DD1 will be starting full day kindergarten in the fall. This will be the first time she's had to pack a lunch to be away from me. Generally when we pack lunches for playdates, she has about 5-6 things and gets to pick and choose what she wants to eat and what she wants to save for later. I'm looking for recommendations on a lunchbox/lunchbox setup for her.
Re: Lunchbox suggestions?
Planet Box - hands down. It's stainless steel, all one piece, dishwasher safe, and eliminates any need for lids/covers (unless you want to buy the optional pieces) that little hands often struggle to open and even if they do they end up losing half the contents.
E had two lunchboxes that lasted through K and 1st grade: one from Garnet Hill (like PBK) and a Pack-It.
The Pack-It, hands down, has been the best lunch box!
-It sits upright naturally so no leakage/spillage from her water bottle (Camelback- you can find at Target)
-Keeps everything cold so nothing is slimy, melted, or too hot to enjoy
-Soft outer shell so when she runs by her classroom and flings her lunchbox (they all do it!) against the classroom wall, it doesn't dent, bend, break, nor fly open
For food storage:
I use Lunchskins reusable large and small velcro packs for food storage (think snacks, chips, pretzels, popcorn... nothing wet or squishable). They can be washed in your washing machine but are vinyl inside so every day they just need a good wipe out. You can get these at Target, too! I only needed 2 sets (each set has 1 large and 1 small bag).
I also use Lunchbots. They are stainless steel with a snug-fitting lid AND come in a variety of divisions. My kid loves the one with 4 equal divisions. She hates her food to touch so these are perfect! And she only wants to eat about 1/4C to 1/2C of any one thing. They go in the dishwasher and can regularly be found 50% off on Zulilly. They are also small enough to fit in PBK, Garnet Hill and other similar lunchboxes and fit perfectly flat in the bottom of the Pack-It.
After trying the PBK lunchbox with the bento insert and all kinds of tupperware solutions in her lunchboxes, this ended up being the perfect solution for us. GL!
eclaire 9.10.06 diggy 6.2.11