12 Backpack Essentials for Teen Girls
Packing a backpack takes on a new spin when a girl nears her teen years. Today I’m sharing backpack essentials for teen girls.
Whether your teen is packing her backpack for her first day at middle school or high school, to go to youth group, or for an overnight sleepover, there are several essentials a teen girl shouldn’t be without.
After choosing the right backpack for your teen, next gather these essential backpack items so your teen will be prepared for anything when she’s at school this year.
If your teen hasn’t already chosen her backpack for this year, this guide will help her choose the perfect backpack that she is sure to love all year long.

First grab a small cosmetic pouch or two to pack these essentials in. The essentials will be easier to find, and the pouches will keep potentially embarrassing contents away from prying eyes.
A cosmetic pouch also makes switching from backpack, to tote bag, to purse quick and easy.
12 Backpack Essentials for Teen Girls
Cash
It’s always a good idea to have some cash on hand for the unexpected. Ten dollars is a good amount to keep stashed in the essential pouch.
Feminine products
With the unpredictability of teen bodies, it’s smart to always have a few feminine products on hand.
Water Bottle
Hydration is so important, especially for active teens. Ensure your daughter stays hydrated all day long with a sturdy, stylish, and leakproof water bottle in her backpack.
Here are some of my teen’s favorite water bottles– I like to make sure they each have at least 2 so we can rotate them if one is dirty or accidentally left behind somewhere.
Mints and/or gum
Fresh breath is a confidence booster!
Hand sanitizer
With all the germs she’ll encounter, this one is a must!
My teens love to buy fun little hand sanitizer holders and change out the scents of hand sanitizer that they carry.
Lotion
Frequent hand washing can do a number on already dry skin.
Scented lotion can double as a great way to freshen up on long days away from home.
Medication and First Aid
Leave necessary prescription medication in original bottles. If your child gets headaches or cramps, consider a small travel bottle of pain killer too. You might want to consider adding a small pack of bandaids, or even a mini first aid kit.
Dental Supplies
Worrying about food in your teeth is one thing a teen girl never wants to stress over.
Since adding these amazing little teeth brush picks to my teens essential backpack pouch all their friends are always begging for one after lunch! I love that they are disposable and individually packaged for cleanliness.
If your teen has braces or aligners, she might want a little cosmetic pouch filled with the essentials- a disposable tooth brush, a travel toothpaste, flossers, or picks, and a compact mirror. Don’t forget the aligner case and extra bands if needed! My teens also love these aligner removers and chewies to help with getting tight aligners in and out of their mouths.
ChapStick® or other lip balm
Cracked, chapped lips are never fun! Be sure to include your daughter’s favorite lip balm or ChapStick® in her backpack to keep her keep lips smooth all day long.
Brush
Pack a small travel size brush to keep hair looking great all day long.
Hair tie or barrette
Every girl needs a way to get her hair out of her face!
My girls won’t leave home without at least one of these hair ties in their bag.
Contact information
Keep a piece of paper with emergency contact info in the essentials pouch. In case of emergency, it’s easy to forget important phone numbers.
So many people don’t know important numbers by heart thanks to the ease of using a cell phone. It’s also easy to damage or lose a cell phone, so having a piece of paper with important numbers is always a good idea.
Tissues
A small pack of tissues comes in handy for more things than just runny noses!
Masks
With many places requiring a face mask, your daughter should keep several face masks in her backpack as well.
Encouraging your teen to change her mask regularly and not continue rewearing dirty masks is very important for her health.
If your teen is using reusable, washable face masks place two small bags in her backpack to keep clean and dirty masks separate. Something as simple as labeled quart zip top bags will work well. Simply write “clean” on one and “dirty” on the other. Or you can use 2 cosmetic cases.
If your teen is using disposable masks, you’ll just need a bag for clean masks. Or invest in these individually wrapped disposable face masks for her backpack.
Other Essential Items your Teen May Want in Her Backback
Ear buds
Ear buds are almost a necessity these days. Between podcasts, music, and video your teen is sure to want a pair of ear buds in her backpack.
Battery Charger
Teens are often on their electronic devices for much of the day. Get your teen a rechargeable battery charger to ensure her devices are always charged. Don’t forget the charging cord!
Gum or Hard Candy
My teens like to keep gum or hard candy in their backpacks. Chewing gum or sucking on a hard candy can help them keep their concentration when they get weary.
Snack
If your teen will be gone for a long day, or away near a meal time placing a protein bar in your teens backpack can be a lifesaver!
Water flavoring packets
Sometimes water gets boring. My teens love to keep water flavoring in their backpacks to help them beat the temptation to grab a soda from the vending machines.
With a well stocked essential pouch, your teen daughter can head out into the world with the confidence of being prepared.
I know I feel better when my daughter heads out the door with the essentials!
Looking for more teen tips?
Looking for backpack essentials for teen guys? This post will help!
Pick the best backpack for your teen with this guide and recommendations.
Help your teen choose a water bottle she’ll love with this guide.
If your teen is getting on an airplane and needs packing help, this guide will help pack everything she needs to have a great airplane experience.
The ChapStick® product, information and gift have been provided by Pfizer Consumer Healthcare.
I love Strawberry and Cherry scents
Thank You for the chance
Such a great idea to have a cute little cosmetic pouch filled with the basic necessities so it can easily be thrown from school bag to sports bag or even a purse!
I love the way you explain the hiking essential very well. Your content is full of information and can’t wait to dig it into utilizing the resources you provided. I was actually writing a blog on “Hiking for Beginner – The Most Common Questions” and thanks for your point of view help me to find some key points to focus on.
I have not had my period yet but should I still carry around tam ponds and pads?
You should probably carry at least one pad or tampon just in case you start your cycle unexpectedly away from home.
yes you should incase you get it.
yes just in case of a emergency
This is a fascinating and instructive article. You present the Backpack Essentials for Teen Girls in a straightforward but engaging manner. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts.
Very useful article, You present the backpack essentials for teen girls . Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
hi amanda,
ik this is a really late comment for this article but i love it so much thank you it is so helpful bc im starting year 7 soon
I hope you have a great year!
fantastic !! i have read your article. at last want to tell you ,it is a nice article about backpack.
Glad you found it helpful!
Nice airtcle.Your present Backpack essentials for teen girls.Thank you so much this good informations.
Love it, very helpful bc I’m starting yr 8 soon. Maybe add tissues or Band-Aid’s? Could be important ♀️
I’m glad you enjoyed this list. I agree tissues and bandaids could be very important.
I am also a teen and looking for a backpack for my college needs. This article is the one I am looking for. The backpacks are awesome; definitely go buy one of them. Thanks!
Great article, I’m going in to year 8 and this is super useful
Thanks
Leave a comment. Thanks this is helpful