How to Choose a Backpack Print and Round Purse for Kids

Quick answer

Match the bag to the job, not to the age on the label. A small drawstring backpack works best when your child carries it themselves for short trips, while a round purse suits loose change, a bus card or a few small treasures. If you want one printed backpack that covers preschool through early school years, choose a water-repellent drawstring style with a closure small fingers can open alone.

Most kids' bags fail for one boring reason: the child cannot open, close or carry them without help. A printed backpack and a round purse are two very different pieces of kit, and mixing them up is how you end up with a bag that stays on the hallway floor.

This guide walks through the decisions in the order you will actually make them: what the bag has to hold, who carries it, how it closes, and how the print holds up to daily use. It also covers when a purse is the smarter buy than a second backpack.

Start with what the bag has to carry

Before you look at prints, list the contents. A round purse is for a handful of small items: coins, a keyring, a card, a couple of hair ties or a small toy. A backpack has to take a water bottle, a snack box, a spare layer and possibly a book or folder. If your list is longer than four items, you are shopping for a backpack, not a purse.

This is also where the printed backpack earns its place. A print is not just decoration; it helps a child recognise their own bag in a pile at nursery or after a class. That matters more than most parents expect, especially in the first term of school.

• Write the contents list before you browse, then check the bag against it.
• If the bag will hold a lunch box and a bottle, choose a backpack over a purse.

Match the carry style to your child, not the age

A child who walks to the car and hands the bag to an adult needs far less structure than a child who carries it for ten minutes each way. For short, self-carried trips, a lightweight drawstring backpack is often the better choice because there is less to adjust and fewer straps to tangle. For longer carries, look for a bag with a shape that sits flat against the back rather than swinging.

Weight is the deciding factor. A bag that is heavy when empty will be left behind. Fill your candidate bag with the actual contents list at home before you commit, and let your child walk around the room with it. If they lean or shrug it off within a minute, it is the wrong bag.

• Test the empty bag first, then test it loaded.
• A bag your child can put on alone will be used more often.

Closures: the small-fingers rule

The closure decides whether the bag is genuinely independent. Drawstrings are forgiving because they need a pull rather than a precise press or align. Zips and buckles can be fine, but they need to be tested with your child's hands, not yours. A closure that takes an adult three seconds may take a four-year-old thirty.

For round purses, the same rule applies in reverse. A purse that is too fiddly to open will be handed to you every time, which defeats the purpose. If the purse is for a very young child, treat it as a carry-and-cuddle accessory rather than a secure place for anything valuable.

• Ask your child to open and close the bag three times before you buy.
• Drawstring closures are usually the easiest for the smallest hands.

Weather, wear and the print itself

Outdoor use is hard on fabric. A water-repellent coating helps a bag survive a damp bench, a spilled drink or a walk home in light rain, and it also makes wiping down easier. Check whether the print is part of the fabric or applied on top, because applied details can lift with heavy use.

Prints that match your child's current favourite animal tend to get carried more, but they also date faster. If you want the bag to last more than one school year, choose a print your child picked themselves rather than one you find tasteful. The bag they chose is the bag they will actually wear.

• Look for a water-repellent coating if the bag will travel outdoors.
• Let your child choose between two prints you already approve of.

Purse or backpack: when to buy which

Buy a round purse when the goal is a first 'own bag' experience, a place for small treasures, or a lightweight accessory for a party or a day out. Buy a printed backpack when the goal is carrying real kit for nursery, sports camp or school. Many families end up with both, and that is reasonable as long as each has a clear job.

If you can only buy one, choose the backpack. It covers more situations, and a purse can be added later once you know your child will actually carry it rather than leave it in the car.

• One bag with a clear job beats two bags that overlap.
• Add the purse second, once the backpack habit is established.

Decision rules for printed backpacks and kids purses

• Rule 1: Contents decide the category: If the bag must hold a bottle, a snack box and a spare layer, buy a backpack. If it holds coins, a card or a couple of small toys, buy a round purse. Checkpoint: can you name everything the bag will hold? If not, you are not ready to choose.
• Rule 2: Independence beats features: Choose the closure your child can operate alone today. A drawstring closure is usually the easiest for small fingers, which is why it works well on a mini backpack. Checkpoint: your child opens and closes it three times unaided.
• Rule 3: Weight when empty is the hidden cost: A heavy empty bag gets left at home. Test the bag with the real contents inside before deciding, and let your child wear it for a minute. Checkpoint: no leaning, shrugging or asking you to carry it.
• Rule 4: Weatherproofing is a practical upgrade: A water-repellent coating helps with damp benches, spills and light rain, and makes the bag easier to wipe clean. It is worth more than an extra pocket. Checkpoint: the bag will be used outdoors at least once a week.
• Rule 5: Let the child pick the print: A print your child chose is a print they will carry. Offer two or three options you already approve of and let them decide. Checkpoint: your child can name the animal or design on the bag.

Product facts that help the decision

• Backpack MINI - Mr. Hippo: These backpacks can accompany your little one on adventures such as a trip to the pool, sports and play camp, and much more. Even the smallest fingers can easily handle the drawstring closure, and the backpack has a water-repellent coating. The drawstring closure and water-repellent coating answer the two most common failure points: children who cannot open their own bag, and bags that get damp outdoors.
• Stacking cups - 5pcs - Mr. Dino: These fun friends provide entertainment for babies and support the development of all senses. Their shape, texture and soft touch give newborns and babies a lot to discover with both mouth and hands, and they are suitable as a teether and bath toy. A useful reminder that not every small item belongs in a purse. If your child still mouths toys, keep small loose pieces out of a kids purse and use a dedicated teether or bath toy instead.
• Wooden silicone baby camera - Mrs. Cat: Lightweight to play with, with rounded edges and an easy-to-grab handle, this camera has soft silicone buttons and a spinning animal disc. Baby can practise fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination while they snap a photo or two. A good example of the kind of small toy a child wants to carry around. Its easy-to-grab handle makes it a realistic purse companion, while the light weight keeps the purse from becoming a burden.

Who each option suits

Best for

• Children who carry their own bag for short trips such as nursery, the pool or sports camp
• Families who want one printed backpack that a child can open without adult help
• A first kids purse for small treasures, coins or a bus card
• Back to school accessories that need to survive outdoor use and wiping down

Not for

• Carrying heavy school books or a full-size lunch setup, which needs a larger structured backpack
• Very young children who still mouth small loose items, who should stay with a teether or bath toy instead
• Anyone who needs a secure, lockable place for valuables
• Families looking for a bag that will still match a child's taste in two years

Choose the bag by contents, closure and weight, then let your child choose the print. A printed backpack with a drawstring closure and a water-repellent coating covers most everyday trips, and a round purse is a sensible second buy once your child has shown they will actually carry it.