Stitch 3D Children's Backpack

• 3D front: Stitch as a moulded relief across the whole front, not just printed
• Gradient in pink, lilac and turquoise, printed all round
• Main compartment with a zip running all the way round and a light blue puller
• Two mesh pockets at the sides for a water bottle and small items
• Padded straps, adjustable in length
• Hanging loop on the top for the cloakroom hook

Details:

• Format: nursery and kindergarten size, made for the early years
• Officially licensed Disney product
• Outer material can be wiped clean
• Two mesh side pockets

A moulded backpack is more than a look for small children. They recognise it in a stack instantly, even with three similar ones hanging next to it, and they touch it. That sounds trivial but it is the difference between a backpack that comes along willingly every morning and one that stays behind. The moulded front is made of soft foam that gives way and does not crack if the backpack falls.

The main compartment takes what nursery needs: a lunch box, spare clothes, a soft toy, a picture book. The backpack is not meant for an A4 school folder — it is too small for that. The mesh pockets hold a standard children's water bottle without it slipping out while running.

The straps are padded and adjustable via buckles. What matters is setting them short enough that the backpack sits against the back rather than hanging at knee height — then the child carries the weight on the shoulders and not in the lower back. At the start, set them a little too short rather than too long and let them out as the child grows.

The moulded front is the most delicate part of the backpack and at the same time the part everyone touches. It copes with water and sand without trouble, but with neither the washing machine nor the radiator: both warp the foam permanently. A damp cloth and some patience deal with almost any mark. Clear sand out of the zip occasionally, or it will eventually run stiff — with children's backpacks that is the most common reason they are retired early.

Stitch, Experiment 626 in the film, is an alien creature who lands in Hawaii and finds a home there with Lilo. He is loud, chaotic and at the same time proof that family does not mean everybody being the same. The film is from 2002, but the character has long outgrown it: Stitch turns up on backpacks, slippers and water bottles without children needing to have seen the film.

For starting nursery, for outings, for a weekend at the grandparents'. Also as a present for a child who has just discovered Stitch — the character works whether or not the film is showing.

• Only wipe the 3D front with a damp cloth, never put it in the washing machine.
• Readjust the straps regularly, children grow faster than you think.
• Write a name inside or sew in a label, plenty of similar backpacks hang in a nursery.
• Always put the water bottle in the mesh pocket, not in the main compartment — leakproof is rarely truly leakproof.
• Hang it up open to dry so the foam front does not draw moisture.

Is the backpack big enough for school?
No, it is nursery size. It is too small for A4 books and folders.

Is the Stitch front really three-dimensional?
Yes, it is moulded as a soft relief and not just printed.

Are there side pockets?
Yes, two mesh pockets for a water bottle and small items.

Can the backpack be washed?
Only wiped with a damp cloth. The moulded front does not tolerate machine washing.

Are the straps adjustable?
Yes, padded and adjustable in length via buckles.

Is the backpack officially licensed?
Yes, this is official Disney merchandise.