Back to School: Unique Gear Guide

You picked up all the classic back to school items. The first day of school outfit is hanging in the closet, lunchbox is ready to be packed, pencils and crayons are neatly placed in that brand new backpack. We have some gear that you probably didn’t think of but will definitely make for a school year that is more organized, efficient and simple. Here we have our Unique Gear Guide for the best school year ever!

Skin and Oral Care by Foreo

The Gear

Good hygiene is an integral part of everyday life. What better time to start getting your whole family into good routines than the start of back to school? As new morning and evening routines will start to emerge it is a great time to focus on ensuring they are taking good care of both their skin and their teeth. Foreo is the perfect company to ensure that all of your skin care and oral care needs are well taken care of.  

For radiant skin look no further than the Luna Mini 2. The Luna Mini 2 offers gentle, yet effective cleansing, all in one, customizable skincare system. This is perfect for the pre-teens and teenagers in your household, as well as for keeping Mom and Dad’s skin perfect for drop off. It packs a big cleansing punch for such a small, handheld device and will help them battle against their oily and angsty teenage skin. The Luna Mini 2 is made from silicone and offers 8 adjustable intensities. This electrical facial brush helps reduce blemishes while still being gentle on the skin. The T-Sonic pulsations give this brush the unique ability to remove 99.5% of dirt and oil, as well as makeup residue and dead skin cells, plus exfoliate. It can do all of this without irritating the skin!

In addition to the Luna, Foreo also has the perfect toothbrush option for EVERY member of your family – from the smallest tyke all the way up to Mom and Dad. For grown kids, teens and adults the Issa is the perfect addition to your oral routine. This silicone electric toothbrush will allow you to clean and whiten your teeth while fighting off plaque. Sensitive teeth and gums? No problem! Using sonic pulse technology this brush will go above and beyond your requirements by preventing tartar buildup and cavities, while helping remove stains to whiten and brighten your teeth. Looking for a toothbrush that is just as great but for younger kids? The Issa Mini features all of the same great features in a smaller size!

Foreo certainly didn’t want to leave the youngest member of the family out. From 6 months old all the way up to preschool age, they have just released the perfect toothbrush – the Mikro. It offers all the same benefits of the larger toothbrush but is designed just for babies. It is the first electric toothbrush to combine silicone with sonic pulsations for children this young. It offers a nonslip and comfortable handle making it easy for young children to grip.

Features to Love

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Luna Mini 2

• 8 adjustable intensities
• Eliminates blemish causing impurities
• 3 zone facial brush
• Great for all skin types
• Made of soft silicone
• T-Sonic pulsations delivers the unique ability to remove 99.5% of dirt and oil, as well as makeup residue and dead skin cells
• Exfoliates without irritating the skin

Issa and Issa Mini

• Sonic Pulse Technology with up to 11,000 high-intensity pulsations per minute
• Gentle silicone won’t scratch tooth enamel
• Silicone is non-porous and will resist bacteria buildup making it ultra-hygienic
• Carries up to 10,000x less bacteria than toothbrushes with bristles
• Travel friendly – lightweight and easy to carry
• Waterproof – useable in the shower!
• Issa Mini features all the same great benefits, but in a smaller size for kids

Issa Mikro

• Ergonomic, nonslip and comfortable handle for easy grip for hands of all sizes
• Small rounded brush head for a gentle and enjoyable cleansing
• Smile helpers show when 2-minute brushing routine has been completed
• 100% waterproof and safe to use in the bath or shower
• 1-hour charge lasts 480 uses

Brand

Foreo has tasked themselves with the mission of brightening your life. They are aware of how profound of an impact the way you feel has on how you approach your own wellbeing as well as the whole world. They are providing products that help promote self confidence. They want you to feel that extra pep in your step when you step out the door. After all, when you look good, you certainly feel good!

Salt Lamps by So Well Made

The Gear

When you are writing your list of what your kids need for the back to school season, one thing that usually doesn’t but should make its way to the top of the list are products that help to promote overall wellness. This is where So-Well products come in. They offer salt lamps and salt products that aid in promoting a healthier lifestyle by adding negative ions into the air. They make a great addition to family rooms, bedrooms or any room in your house.

