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Are you on the hunt for new lunchboxes for the new school year? Or is your little one starting school for the very first time? Choosing a lunchbox can be a difficult process for some people, especially when purchasing online. And they are an investment. Sure you could buy the super cheap options but are they going to last? And are they actually leak-proof? And if something goes wrong is there a warranty?
I remember buying my first Yumbox for my son who was in Kindy. I ummed and ahhed about whether to get a Yumbox Panino or Original. And when I finally bought the Panino I thought to myself 'I'm not telling my husband I just spent $40 on a lunchbox' haha! However after that I was hooked. And that first lunchbox has lasted us 7 years - a very worthy investment indeed!
We get so many mums contacting us asking which one is the best for their child - because there are so many great options on the market, it's hard to know what will be best. And honestly, sometimes you won't know until you try them. Once you start packing the lunchbox and can see for yourself how much your child eats each day and what you can squeeze in to the box.
We do have some tips though to make the process easier for you &#; Scroll down for the things to think about when choosing a lunchbox.
1. Work out what type of lunch your child likes
If your child is going to be taking a sandwich to school each day, then you need a lunchbox which easily holds one, such as these:
If your child is more of a picker or grazer and doesn't like full sized sandwiches, then a bento lunchbox with more compartments for packing variety is more suitable:
2. Does your child have a large appetite?
If not, you can get away with a smaller lunchbox. Or if your child is the type who just wants to play (like mine!) then they don't need as much food packed for at school. If they are a slow eater then you also won't need to pack as much as they just won't get through it before their play time starts.
On the other hand, if they are a big eater then get something which can hold lots of food so they don't go hungry! The B.box and Go Green ranges are very generously sized, and the Large Go Green is the largest bento style box on the market, holding 8 cups of food. The b.box Wholefoods Lunchbox is also large and holds whole fruit (like apples and bananas) as well as a whole sandwich.
3. Will you pack wet food like dip or thick yoghurt?
If so, we highly recommend getting a quality leak-proof lunchbox, rather than one which is bento style but not leak-proof. The most popular leak-proof brands are Yumbox, MontiiCo and Bentgo. Alternatively, you could pack the yoghurt in a separate reusable pouch, such as the Sinchies pouches or MySqueeze yoghurt pouches.
4. Would you like to pack hot foods for lunch?
If your child likes hot lunches then either an OmieBox (which has a built-in thermos section) or a stand alone insulated jar would be a worthwhile investment.
5. Will the lunchbox only be washed in the dishwasher?
Something practical to think about. While most of the lunchboxes are top-rack dishwasher safe (see individual listings for care instructions), we do recommend those with silicone seals in the lid be hand-washed to prolong the life of the seals. If the dishwasher is the only option, perhaps a silicone lunchbox or stainless steel lunch box is a good option for you.
Another thing to think about - some boxes are a single piece and some (Yumboxes and Bentgo) have a removeable tray so there are 2 parts to wash. Others (like Go Green and Bbox) can have the seals taken out to wash underneath them.
6. Ease of opening and closing the box
This is especially relevant for younger kids. You want something that they can easily open and close without having to get help. Yumbox, B.box and MontiiCo all have chunky latches which are easy for young children to use. Something like a Go Green is more complex with 4 clips around the edges and a little dial to turn to make it leak-proof.
7. Is one lunchbox enough?
This comes down to appetite and separation of food. When first starting school, we recommend sending one smaller snack sized lunchbox for recess and a larger bento box for lunch. This makes it easier for little kids to know which box they need at which break, and also means one packed full box won't be as heavy to carry. If you have a child who will sit and eat everything in front of them then having separate boxes is also a good idea - otherwise they might not have anything left for lunch time!
8. Do I need an insulated lunch bag?
We do recommend an insulated bag with an ice pack. Even when the weather isn't too hot, it helps keep the food cooler and fresher for longer. When choosing a lunchbox be mindful about which bags they fit in to - on each lunch bag listing we have added photos or a list of different combinations of lunchboxes so you have an idea of what fits.
