Ready for the back-to-school rush?

With the new school year in sight, it might seem like your children only just broke up for the summer holidays. The start of a new school year brings a fresh wave of possibilities, opportunities and growth for your little learners and with that they will need all the school essentials. Although this time is exciting, it can also become a very stressful time for parents. Our biggest tip for a successful back-to-school shopping experience is to avoid leaving it to the last minute. Planning ahead allows you to make thoughtful choices, find the best deals and ensure your child has everything they need to start the new school year.

School must haves

Why will your children love our products? All of our products come in multiple colours and patterns, meaning they can choose one that suits their personality the most. As an extra bonus, the majority of our products can in fact be personalised for free! Having their names on their Citron products like their water bottle can help to instantly set their water bottle apart from other, which can be very helpful when it comes to accidental mix-ups at schools. 

To help your back-to-school shop easier, here is our Citron back-to-school checklist for all of your children!

Primary school children 

Backpacks

Let's kick things off with arguably the most appointment school item, a backpack! At Citron, we have three different styles of backpacks for your child to choose from, all of which come in different patterns and colours. Our personal favourites have to be the cherry and dino pattern! So what are the highlights for the three different styles?

Thermal backpack

Our insulated backpack is our classic backpack and is perfect for a toddler on-the-go or going to school.

 Extra details include:

• Inside and outside zipper pockets
• A name-label tag
• BPA-free and food-proof thermal lining to keep food at temperature
• Side pockets to fit 2 bottles of up to 500ml
• Adjustable straps 

Roll up backpack

This thermal bag is probably suited most for toddlers. This bag is made of PET recycled plastic bottles, making it more sustainable but also lightweight which makes it easier to carry around. 

Extra details: 

•  Includes a name tag label
• Two side pockets to fit two water bottles in
• Adjustable straps for comfort

Kids backpack 

This backpack offers plenty of room for your kids lunch box, water bottle, books and space for a spare change of clothes. 

Extra details include:

• A handy label with a name tag
• A front pocket
• Adjustable padded shoulders for extra comfort

Water bottles 

Citron has two suitable water bottle sizes for your little ones; 250ml and 350ml bottles. Our 250ml bottle has been designed for younger children to be used with their smaller hands and the 350ml for an older child. What makes our water bottles unique? Not only will their bottle stay cold for up to 24 hours, but we have a special QR code feature. 

At the bottom of your bottle, you will find a QR code. If you scan the code, you can fill in your details so if it ever gets lost, someone can scan the QR code and know where to drop the bottle off. All of our water bottles can also be personalised for free!

Snack boxes 

If you’re looking for something a little more compact, but still has decent sized compartments to hold your children’s snacks, then our stylish tritan snack box range is for you. Created with 3 mix-free compartments, you can add a mixture of sweet and savoury snacks to them. If you’re in need of some much needed snack box recipe inspo, make sure to follow us on Instagram where we will be posting a lot of new recipes! 

Lunch boxes

 

Citron tritan lunch boxes come with 4 different compartments, helping to keep each food item separate. All of our lunch boxes also come with a sauce pot, so if you have added in some carrot sticks, you can pop in a pot of hummus for them to dip it into. 

Don’t believe it’s the lunch box for you ? Here are a few of our 5* customer reviews:

 “It's the perfect size of lunch box to fit in a lunch bag, easy to carry for my child and such a cute design”  

"Fantastic box. Sturdy, leakproof and keeps lunch fresh."

 

Small food jar

Our compact small food jar is one of the best snack or small meal containers because you can add either hot or cold food to it. Whether you want to make some overnight oats for your little one to have for breakfast on the way to school, or you would like to add some grapes or a warm rice dish for their lunch - this choice is endless. One amazing feature is that the food jar will stay cool on the outside no matter how hot the food is on the inside, so you won’t need to worry about anyone burning their fingers. The food jar comes with a leak-proof lid, with a removable silicone lining which makes it very easy to clean - an extra bonus point for parents!