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In addition to adding salt lamps into your house, relax and unwind at the end of a busy school day or plop your little ones into a warm bathtub full of course grain bath salt. It is full of 84 different vitamins and minerals to help revitalize and rejuvenate your body. It also boosts your immune and nervous system, relieves water retention, and restores a healthy balance of calcium in the body while strengthening your bones and nails.

Features to Love

Salt Lamps

• Emits negative ions to purify the air
• Neutral colors look good with any decor
• UL tested dimmer cord
• 15 watt bulb

Course Grain Bath Salt

• Contains 84 minerals
• Reduces inflammation
• Relaxes sore muscles
• Focuses your mind, relieves stress, and boosts your immune and nervous system

Brand

Since 2004, Isabella Samovsky, founder of So Well, has been harnessing the power and health benefits of Himalayan salt for both herself and her customers through the wide array of salt wellness products that her company offers. Through her dedication to empowering others and her cooperation with the community of people that she works with, she is able to bring these life changing products to consumers, from salt lamps and skin care products to teas and pet care, all with sustainability, eco-friendliness, and fair trade practices in mind.

Under Desk Elliptical by Cubii

The Gear

Back to school can mean back to sitting at a desk more than you would like. Whether you are a mom homeschooling your kids or a college student, studying all day and all night long, your lifestyle may not leave much time for exercise. Cubii has a high tech solution that will keep you moving, even when you are stuck at a desk this school year.

Cubii is the first smart under desk elliptical. You track your activity with the app that pairs with the elliptical. Keeping up with your progress and being reminded of your goals in this way will motivate you to move more everyday. Set the app to remind you if you have been inactive for too long. Cubii easily syncs with FitBit and Jawbone. Share your progress with friends and family through the app.

Cubii is unlike any other under the desk elliptical. Besides syncing with your technology, it is more comfortable, affordable, quiet, and compact. You won’t bother anyone around you while exercising with Cubii and you will reap the benefits of a more active lifestyle. If a classmate, roommate or coworker gets their own Cubii, you can compete with each other through the app as well!

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Features to Love

• Cubii app works with IOS and Android
• Compact, quiet design
• Designed with optimal angles for comfortable use while seated at a desk
• Share your progress with friends and family through the app

Brand

Cubii was invented by three recent college graduates who realized how incredibly difficult it is to fit in the necessary amount of exercise to prevent health problems when working full time. People gain an average of 16 pounds within 8 months of starting a desk job! So they quit their day jobs to start Fitness Cubed and created this “office wellness product” to make it possible to have a more active day, even when you have to sit at a desk all the time.

Cubii has a special offer just for Daily Mom readers. You will receive 10% off plus free shipping with this exclusive offer.  

Vitamin System by Tespo

The Gear

Kick off the school year with the revolutionary new way to take your vitamins – the Tespo system! Make sure that you are keeping everyone in your family healthy this fall season. This new and exciting system eliminates the need for vitamins that are full of fillers, binders and artificial ingredients. In addition to containing no artificial ingredients, consuming vitamins made by the Tespo in this liquid shot also increases the bioavailability of the vitamin. Essentially it makes it more useable for your body. People are unaware that when consuming vitamins in pill form, very little of the vitamins actually become bioavailable in the body. Bioavailability is another way of referring to the part of ingested vitamins and nutrients that actually become readily available for use via your bodys systemic circulation, which carries oxygenated blood away from the heart and deoxygenated blood back to the heart.

Tespo has a variety of different vitamin options available. You can choose men, women and children’s essential options, as well as sleep aiding, skin and hair aiding, bariatric options, and selections for increasing your energy or focus.