Hopefully that has helped you with your decision about which lunchboxes to buy! If you do have any further questions, make sure you check out the videos on our Facebook and Instagram pages, or feel free to get in touch via or on social media.
Once you've experienced a great-quality lunchbox which makes packing lunches so much easier, you'll probably want to add to your collection anyway!
I used to be a backpack guide in the Rocky Mountains, leading groups up to 14,000 foot peaks for weekly adventures in the summer.
Over the course of that summer, I became what was called a &#;gearhead.&#; I would head out to the local outfitters on the weekends with my other guide-buddies, and we&#;d spend our hard-earned paycheck buying more backpacking gear &#; partly because I was looking for creature comforts in the wild, but partly because it was strangely exhilarating to &#;collect&#; things like boot gaiters and camelpacks.
I&#;ve discovered that when it comes to Lunchbox Prep, it helps to have the right tools in your toolkit.
You don&#;t need to be a &#;gearhead,&#; but here are some of the suggestions that came from our CSA members when I asked them what equipment they use to make lunchbox prep easier.
1. Lunchbox
You may be thinking, &#;Duh, Corinna.&#;
This may seem obvious, but getting the right lunchbox is key. I learned this the hard way, when I spent my boys&#; first year in school trying to stuff their lunch into a small little case that left very little room for things like a cold pack or a thermos.
If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Tongqi.
For a backpack guide, this is like buying the right size backpack.
You need to know all the things you want to regularly put INTO the lunchbox, to make sure it&#;s the right size and shape. Thermos? Large plastic salad containers? Water bottle? Yogurt cups? And how big is that ice pack?
Aesthetics are also important here. Don&#;t forget your kids care about things like &#;how cool&#; their lunchbox looks. I let my boys pick out their own lunchbox this year, and although they chose a pricier one than I had hoped, I wanted them to feel some ownership for this process.
2. Ice Pack
Don&#;t be afraid to buy this separately if you don&#;t like the one that came with the bag.
I used to use 2 thin blue-colored plastic ice packs. But this year, the lunchbox we bought came with a longer-lasting icepack that&#;s still pretty frozen by the time it comes home from school.
I like it so much better.
Some members said they simply placed a frozen water bottle in the bag, which then doubled as a cold drink for lunchtime.
Also, consider having a back-up ice pack ready, in case your kids forget to unpack their lunch by morning. I&#;ve learned this the hard way. This is one of the things I&#;m going to be purchasing before the 14 Day Lunchbox Challenge begins.
3. Thermos
These are SO GREAT.
Having a thermos gives you the option to send hot food along for lunch &#; aka leftovers from dinner. (This was a common suggestion from our members).
I&#;m not talking about the plastic thermos bottles we had in our metal lunch boxes in the s. I recommend spending some money here and getting a good brand.
We bought a Stanley brand last year, and I think my boys feel a little pride to pull it out. It looks a lot like their hard-working dad&#;s thermos that he pulls out on cold Saturday mornings at the Farmer&#;s market.
It also keeps things nice and hot for lunch.
One of our members told me to preheat your thermos by running some boiling water into the container. Pour it out, and then put your hot food inside.
I recommend taking the time to &#;train&#; your little child how to use the thermos for the first time. It wasn&#;t intuitive for my youngest son to know that he should dump the contents into the cup, and eat out of the cup.
Use them for hot leftovers, soups, or a hot drink. You can also use the Thermos to keep things COLD.
4. Re-usable food containers
I try to avoid wasting plastic bags every day. That doesn&#;t mean I don&#;t use them sometimes, but I prefer re-usable containers.
Having a few different sizes helps. I have round ones for holding messy berries or delicate fruits, crackers, or nuts. I use rectangular ones to hold giant salads. Flat ones to hold sandwich extras like tomatoes, pickles and lettuce.
For adults, try using Mason Jars &#; they are great for holding salads and other foods. Watch out &#; they&#;re breakable though!
5. Old mini glass jam containers
I bring this up because it&#;s a personal favorite of mine. My boys eat a lot of salads, and I use these containers to hold the salad dressing.
