Back to school bags with Maqio Toys - Review

As we all know that time is here kids across the country are getting ready to go back to school some schools across the midlands have already gone back with the rest going back next week.

Whether it is nursery school or primary school the kids are going to there is one thing they are all going to need, school bags although most kids love a good bag even if it isn't for the school being a last-minute Lil this was one thing I hadn't actually sorted out yet so when Maqio toys asked if we would like to review some bags for them, of course, we were going to jump at the chance.

If like me you have a lot of children, your way behind on getting the school uniform sorted and you don't want to spend a lot Maqio toys have a 40% off sale on their backpacks and there not just the boring plain coloured bags either they're branded character ones that kids absolutely love.

Adam has chosen a Lego bag because like all the boys in the house they're Lego obsessed and the twins choose a shimmer and shine bag which they also love.

Quality wise I can honestly say they are great, the twins overfilled their bags with dolls and toys as soon as they got them they have been bashed about as young children do and they haven't bent or marked as the front are a hard plastic so I would think hard-wearing  and long-lasting the girls absolutely loved the sparkly glitter on the front of them.

Adam has tested his backpack out with his pack lunch in the back of it, it is the perfect size for him he is absolutely chuffed to bits he gets to wear his favourite character to school every day, I like that it has a pocket on the side for a drinks cup and it also has reflective stripes on the sides which is peace of mind for his safety as the darker nights are drawing in.

Adam and the girls are over the moon with there bags and are already showing them off to there friends and family.

If you haven't heard of Maqio toys before its definitely worth a hop over to there site not only are they offering a 40% off sale on their bags, they have also got a massive up to 80% off sale on other items. I have Adams birthday around the corner so this massive discount if definitely going to come in handy and then there is, dare I say it Christmas knocking on the door Maquio toys is definitely a great place to start getting stocked up.

*we were sent these backpacks for the purpose of this review all opinions remain honest and my own thanks maqio toys!

Its a nightmare!! the big school shop #BacktoSchool week

So quite happily off we went to start collecting the things we needed for School, there is a massive choice of places to buy uniforms everyone seems to be getting in on the act all the big supermarket plus all the high street stores all doing there own ranges sizes and prices.

where to start? First stop our local supermarket Tesco, at a first glance the store seemed fantastically well stocked but on looking deeper in to what we needed there were only two royal blue jumpers left in Liam's size and there was one pack of two shorts, so I snapped then up straight the way there were plenty of polo shirts and trousers so two packs of trousers and two packs of polo shirts into the basket.

I would of liked Liam to have tried them on but trying to get a three year old onto the changing rooms with a pushchair and a shopping basket is a nightmare in Itself so after picking up a few more essentials items, next stop back home for lunch. At home I tried Liam's school trousers on in size terms he has the smallest size that the supermarket make. This is a problem in that even on the tightest pull in on the adjustable waist they just fell down and the legs are far to long, so looks like the trousers will be, being returned so all we have up to now is four polo shirts, two pairs of shorts and two jumpers....
Next stop one of the cheapest leading supermarkets Aldi fantastically priced but everyone must have had the same idea as me as there stock levels were very low but i have managed to get four round neck T-shirts and a packet of black socks.

Onto Leicester city centre now first stop Matalan there stock levels were not that great in store but another two royal blue jumpers purchased there sizing is really generous so buying more trousers from here didn't seem an option.
Onwards to the next store BHS they had loads of trousers but mainly not black or in Liam's size the lady in the store was very helpful and found us one pair of black trousers i tried them on and they were a perfect fit, fantastic so I clicked onto my phone to see if i could get some more online and there were none left completely out of stock which i wasn't very happy about. So off we went again this time to marks and Spencer's although they are slightly higher in price i was hopeful they would have a lot of stock i could not see any black trousers on inspection of the back to school range, so after asking one of the store members of staff he was very helpful he managed to find me a pack of two pairs of trousers the last two pairs in store and looking on there website they have plenty of stock I could order some more to collect later in the week.
 So this is what i have managed to buy

• Two royal blue jumpers from Tesco
• Two times two polo shirts from Tesco
• Two pairs of black P.E shorts from Tesco
• Four black pairs of trousers from Tesco
• Two royal blue jumpers from Matalan
• Four round neck Tshirts from Aldi
• a Pack of socks from Aldi
• One pair of trousers from BHS
• Two pairs of trousers from Marks and Spencer plus two pairs ordered online 

I have decided that I am not going to return the trousers to Tesco as Liam will grow, but it has made me think. Are stores not stocking so much in because people are avoiding the shops and doing all there shopping Online? After looking on the all of the companies websites the majority of them have a great selection of back to School Items on line which are available for collection in store or for home delivery, with the exception of Aldi as they don't have a website that you can buy things from but it is worth keeping a close eye on there site, as it lists any promotional or seasonal items and events they have coming up in store.


Today has actually been a nightmare and Liam still has no footwear, I have a three year old that was more interested in hiding under the clothes than looking at them and a toddler that is screaming to get out of his pushchair is not my idea of fun but the shop had got to be done. so i have come up with a few tips to make it through the school shop without to much stress.

1. Compare prices Online to get the best deals
2. If you have to go shopping work out the best route so your not walking round for hours
3. Take a list you don't want to keep having to go back for items you have forgotten
4. Get you child to try things on that way you don't end up with extras
5. Add an incentive for good behaviour like an ice cream/toy or a sticker on there reward chart
6. Take a small toy or snack to keep little ones in push chairs entertained
7. Shop in store as early as you can to avoid disappointment  

 






The trousers that were too big but were getting there we are nearly ready for School.