Features to Love

• Revolutionary vitamin system producing liquid shots
• The body reacts much more positively with liquid than pressed/formed pills
• Contains no artificial ingredients or fillers
• Allows the vitamins to be more readily available for use within your body
• 76% of formula is made up of premium quality vitamins
• 24% goes to natural flavoring
• Great tasting
• Tespo discs are fully recyclable and are made out of the best quality food-grade, BPA-free polypropylene #5
• Soy free, gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian, and non-GMO
• Free of sugar, artificial sweeteners and flavors
• Sweetened with stevia and monk fruit
• Vitamin formulas provide 23 essential vitamins and nutrients

Brand

Three years ago, Tespo set up to simplify the process of taking vitamins and offer it to consumers in a better way. After a lot of homework they learned that unfortunately the vitamin industry is ridden with pills and tablets that contain many fillers and artificial ingredients that are difficult for the human body to digest. They also found that many companies try to differentiate themselves by including high doses of certain ingredients that have no or questionable research to support these amounts. At this point they set out to start a reputable company that does vitamins a bit differently. So, they created their revolutionary system which is a huge change and leap for the entire vitamin industry.

Lifestyle Backpack by Cotopaxi

The Gear

When back to school is on campus a few states away, the essentials start to change. As your big kids prepare for text books and late nights studying you can make sure they have plenty of reasons to head home to visit regularly. From Thanksgiving break to just a long weekend at home, the right gear can make sure that they visit regularly, without packing along the laundry they should have done the week before.

Cotopaxis lifestyle backpacks are perfect for college students on the go, no matter how far the journey home may be. With rugged canvas exteriors and padded shoulder straps, Cotopaxis bags are perfect for both weekend trips with a laptop in tow or hauling heavy textbooks to the library.

Features to Love

• Suitcase style interior
• Water resistent canvas shell
• 15 inch laptop sleeve
• Fleece lined sunglass compartment
• Carry-on compliant

Brand

Cotopaxi creates products with purpose, giving back to poverty fighting initiatives with every item they sell. As a B Corp certified company, Cotopaxi has committed to using best in class standards for production, distribution and design that empower them to work to improve the community and world we all live in. Only a handful of companies in the world have maintained the standards to achieve this designation!

Sound Machine by Lectrofan

The Gear

Sleep is key to a good school year. Whether your child is in preschool or starting college, she needs a good night’s sleep to do her best. Sleep is critical to memory and learning. Lots of factors can impact sleep in a negative way. Sleep environment is one of those factors. Things like temperature, light and noise work together to make a sleep environment helpful or hurtful to sleep. You need to eliminate distractions from your child’s sleep environment to facilitate the best sleep possible. This is possible with ‘LectroFan.

‘LectroFan is a top of the line sound machine designed to help everyone sleep as well as possible. Choose from fan sounds or white noise. Drown out intrusive noises that can wake your kids. Fan sounds and white noise make changes in sound less noticeable. No more creeping around after bedtime. Your child will sleep right through. What makes ‘LectroFan so effective at helping you sleep more peacefully is the continuous sound. There is no looping to distract you.

You can use ‘LectroFan for more than just sleep. It is great for a college student who needs to focus on her studies in a loud dorm. She can just turn on the ‘Lectrofan and the chatter or music down the hall will be drowned out. It is great for apartments as well. Travel with your ‘LectroFan for better sleep in a hotel or family member’s house. Once you use this sound machine for sleep or to help you focus, you will wonder how you ever lived without it.

Features to Love

• 10 non-repeating unique fan and 10 non-repeating unique white noise sounds
• Multi-level adjustable volume
• Powered by USB
• EQ Speaker Compensation ensures realistic sounds
• Easy to use sleep timer so it shuts off after you are sound asleep

Brand

‘LectroFan was created by Adaptive Sound Technologies, Inc. They are the leading supplier of sound masking machines and adaptive audio products. Their desire is to improve lives through adapting audio. Their products are innovative and use the latest technology to redefine the science of sleep. They consistently receive 5 star ratings from customers, and one night with a ‘LectroFan and you will understand why.

Life Planner and Coordinating Accessories by Erin Condren

The Gear

Keeping on top of homework, after school curricular activities, music lessons, appointments, carpool dates, it’s just as busy for you as it is for your child sometimes (if not more!) Whether your middle or high school aged child needs a homework planner, or you need a life planner to stay on track during the school year, we absolutely can’t get enough of the planner industry game-changer, Erin Condren.

