Preparing for School,1 Daughter Entering Kindergarten, 2Nd One in Full Day pre-K

As far as labels go, I bought a package of white mailing labels 1 inch by 2 and 5/8 inches at Dollar Tree. I printed: This lunchbox belongs to and This backpack belongs to and my daughter's name. Then I put the label on cardstock and cut it to the size I liked. I placed Disney Princess stickers around the label. I then laminated the label and use a hole punch to make the hole. My husband found some metal rings like for key chains and I put the label through the ring and then put on her backpack or lunchbox. It works great because it won't get messed up because it is laminated.

You can also get lamination done at Mardel for super cheap. I think is only 25 cents for quite a large piece.

You can use a cable tie to attach the bus info to her backpack. A cable tie will not come loose, break, etc.

No one I know does labels. Like the PP said, you write your child's name with a Sharpie pen on all her belongings. Labels are expensive, can get wet & smear, & may not even stay on, so the Sharpie is perfect.

We pack DD's lunch all days except for Friday. I do pack fruit, and no, it's not too messy. You can put a napkin or baggie with wipes in it for clean up. We have a reusable drink container that we put whatever DD wants to drink in. As far as the peanut allergy, yes it sucks to have to be nut free, but if was your kid, who could die from any remote contact with peanuts or their products, you'd appreciate it. There are plenty of non-nut options out there.

Not sure about the buses - our school doesn't have them, and even if they did I'd be paranoid to put my DD on one.

Good luck, I know it's freaky.

I think I may help with some of your questions. First, with the bus pass, they make traveling ticket--in the travel section of the store and I think you can slide the bus ticket inside it. what I did was put my sons in a zip lock bag in his bag.
I haven't had to deal with the full day of pre-k yet. (1st grade here we come)(I'm going to have my son eat there, even with his allergies) but if you want a suggestion, I would get 100% juice (nothing with the sugar in it).
My son is allergic to all nuts including p.b. I don't think it's unfair. Sometimes just the smell can close a childs throat right over. some kids are that bad.
My son did have a little problem with bullying. We have no tollerent bullying at our school and school bus. We had just two instants but that was resolved. And there will be some delay in buses especially for the first few days to a week or so. (with the pre-k there was a slight delay) Most regular buses should have your kindigartner sit in the very front of the bus, closer to the bus driver. I don't know about your area that you live in. If not, just ask your child to sit in the front of the bus. They should know about bullying and what to do if they start getting bullied.

hope this help!

For labels besides Sharpies you can use Dymo labels.
As far as PB, I feel your pain, my son loves PB but couldn't bring it. He would buy when there was so ething he liked. Or else we used a thermos and brought spagettios and easy mac. I understand though the danger for kids who are allergic, my nephews are and it can be life threatening.

I agree with the lanyard attached to the backpack idea for the pass. My daughter's school doesn't use passes.

I use a Sharpie to label things, but I'm not diligent about it. School supplies are now communal supplies in our school. And clothing is mostly inexpensive and replaceable. We've only lost one "hoodie" so far that was cared about.

My daughter buys lunch. I'm just not creative and proactive enough to deal with lunch every day. I am willing to pack a lunch on days that she doesn't care for the lunch provided. If she packs a lunch, she can still buy milk to go with her lunch.

Peanut allergies in a classroom are an inconvenience for the rest of us, but could be a matter of life and death for the one...

We've never had issues with the bus, and our daughter's in 4th grade now. She loves riding the bus, the kids on her bus teach each other new songs to sing!

Put a lanyard on her backpack and put the pass on it like a drivers license on a key chain. That way as long as she has her backpack she has her pass.

There are things called Sharpies. Most people write their kids names on the labels of their clothes, write their names on the supplies, etc...Sharpies do it all.

They eat lunch at school. They may not be the best lunch around but they are regulated by the USDA and they have to have certain nutritional standards. Cereal has grains and added vitamins, milk is good for the kids, and the foods they serve often hides the veggie content...like pizza. It has tons of grains and tomatoes in it. Plus the calcium of the cheese. Chicken nuggets have grains and the protein of the white meat.

Once the kids get old enough to choose what they want I want them to have had the experience of being offered all kinds of new things and knowing what they like and don't like.

As far as the peanut allergy......

This isn't an allergy where she might get a stuffy nose... this can be a life-threatening anaphylactic shock where she quits breathing.... and even small amounts, like the residue on a child's fingers can be enough to trigger a reaction. It is important to keep the child away from PB as much as possible.

Your daughter can still eat PB & J at home... just don't pack it for lunch.

My kids also love PB&J & have been in nut free classrooms/camp groups. This past summer we discovered sunflower butter at Trader Joe's. It tastes exactly like peanut butter, but is slightly thinner consistency and needs to be kept in the fridge once opened. It is so peanut-like that one of my sons was asked not to bring it to camp again (counselors thinking it was PB) until I sent in a note explaining what it is. My boys love it and can't tell the difference with the real thing.