Love Taza’s Naomi Davis Makes Back-to-School Prep a Piece of Cake for Parents

As a busy mom of three, Naomi Davis, founder of the popular blog Love Taza, understands the challenges moms face when preparing their kids for the school year: buying new supplies, shopping for wardrobe essentials and packing healthy (and tasty!) lunches, while staying on budget? It’s a lot to handle.

And while Naomi’s been getting ready to send two of her kids off to elementary school, she’s taken note of how many resources Target has for making back-to-school shopping quick, easy, painless and… dare we say fun? Below, Naomi shares her family’s back-to-school prep story and sheds light on the tools and products that have helped them every step of the way!

What are some of the biggest concerns moms face when planning to send their kids back to school?
This year is a completely new ballgame for me as we're sending not one, but two of my little ones off to elementary school this fall. It's a time when you feel so many emotions with your babies taking those first big steps into the world to do their own thing. You feel such pride, but also such stress! So needless to say, I’m always on the lookout for a shopping experience that’s all about ease. What I love about Target is that it has everything I need in one section, and a lot of it is color-coded in the store, just like the shopping lists we receive from teachers. And when shopping online, you can use the School List Assist tool, which means you can search for your school's list to add it to your shopping cart in a matter of just a few clicks. Easy as 1-2-3.

Naomi Davis stands in a Target aisle looking at multicolored backpacks What are some of your favorite back-to-school items from Target’s assortment?
I find the Yoobi school supplies that touch on the food-inspired trend with donuts and ice cream cones to be so much fun! I also love the iron-on patches and pins by Yoobi and Cat & Jack so little ones can really customize their backpacks and gear and add some personality to it all. And on top of Target exclusives, I so appreciate that Target also carries all of the national brands like Crayola and Elmer’s Glue that are on my kids’ lists too!

When thinking about packing your kids’ lunch boxes, what do you keep in mind?
We try to keep lunch very simple and on the healthier side, packing lots of fresh fruits and veggies, simple sandwiches or hummus and a handful of nuts. We've discovered that nut butters (like the ones carried in Target's Simply Balanced line) taste even better when they have just one ingredient in them… nuts! Our kids and family haven't missed any of the added sugars and unpronounceable ingredients found in so many other foods targeted to kids for lunches and snacks.

Naomi Davis looks at kids' tops hanging on a Cat & Jack display What are some things you and your kids look out for when picking out the new back-to-school wardrobes?
My kids are in a stage where they love dressing themselves and choosing what they wear each day. One of the things I like about the Cat & Jack Kids’ line at Target is that everything goes well together and they can mix and match a lot of those pieces. I also really appreciate the positive affirmations and words of encouragement that are sprinkled throughout the collection on t-shirts or the back of jackets. Between that, it being such a playful and colorful brand, and the price points, it's safe to say my kids and I are fans.