The LifePlanner is truly all encompassing. Pick one up for your high school student to organize her day hourly and keep up with term papers and homework. Then, make sure to also pick one up for yourself, to take your job as household CEO to the next level. We love how they are perfectly customizable with tons of different options available. Three day layouts are available: vertical, horizontal and hourly. Color schemes can be either colorful or neutral to match your planner. And it’s available in either 12 or 18 month long. We love the 2017 LifePlanner with the remaining of 2016 included as an option, because it’s the perfect way to start fresh with a new planner for a new school year.

The Luxe Planner in Rose Gold is one of the latest and greatest LifePlanners available, and features a new “permanent cover” that is durable and beautiful. It has a leather-like feel, but is also rigid so it’s perfect for cramming into lockers and backpacks, because it isn’t going to rip, bend or tear. Every LifePlanner comes equipped with a resealable pocket to store your goodies in, some stickers in the back to mark important events, and multiple day/week/monthly/yearly views, as well as a large note section and a smaller pocket-sized date calendar in the back, which works great for jotting down birthdays and other vital dates.

Pick up the LifePlanner that’s perfect for you; we guarantee one exists. Also, don’t forget to grab some ultra fun accessories on the way out such as Designer Pocket Folders to stylishly hold important papers and permission slips, Multicolored Bright Highlighter Packs to color code your appointments or games, or emphasize important dates or appointments, and some adorable Designer Eraser Sets to quickly erase mistakes with style. We also love the Snap-In Travel Dashboard, as well as many other dashboard options such as meal planning and to-do lists, because they easily attach to the coils of your planner, and the dry erase is a nice, reusable touch, creating a checklist to keep on task and organized for your upcoming girl’s weekend, or your daughter’s overnight school trip. Don’t forget the coordinating Gemtone Wet Erase Markers for your dashboard!

The Magnetic Page Marker is an awesome addition to your planner as well, as you can easily use it to keep track of your week in your LifePlanner, or flag a different page that you often refer to. Three colors of those are available, so they will match your vision or your planner perfectly. Once you fully begin to utilize your LifePlanner and incorporate it into your daily life, you will notice that it quickly expands in size. Use the Elastic Band Trio set to keep your planner shut and all your goodies inside. You can even keep the extras in your purse to use as a hair tie in a pinch!

Finally, Compliment Cards are the best way to make someone’s day. We love throwing one into your child’s lunchbox so they know you love them and you’re thinking about them while you’re apart, always. They are sure to spread joy, wherever they go. Just a tip, all accessories are currently 15% off, if you purchase 4 or more and shipping is free on any order over $100!

Features to Love

Life Planner

• Completely customized to your individual style
• 7″ x 9″ versatile size
• Four available foil colors: Platinum, Rose Gold, Gold and Black
• Personalized option on all classic covers
• Three, hard-bound, permanent cover options
• Focused goal setting space at the front of the planner helps you or your student lay out your goals and dreams easily and visually
• Inspirational quotes throughout every planner
• Blank and grid pages in the back of every planner
• Other planner types available: Teacher Lesson Planners and Wedding Planner

Designer Pocket Folders

• Heavy duty, full sized folder (pack of 2)
• Two, large scalloped pockets
• Motivational message in platinum or gold metallic foil on the front

Brand

Erin Condren quit her life working 12+ hours a day in the apparel industry to become a stay at home mom for her twin children. She had a tight budget and active imagination, and started her business by making note cards for friends for birthday and Christmas gifts. A friend encouraged her to sell her designs at an in-home shopping party in 2004, and the rest is history. She is changing the planner world, and gave a facelift to the tired, ugly and economic planners that are overabundant at every big box store in the U.S.

Kindle Paperwhite E-Reader by Amazon

The Gear

Whether or not you’re sending a kid off to 5th grade, 9th grade, or even college, giving them the gift of reading is priceless. They may have a longer bus ride to school, or may have some free time between their full time class load. An e-reader is the perfect choice for any student’s (or even parent’s!) back to school list. But all e-readers are not created equal. Some may prefer to have a multi-functional tablet, however, if you’re an avid book reader, you’ll know that the glare of a tablet screen makes it virtually unusable in the bright daytime sun. Also, some are so massive that they simply aren’t comfortable to curl up and read a long novel on. Our favorite e-reader is the Kindle Paperwhite from Amazon. 