Cutlery sets

Citron has a range of cutlery sets that are suitable for children aged 18+ months. So what are the key highlights of each set?

Silicone handle set

• 3-piece set containing a fork, knife and spoon
• Suitable for children 18+ months
• Silicone handles which make it easier for children to grip onto 
• Dishwasher safe 

Eco cutlery set

• 4-piece set containing two forks and two spoons
• Made from 100% plant-based materials
• The set comes with an extra fork and spoon in case one goes missing
• Comes with a silicone case

Stainless steel set

• 3-piece set containing a fork, knife and spoon
• Made of stainless steel
• Cutlery is dishwasher safe 
• Comes with a silicone case

For the teens 

Backpacks

Backpacks are an essential back-to-school item for several reasons. Firstly, your older children will need a convenient and comfortable way to carry their heavy textbooks, laptops and other essential school supplies. Our teen backpacks come with padded shoulders and handles to ensure that it is comfortable to carry around all day. Having a bag that won’t cause unnecessary strain on their shoulders and backs is a must and can help with their posture as well. Secondly, Citron backpacks offer ample storage space, allowing your teens to organise their belongings better. All of our teen backpacks come fitted with an inner padded compartment so any laptops or tablets can be stored safely.

Grand lunch box 

The bigger the lunch box, the bigger the lunch, which is very important for growing teens. So what is so special about the Citron grand-lunch boxes? Firstly, our lunch boxes come with 4 separate compartments, this makes them perfect for the growing teen who needs enough food to last them throughout the day in one product. All of our grand lunch boxes also come with a sauce container and a small food jar. The small food jars are perfect for storing hot or cold lunches in. As we head into the colder months later on in the year - a pot of warm pasta might just be what they need to keep them going at school. 

Water bottles 

At Citron we have two different size bottles that would suit our teenage audience during the school days and out of school. Teenagers are often engaging in physically demanding activities such as extracurriculars, sports and moving constantly between classrooms which can be thirsty work. Having either our 500ml or 750ml water bottle will ensure that they keep hydrated throughout the day, which will help to maintain their energy levels and performance. Citron bottles will keep their water cold for up to 24 hours which is a bonus because no one likes to quench their thirst with a lukewarm drink!

Large food jars

Fingers crossed that the weather stays sunny and warm until the end of September and we won’t have to heat up a bowl of soup for lunch. However, when that time does come, our large food jars will become your teens lunch-time best friend. Our insulated jars will keep your food warm for up to 6 hours, so if they prefer a warming bowl of pasta or soup then look no further. Don’t worry, our food jars can be used all year-round as they will also keep your cold food cold for up to 7 hours and they come in 7 different colours. 

Cutlery sets

A portable cutlery set might not be something that has crossed your mind when you think of back to school essentials. With a cutlery set on hand, it encourages students to take in nutritious homemade meals that will help to save on money and also encourages healthier eating habits. Another huge highlight of a reusable cutlery set in comparison to a single-use plastic one is the benefits to the environment. As you probably know by now, a lot of single-use plastic products like cutlery sets will be banned from October onwards in the UK. Having a reusable set that comes in a silicone case for easy transportation is a back-to-school must this year.

Bundles

To make your back-to-school shopping a little easier, you can shop our products in bundles that we have created. All of our bundles come in a variety of colours, patterns and styles of backpacks.

• All of the kids bundles include a snack box, a 350ml water bottle and a backpack
• All of the teen bundles include a lunch box, 500ml water bottle and a backpack

Enjoy 10% off your first order when you sign up to our newsletter on our homepage!

Try the products yourself 

The team knows that sometimes you want to see the products in person before you buy them, and this summer you can! Citron has a few pop-ups that are running during August and September where you can do just that. P.S. If you cannot make it to any of our pop-ups, we do have a selected range of our products in JoJo Maman Bebe stores. Here is a list of our pop up locations, opening days and times.

Fenwick, Brent Cross

Fenwick, Kingston Upon Thames

Westfield shopping centre, Shepherds Bush