We thought a nice little red backpack would be perfect for our daughter. I was going to sew on a cute patch to customize it for her and make it more identifiable amidst a sea of preschooler backpacks.
But... how about a red backpack that's actually gender-neutral? My daughter hates the ugly brown piping all over the red backpack, and I can't blame her. It's gross. I guess the olive brown piping (which is ALL over the backpack) is how designers make it clear that the backpack is "for boys"? I love L. L. Bean quality overall, but I don't shop here much for my daughter because everything is so gendered. She likes colors other than pink and lilac (the new pink), but everything in primary red or blue ends up having a ton of contrast/detail apparently designed to make it more "boyish" or whatever. Primary red and blue would be great choices for either boys or girls if the contrast colors were ones that generally appeal to both girls and boys. How about red with pale blue contrast? Or red with white?
I know lots of parents who feel the same way. Design some primary-color backpacks that both girls and boys will like! No more ugly brown piping on otherwise great-looking gender-neutral backpacks!
I bought this backpack for my son going into kindergarten. He loved the dino print and we got the matching lunch box. This was the perfect size for kindergarten in Florida. It held up very well and still looks new, even after my boy had it, which is saying something. The size is nice in that it fit well even on my very tall boy, but wasn't bulky. The size is not nice in that putting even a light jacket inside with the lunch box in there maxed out the space. If you live in a cold climate this one would be too small for you. I still love it, and my preschooler will be inheriting it for this coming year, and I anticipate he'll use it through kindergarten as well.
The quality of the backpack is awesome. We did have a little trouble with the zipper. My son had a difficult time fitting all of his folders and books from Kindergarten. I would suggest size up for elementary. Wish that LLBean would make the Jr. a little bigger and that would solve the issue. With that being said, my oldest son has had his backpack from 1st grade- 5th with little signs of wear.
Living in NYC, this is the best birthday gift, a kid does not need another toy to clutter up the apartment. Instead we gave a backpack with the child's name embroidered on it and the parents and child loved it. The jr backpack can be worn by kids starting at about age 2 (depending on what you put in it) and until the kid is about 7/8. We noticed this gift was a huge hit since it can be used for years. The backpack withstands quite a bit and comes in many colors and designs. We even started giving hte backpacks before the kid was 2 because it is versatile and can be used as a diaper bag.
