is best not to iron directly over the name: if it has heat-transfer vinyl, the direct heat from the iron can lift it. With a cloth on top, there is no problem.
Do they comply with any safety regulations?
The children's items in the catalog comply with the EN 71 toy standard, and everything that touches food or drink complies with the EU regulation 1935/2004 on materials in contact with food.
Is daycare starting this school year?
Choose the backpack and the change bag, and label them with their name before the first day.
View daycare backpacks