The Kindle Paperwhite is an e-reader that excels at its one job. Your student won’t suffer from strained eyes and you can rest easy knowing that they are perfectly set up with a choice of pre-downloaded books, and they won’t be using a tablet to play games or surf social media. The Kindle Paperwhite reads like paper, and is updated recently to include an improved 300 pixel per inch display, for a crisp and flawless display. It’s also comfortable enough to hold in one hand, and can be stowed anywhere, from a large pocket to a backpack. It won’t leave them tethered to a charger either; a single charge can last up to six weeks!

Features to Love

• Guides light toward the surface of the display with its built-in front light, unlike back-lit tablets that shine in your eyes. So that means zero eye strain!
• Upgraded to include Bookerly, which is an exclusive font designed to be optimized for reading on digital screens
• Available in black or white
• Access to Amazon’s massive book selection, which has the lowest prices – over a million titles $2.99 or less
• Lighter than a typical paperback novel
• Exclusive features help build your vocabulary, learn about characters, and connect with like-minded readers – all without leaving the page
• Free Kindle Unlimited trial view for one month

Brand

Amazon has been a game-changer in the e-commerce world since 1994, and it is headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Amazon’s logo accurately represents the site, and states that it offers everything from A-Z. You can find just about anything you need on Amazon, and they are constantly adding in new, upgraded products to their electronic’s line up, such as a variety of Kindle tablets, e-readers, Echo, TV Fire Sticks, and even phones.

Scooter by Yvolution

The Gear

Starting the day off right means getting to class on time! When you live close enough to school for the kids to walk or run its fun to add in a bit of physical fitness to kick off the day and speed up the journey. When getting to school is fun for the whole family, theres no reason to be late heading out the door.

Yvolutions line of balance toys and scooters help riders develop fundamental movement skills and reinforce locomotion and balance techniques that will help in sports and beyond. Learning balance, steering and control through ride-on toys helps engage core muscles using low impact methods that protect growing tendons and build confidence. The Fliker A3 is a positive exercise alternative that will help instill a love of physical fitness while burning more energy than other traditional types of exercise.

Features to Love

• Three wheeled scooter propelled by swaying
• Quick responding hand break
• Lightweight design
• Easy twist and stow folding for storage
• Designed for ages 7 and up
• Holds a maximum of 175 lbs

Brand

Yvolution set out to design products that improve health while helping to build movement skills throughout childhood. Inspired by childhood memories of outdoor fun, the team at Yvolution launched into the outdoor toys industry, and in 2011 launched a global product line of unique scooters and balance bikes. Since then, they have grouping to over 40 countries in the world and have developed a niche of balance products that every family can enjoy.

Internet Tracker by Circle With Disney

The Gear

When kids head back to school this fall, their homework will undoubtedly land them in front of the computer or tablet at some point. From research to math games, the internet is a great tool for learning and entertainment, but we all know that setting limits for online activity is important.

For parents, it might be difficult to know how to protect our kids from getting tangled in the world wide web. Circle simplifies internet safety and limits for your family. The small, modern looking device connects to your home’s wifi to monitor and track all of the information that travels through it.

Circle is incredibly easy to install. Once you download the Circle app, the system can be up and running in minutes. From there, you can add profiles for each member of your family, and assign the filters and levels of monitoring that you feel are appropriate. Circle detects every device in the home, including smartphones, tablets and laptops, and you can choose to assign each one to a family member, to home, or to leave it unmanaged.

You can also set up time limits for specific applications. If you only want your high school student on Facebook for an hour a day or your fourth grade boy to play Minecraft for no more than 30 minutes, you can make that happen! Circle will add up the time spent on those applications on each of their devices and cut them off when they reach their time limit. You have full control over how your family uses the internet.

