P.S. They chose their outfits (picked my battles today – haha!)
In fairness, I was SUPER emotional as a child and sobbed on the first day for many years in elementary school. I guess it’s pay back time with a daughter who does the same. I’ll be sending my mother an apology now knowing what I put her through (sorry mom!).
Then there’s my 4 year old Naomi who went to school for the first time ever, yet she skipped into school with a smile.
In fact, Naomi’s kindie teacher mailed all the kids in her class a cute package last week. It had this Jitter Glitter poem accompanied by a little baggie of glitter for her to put under her pillow the night before school. We had no need to use it for Naomi because she fell asleep as soon as she hit the pillow.
However, in hindsight, Sienna and I could have used that jitter glitter! And Mackenzie was super sad when she realized she was alone without her sisters for the first time. More tears!!
Now that the jitters are gone, and the kids are in school, I have some shopping to do. I’ve been holding out on buying the girls their lunch boxes because I’m committed to keeping them for YEARS. None of this, ‘get a new lunch box every year or two’ business.
That was my intention with our Bentgo which we’ve had for 2.5 years (which I loved). But the clasps recently broke. Hence currently using a rubber band to keep their lunch box together. I felt terrible for sending them to school with a mangled lunch box, but I wanted to find the best replacement.
I wanted a lunch box that:
- is strong enough to withstand the beatings it will take from my kids.
- is planet-friendly and toxin-free
- is mess-proof (my kids eat a lot of messy foods so there can’t be any leaking)
- is reasonably priced and not going to break the bank
My Top 6 School Lunch Boxes!
Planet Box:
Planet Box is 100% one of our favourites. If you check out their website, you’ll see why right away. Their stainless steel containers have a space theme to them, making them super fun for kids to eat from. The compartments also ensure we don’t forget to pack those veggie sticks! And how cute are the lunchbox names: Rover, Launch and Shuttle? The Downside: watery items also leak within the container. And it’s pricey. But parents seem to love it!
Yumbox:
Yumbox is a fun and simple lunch box that offers great portion control size compartments and is dishwasher-friendly! Our top reasons for choosing Yumbox are that it is a leak-proof lunch box (great for salad dressings and saucy snacks) and you can add additional stickers within each compartment which adds an educational piece on nutrition! The Downside: it’s plastic, but if you keep it for years then I consider that planet-friendly-ish. Pricing:
Bentgo Box:
Bentgo offers great lunch boxes for kids and also for adults (nudge, nudge)! It’s actually the one we’ve been using for a few years and have loved. The size is ideal meaning you can pack a full lunch in one hard-to-lose container. The inner compartment is removable which makes it easy to wash, and that was a huge plus for us. There is ZERO leakage both inside in between sections and outside as well. The Downside: my kids are rough on their lunch boxes and broke part of the clasp. If I could just replace the outer casing I would do that. And it’s plastic. Pricing:
Baransu:
Baransu is a stainless steel lunch box which we love because it is so planet-friendly and easy to wash! We also love this product because it has individual compartments which are great sizes to fit various foods and to keep their food separate. Consider it the more cost-effective “Planet Box” (see below). The Downside: watery items will leak and some complain about sharp edges but I didn’t see this as an issue. Pricing:- USD: not sure! Sold out online.
- CDN: $30 at Costco
LunchBots:
One of my best friends is a huge fan of these and I can see why. The LunchBots Large Cinco Stainless Steel Lunch Container has 5 sections so it can hold a variety of foods without losing much space (as you find with the plastic varieties). It’s 100% stainless steel (yay for planet-friendly), and easy to wash. Being made from the best quality stainless steel, they are also virtually indestructible.
Downsides: it’s one of the pricey bento boxes out there and it’s not recommended for leaky foods like sauces. Pricing:
Omie:
Omie is great if you love to send your kids off with hot meals. It has separate temperature zones in order to keep some food hot and others cold. Cool right? The lunch box comes in a really great compact size and we love that you can mix and match the colors. The best part is that they created a labeling section where your kids can write their names and know which lunch box is theirs in the morning. Lastly, the handle makes it super easy to grab and go! The Downside: Super pricey, on the heavy side, and some say there’s not enough space for snacks and sides when you use the thermos portion. Oh and it’s also plastic. Pricing:
PlanetBox! Ila’s been using hers for the past 3 years and we are not tired of it yet. Wyatt just started JK today and has an identical one too. It’s outrageously expensive but – like you said – you know why. I love how easy it is to wash it, and love love that there’s so much variety that you can have with so many divisions.
