#WELCOMEBACK to School!
It’s no secret that I love back-to-school shopping for cute teacher outfits! But as a mom of three boys who do not love shopping, getting their back-to-school essentials has always been a bit of a hassle. This year, now that I’m down to just one kiddo left at home to shop for, I finally discovered that it doesn’t have to be a chore! Despite the fact that Jay, my 12-year-old, does not enjoy shopping and won’t wear jeans because they’re “too uncomfortable,” getting him all set for the new school year was a breeze. The solution? One-stop back-to-school shopping online at DICK’S Sporting Goods!
NOTE: This blog post contains affiliate links. Shopping via these links means I may earn a small commission at absolutely no cost to you. As always, all opinions expressed here are 100% my own, and I only share products and brands that I love and think you will, too. I received a DSG giftcard in exchange for sharing about my back-to-school shopping experience in this post.
Back-to-School Essentials
This year, Jay and I sat down to make a list of what he needed for school aside from school supplies, which we order through our school. He needs some things because the ones from years past (or that were handed down from his older brothers) have finally worn out. Other things, like shoes and water bottles, get worn out during the course of the year and need to be replaced more frequently. Here’s what we came up with:
- BACKPACK
- WATER BOTTLE
- CLOTHES FOR WARMER AND COOLER WEATHER
- SHOES
- FALL/WINTER COAT
Then I handed my laptop over to Jay and let him look around at DICK’S Sporting Goods. I was tempted to peer over his shoulder and make suggestions like I normally do, but I decided to step back and let him make his own picks. After all, we could find alternatives later if I didn’t agree. Surprisingly, I was okay with everything he chose.
Choice = Cool, Comfy, Confident Teens/Tweens
He ended up doing a great job! DICK’S Sporting Goods was a one-stop-shop with all of the sporty styles and brands he loves, so he found everything he needed pretty quickly. The items he chose are not in the style I would have chosen, but I think that’s the point. Once we finished ordering the items, he said, “I can’t believe I had fun doing my back-to-school shopping this year, and I got the coolest stuff that I actually want to wear!” Choosing his own things makes him feel cool, comfy, and confident. In years past I think he just got tired of shopping and ended up agreeing to whatever I picked out so we could be done…resulting in him not really liking any of it. Not this year! I consider this a huge win. Most tweens and teens are capable of making these types of choices given a list, a budget, and a few parameters.
Here are the items he chose, along with some other great options for your tweens and teens. I focused on picks for guys here just because, well you know, boymom.
Backpack
Jay loves the outdoors, so this Carhartt backpack was the very first thing he chose. I think he had it picked out in about 60 seconds flat. His typical backpacks usually last 1-2 years, but this one is built to last and may still be slung on his back when he heads into high school two years from now.
Jay’s Pick: CARHARTT Legacy Standard Work Pack
My Picks:
Carhartt Legacy Standard Work Pack
The North Face Women's Jester Luxe Classic 20 Backpack
Jansport Right Pack Backpack
Under Armour Hustle 5.0 Backpack
DSG Canyon Backpack
Water Bottle
DICK’S has nearly infinite choices for water bottles (Hydro Flask, anyone?). Jay loves the Gatorade bottles because they fit in his backpack and don’t add a lot of weight to it. When he saw this camo one, he knew it was the one for him.
Jay’s Pick: GATORADE Gx 30 oz Bottle
My Picks:
Hydro Flask 20 oz Kids' Wide Mouth Bottle with Straw Lid and Boot
Gatorade Gx 30 oz Bottle
Hydro Flask 24 oz Standard Mouth Bottle
Yeti 26 oz Rambler Bottle with Chug Cap
Igloo Proformance 1/2 Gallon Jug
Clothes
We always go through drawers and closets to weed out any clothes that don’t fit before the school year starts. This way, we know what holes there are in the wardrobe and don’t buy duplicates or unnecessary items. One feature of the DICK’S Sporting Goods website that helped inspire Jay’s choices was the curated looks for teens featuring graphic tees, stylish hoodies, utility pants, flow shorts, footwear, accessories, and more from top brands like Under Armour, Nike, Jordan, Adidas, Carhartt, and The North Face. They also have VRST, a new private label line made specifically for men as well as DSG, a private label line designed to be inclusive, affordable, and stylish. I love that 1% of the purchase price of every DSG item is donated to the DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation’s SPORTS MATTER program to help save youth sports.
Jay’s Picks:
Carhartt Men's Midweight Sleeve Logo Hoodie
Carhartt A18 Watch Hat
DSG Men's Fleece Shorts
DSG Men's Commuter Pants
Carhartt Logo Graphic Hoodie
Carhartt Men's Flag Graphic T-Shirt
My Picks:
I have too many to share! 😀 Just go here and check out all of the curated looks for teen/tween guys, girls, and kids. If your kiddos love sporty-comfy-cool stuff as much as mine, you’re good to go. So many great ideas!
Shoes
Kids’ feet grow so fast! And as a mom of two adult sons, I can tell you this is not going to stop until they’re in their early 20s. DICK’S carries all the top brands of running shoes (a must for school sports!). They also have tons of the most popular lifestyle sneakers. Fun side note: they even have a SNEAKER RELEASE CALENDAR for upcoming launches of key sneaker brands like Jordans and Yeezys! Jay isn’t into Jordans or Yeezys, but he does love low-key lifestyle sneaks that are comfy and cool.
Jay’s Pick: NIKE Court Vision Shoes
My Picks:
Nike Court Vision
Vans Ultrarange EXO
Nike Air Force 1 '07
Timberland 6" Premium 400g Waterproof Boots
Adidas Superstars
Crocs
Jordan Air Jordan 11 CMFT Low Basketball Shoe
Fall/Winter Coat
Last, but not least, it’s important to have a coat for when the weather suddenly turns cold. Cold snaps have caught us unprepared more than once, but not this year! Jay wanted something water- and wind-resistant and cozy so he’ll be able to play outside to his heart’s content. There were a lot of options, but we picked this one from THE NORTH FACE. Plus, the brown color he liked was marked down 25% lower than the rest – SCORE!).
Jay’s Pick: THE NORTH FACE Apex Elevation Jacket
My Picks:
The North Face Gordon Lyons Full Zip Jacket
Adidas Utilitas Hooded Parka
Mountain Hardware Super/DS Strethdown Hooded Jacket
Columbia Peak Divide Jacket
Patagonia Nano Puff Jacket
The North Face Apex Elevation Jacket
KISS: Keep It Simple, Sweetheart
I kind of like the good old K-I-S-S acronym to remind myself that life doesn’t have to be as complicated as I sometimes make it. Back-to-school shopping for Jay at DICK’S Sporting Goods this year took about 30 minutes. Total. It was quick, painless, affordable (if you find a lower price anywhere, they’ll match it!). One stop and done: easy-peasy! DICK’S makes it even easier with free shipping deals to ship it home. They also have free contactless curbside pickup if you’d rather pick it up. Best of all, as Jay pointed out, he “actually” got things he liked this year and had fun doing it. For us, this was an awesome way to knock out our back-to-school shopping list and #WELCOMEBACK to school!