They are the perfect portion size for salad dressing. I can also use them for dips like salsa or hummus.
I got them when I ordered a Blue Apron box last winter. They were holding the honey for the recipes, and they were so cute that I saved the containers. I don&#;t really know where you can buy them, but be on the lookout for small sized jars (or use plastic).
6. Bento Boxes
I actually didn&#;t know what these were until a few weeks ago.
So they wouldn&#;t make MY personal list of lunchbox gear, but I see a LOT of moms using them on the internet for their children.
These are lunch boxes designed with small cup-sized alcoves that allow you to create single-portion servings of different items, all packed into one box. It&#;s a great way to &#;organize&#; your lunchbox and turn it into a work of art.
You&#;ve probably seen them on Instagram &#; cute little containers with perfectly packed, colorful menu items tucked into this one cute box.
They come in different box sizes, compartment sizes, and colors. You can find them in plastic or metal. (Our Lunchbox Challenge prize is a Bento-style box from PlanetBox).
The Lunchable is patterned after the Bento Box theme.
You could also create your own bento box simply by using a shallow Tupperware container lined with cupcake liners, filled with lunchable goodies.
I&#;m not sure these would work for older kids who eat more&#; but maybe the idea is to control portion sizes. &#;Bite-size&#; is the theme here.
Plus&#; it&#;s just pretty to look at. And let&#;s not deny that presentation is important to getting your child to eat.
7. Cupcake liners
I bring these up because if you&#;re going to be pre-baking (and freezing) muffins or quick breads to have for your lunchbox inventory, these need to be in your pantry.
We&#;ll be sharing some suggestions for recipes later in the Lunchbox Challenge.
8. Silverware & napkin
Don&#;t forget to pack the right cutlery for your kids! I like to use metal ones &#; I just get cheap ones so I don&#;t care if a few get lost in the shuffle each year.
Are you one of those moms that writes a daily note on their kid&#;s napkin?
I wanted to have one of those moms when I was a girl.
I tried doing that for my boys once, and they told me to stop. So I stopped sending napkins altogether!
I am now guilty of NEVER including a napkin in my boys&#; lunchbox &#; like ever. Now that I see them lacking in table manners, I think I&#;ll start including this, even if it doesn&#;t get used.
If you&#;d like to take the 14 Day Lunchbox Challenge &#; committing to 14 days of more intentional lunchbox packing for your kids &#; subscribe to our Lunchbox Menu Ideas Resource below! It will give you a list of foods you can pack for each category (protein, dairy, veg/fruit, grain), PLUS it will walk you through a daily series for 14 days to coach you through your own Lunchbox Challenge.
Live Contest begins: Sunday Sept. 16, , 8 AM
Live Contest ends: Friday, Sept. 28, , midnight
Who is eligible to participate?
Anyone can give it a go. But to be eligible to win the prize, you must be a resident of the Toledo area and be 18 years or older within the time frame.
The Rules:
You must document your journey by posting at least once in the 14 day period to be entered in the contest. Here are some ideas:
&#; pictures of the lunch you made along with a recipe
&#; meal prep hacks you used
&#; a picture of your child helping you prep
&#; a failed attempt (don&#;t expect your kids to 100% like this challenge)
&#; frustrations or questions
&#; resources you use to help you
You can post up to 14 times. For every post you create, you receive an additional name in the hat at the end of the challenge, increasing your odds of winning.
Prize: a PlanetBox lunchbox, valued at $55. The winner will be chosen at random by picking a name out of a hat on Sept. 30, . We will announce the winner on our Facebook page.
Posts must be made on Instagram or Facebook and hashtagged #slfarmslunchbox. If you post on your personal page or IG page, just tag us @slfarms (for IG) or @SharedLegacyFarms for FB.
This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administered by, or associated with Facebook. You understand that you are providing your information to Shared Legacy Farms and not to Facebook . Any photos you take may be used by SLFarms for future marketing purposes.
If you are looking for more details, kindly visit 4-Compartment Lunch Box.