I have bought more lunchboxes than I care to admit and my kid is only a Kindergartener! But planet box all the way! And a tip is buying the shuttle size plus the silicone containers. It’s plenty big enough for a littler kid but allows for a variety of food to be stored without touching.
We have the Yumbox both in lunch size and snack sizes. We also have the Omie. I bought a planetbox after seeing many recommendations but I realized for my 4-5 year old, being leak-proof was ESSENTIAL. For now, we are sticking with Yumbox.
We got the bigger brother/sister of Bentgo Box – the Bentgo Fresh. Love it. You can add/remove a section to create more/less sections. Both my kids have them and I love it.
I use the Yumbox and am happy with it. Mind you it does leak sometimes, but I’m not sure if that’s because my son opens it upside down. My first yumbox got moldy on the rubber part but I was able to replace the outside box and keep the inner clear box portion. I have had the newer outer portion going on year 2 now and no issues with mold. My son loves the box and I love all the compartments for keeping his food separate.
I chose Yumbox because my boy saw it and was YES PLEASE – first day of school today and it was a bit to get used to however he loves it and what ever I put into it he eats.
We have the Baransu. Definitely aren’t leak proof but love that they have a carrying pouch that’s insulated and a spot for an ice pack. The food stays super cold. My only complaint is that my girls are big eaters and there isn’t a huge amount of space for food. My son hardly eats so this isn’t a problem for him—and he prefers no ice pack-which is fine as his food is pretty non-perishable. 🙁
I LOVE our yum boxes. Leak proof. The latch has broken, but the company send me a new latch with installation instructions at no cost! The cute pictures inside do wear off…into where I’m not sure? Hopefully when washing and not with the food!
We have been using the Bentgo boxes for more than 2 years. My kids are now 4 and 7 and they’re still perfect for SOME occasions, such as a snack for a long road trip, lunch out and about when we’re gone all day, and even when I send them to gramma’s house and I want to make gram’s life easier. Also, I’m a nutritionist, as well, and they are awesome for events when I display food. However, my 7 year old needs both a lunch and a snack for his school day, so we had to purchase a larger box for him – one that includes ice packs (it’s a Costco box – BPA free plastic, but not my fave in terms of the environment). Nonetheless, it’s the perfect size for him at this age. I’d LOVE to hear which one(s) you choose…
I am a Kindy teacher and work with lunch boxes twice a day.
Any lunch box with a flip lid is prone to bump the next lunch box or water bottle over. They take double the space of one that the lids goes under, especially if eating on a table and there is limited space.
Parents also feel they have to put something in every space and then they start adding unhealthy stuff.
We work on a two lunch box day. One for morning tea and one for lunch. We recommend not more than 3 spaces. So having 10 different things packed is ridiculous. But if you only pack one lunch box and food need to be for whole day, then more than 3 compartments will be okay.
All the plastic ones shown here a 3 to 5 year old can’t open them selves.
Many don’t have a space for a spoon.
Which ones can go in the dishwasher?
How properly can it be washed with many little spaces or flip lids?
Remember you going to wash it at least 200 times in one year, are you prepared for that?
As a teacher I prefer simplistic ones with individual containers that kids can open themselves.
I have 2 yum boxes for my almost 4 and almost 3 year old boys. They’ve been used ever since they were weaned so 2/3 years in with them. They’ve been with us everywhere, they’ve been bashed around lots and they’re still as good as when we bought them but with a few scratches. I thing has ever leaked, you get fun designs to choose from and my boys live have a selection box for lunch as they never know what’s inside! Defo a big vote from me. I planned to carry on using them once they start school so I’d assumed they’d last for years to come!! They are expensive but so worth it as got my money back 100 times over and although they’re plastic, I’d have defo used cling film or foil or plastic bags instead if I didn’t have these so I’d say they’re environmentally friendly in the sense of what I’m NOT using instead xxx
I have struggled with the lunch box decision too. We have lunchbots in a pack it freezable lunch bag. It’s an investment so we will stick with what we have but we struggle with fitting things into those little spaces. I wish they were movable and leak proof. Dreaming, I know. We end up using reusable sandwich bags along with and/or other containers for dips and more liquid items such as applesauce or yogurt along with the lunchbolt. It seems complex some days with the various containers, but has worked out.
I use a paper towel or napkin under the sandwich to keep it dry. Or silicone cupcake liners. Lunch bots does make a small sauce container with a lid and also makes different configurations with larger/less spaces.
We use Lunch Bots. They have different configurations to choose from also. I generally tend to use the one with one large section and two small sections. A sandwich or dumplings in the large section with a fruit and a vegetable snack in each of the smaller sections.