Back to School Products that Last – Packing School Lunches

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Next to backpacks the next most used item on your school supply list? Lunch boxes and lunch containers.

Products that Last: Lunchboxes

I have only been packing lunches for two years, and I don’t do anything like Lunchbox Awesome. In fact, my middle child is such a picky eater I literally made the same lunch (peanut butter on a whole-wheat bagel) for 6 months before she branched out.

At the end of my son’s first year of kindergarten, I became frustrated with how many plastic bags we were going through daily.

I had tried out some reusable sacks before, and my daughter loved them, but my son refused to use them. They were too colorful, too attention-drawing. I even got a plain colored one, and he wouldn’t use it. He also complained that his sandwich was “crunchy” (bread dried out), and he insisted that even after washing, he could smell peanut butter on them (for what it’s worth, you can’t).

As we entered first-grade last year I was determined to find a container he would use. I spent a lot of time online and on Twitter asking people what they used and checking out dimensions. I wanted containers but I didn’t want to have to buy another lunch box. At the time both my kids had lunch boxes from Crocodile Creek and I didn’t want to replace them. Over and over I heard from people that they loved Easy Lunchboxes. I ordered a set from Amazon and held my breath. I was concerned that they wouldn’t fit and that my son wouldn’t use them.

While my son was reluctant to use them at first, we have been using them for a year. My preschooler loved them because they were so much easier for her to open than sandwich bags. They also were neater and kept her peanut butter from getting “smooshy.” I loved the ease of packing lunches and reduced waste. The different segments make it easy for the kids, even my 4-year-old, to help pack lunch. They have learned what goes in which spot, and they fill them up while I make sandwiches. Easy lunchboxes have made packing school lunches easy and a less stressful experience for all.

Now I know your wondering, it looks like plastic; how has it stood up? Well, we have washed ours every day (dishwasher safe!). My kids who have managed to break the lids off and dent stainless steel water bottles have not been able to crack, break, or even lose one piece of our Easy Lunch Boxes. The containers are also non-toxic and BPA free. They are not leakproof (which we learned when we put watermelon cubes in them!), and the website mentions that the lids are meant to be easy, so they may fall off; we have never experienced that.  We have never had problems with food spilling or mixing, even though we use our own lunch boxes.

If you’re looking for some lunchbox inspiration, be sure to check out their Lunch Idea Gallery, it’s inspiring me to up my game…not quite to Bento Lunch levels, but to maybe be more creative than the same sandwiches daily!

Have you tried Easy Lunch Boxes or another Bento style box? Share your favorite in the comments!

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