Our favorite feature of Circle is that you can give your devices each an individual bedtime! This is helpful for both kids and adults. You can be sure your kids aren’t surfing the web past their bedtime, and keep yourself from browsing Pinterest into the wee hours of the morning.

Circle provides insights about the entire family’s internet usage. It tracks which websites you visit the most often, and how long your family spends on particular apps. This info is useful for family conversations about how time online is spent. If your family spends any amount of time online, this is a terrific option for setting limits and keeping the internet a safe place.

Want to manage devices on the go? A subscription to Circle Go will extend the reach of your Circle and allow you to manage your family’s devices on networks outside of the home, too.

Features to Love

• Quick and easy set-up
• Create profiles for each family member and their devices to their profile
• Put time limits on family members’ online activity
• Apply age appropriate content filters for each device
• Pause the internet in your entire home with one button
• Get insights on your family’s internet activity
• Set bedtimes for devices

Brand

Founded in 2014, Circle Media Inc. believes that family is everything and develops products that help families redefine how they connect. They seek to make it easy for families to manage their devices and leverage them for as much good as possible.

Dorm Decor by Dormify

The Gear

College kids are traditionally tough to impress, but get ready to knock the socks off your college student with dorm decor from Dormify. We’ve never seen a more fun line of decor, so uniquely perfect in every way – and appealing to all kinds of kids. There’s truly something for everyone in Dormify’s product line, from comforters, to throws, to shams, to wall art, and more – and each piece is exclusive to Dormify, so your college-bound child will surely have the coolest room in the hall, sorority house, or fraternity house.

We fell in love with the subtle, spa-like colors found in each of these pieces, which can help to make the “off to college” experience a little bit easier on your child. By mixing and matching pieces from Dormify’s collection, your child can make his or her dorm room feel like home, and beat back any homesickness that comes along. The faux Mongolian Euro pillows add a bit of furry texture to a bedroom set, and a bit of visual pizzazz. These pillows make for great extra floor seating too! The color, shown here in Harbor, coordinates perfectly with the Hello sequin script pillow, which has just the right amount of sequins to add some sparkle to your child’s corner of the room.

The Elton fringe pillows are a fabulous boho addition to help make that standard issue twin XL bed more cozy and comfy, and provide some extra support for late-night studying sessions (and worldly conversations with roomies). Soft and puffy, the Elton pillows (shown here in Natural) are neutral enough to match any color scheme – or you can go bold with the available Baltic teal or Mimosa yellow versions.

Tie the whole look together with the oh-so-cozy Aiden sculpted chevron throw. Trust us when we say, you won’t complain if your child happens to forget this at your house on winter break! The Aiden throw features a subtle imprinted chevron pattern, and the softest faux fur feel ever. It’s available in four different neutral colors, and it’s machine washable, making it the perfect final touch to your child’s new dorm room.

Features to Love

Faux Mongolian Euro Pillow

• Available in three colors
• Faux Mongolian backed in micro-mink
• Comes pre-filled, so no need to purchase separate Euro pillows
• 100% polyester
• Poly filled
• 26′ x 26′

Elton Fringe Pillow

• Available in three colors
• 100% cotton
• Poly filled
• Zipper closure
• 20′ x 20′

Hello Sequin Script Pillow

• Sequin script “Hello”
• Faux linen
• Feather filled
• 14′ x 18′

Aiden Sculpted Chevron Throw

• Available in four colors
• 100% polyester faux fur
• Machine washable
• 50′ x 60′

Brand

Dormify was created by a mother-daughter duo, Karen (mom) and Amanda (daughter) Zuckerman were frustrated when shopping for Amanda’s dorm decor, unable to find chic, sophisticated essentials. With that, Dormify was born. They set out to create a unique line of decor, perfect for trendy, design-obsessed college students, to help make those tiny dorm spaces feel a little bit more like home. Dormify’s eclectic mix of products will delight any college student’s inner stylist, from classic, to modern, to funky, or somewhere in between.

These unique items will improve every aspect of family life this school year. We hope you found a few things you think your family can’t live without. Back to school doesn’t have to be chaotic and exhausting. It can be organized and exciting!