Lunchbox system?

[drrn04]

So, I live in the hippie capital of the midwest (j/k...sort of), and Natalie's school has a policy that requests you send reusable containers in the kids' lunches. I'm the queen of baggies. Sometimes I'd send her sandwich in a little princess box, but other than that, I used baggies.

Her current lunch box can't accommodate tons of little containers as well as a cold pack. Typically, I'd send a sandwich, veggies and ranch dip, some sort of pretzles/goldfish, and some grapes. Sometimes a container of milk, and since they provide juice or water to drink, I'll probably continue to send a milk.

Any thoughts on a lunchbox system (containers and cute lunch box) that would hold all those containers? I'd rather not spend a ton of $ on it, since they say they try to make sure kids don't throw stuff away, but you never know. I have no idea about any sort of brands, but would like to be able to order it online.

tia.

[joenali]

You can buy or make cloth "baggies". I know not everything will work with cloth, but that's one idea. I think there is also a lunchbox system called "laptop lunches".

[saraandmichael]

bento box? i got one from pb kids and it fits inside of the lunchbox. there is a little compartment with a lid on it that you could put dip in. it won't accommodate a drink, so i put that in the front zipper pocket of the lunchbox with a cold pack in there.

[speckledfrog]

What about laptop lunches? www.laptoplunches.com/

[drrn04]

Thanks for the recs!

About these reusable baggies, are they lined w/ anything that would let me do carrots or cucumbers in them? Or are they just cloth?

Oh, and how easy are the lids to get on and off? They encourage the kids to figure out how to do lunch independently (since no one is going to do it all for them in kindergarten), so that includes dealing w/ the lids. Natalie can do the gladware lids, but anything really tight I can see just exploding when she finally gets it off.

[jaylea]

We have these for L's lunches:

www.amazon.com/Ziploc-Container-Divided-Rectangle-2-Count/dp/B003U6DJ90/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hg_1/180-3359382-7771115

They fit well in her lunch box. I send additional items in the tiny snack containers.

[saraandmichael]

i also use the little tupperware things from ikea (i don't always put in the bento).

its about $15 for a bunch of pieces and there are all different sizes. the lids are easy to take off and put back on.

[PinkSquirrel]

www.etsy.com/search?q=reuseable%20sandwich%20bags&view_type=gallery&ship_to=ZZ&min=0&max=0&ref=auto1

Reusable bags come lined and unlined and have a number of different ways they seal shut.

[mishap]

We use the Ziploc ones that have dividers -- they fit in most lunch boxes and bags. I bought two last year, and they lasted all year.

[lmbml]

Lunchbox are super cute, they have them at target, Walmart. My daughter has a goodbyn it's a bento style, the cover holds all the food in and it has a spot for a little water bottle. It was on Gilt for like $13 but you could check amazon.

[imoan]

Sept 7, 2012 11:28:15 GMT -5 @tambcat said:

This is a really annoying policy.

I agree. I figured it'd actually be a lot more annoying to have a bunch of parents bitching each time a kid threw away a Tupperware thing. Wouldn't it be EASIER on the schools to just have parents due Ziplocks?! So fucking odd.

[missyny]

I love the cheap $5 ones that Old Navy has. We have a couple!

You can't use, like, regular ziplocks??

WTF?

[missyny]

oh, you know what I'd be doing? Going into the back to school aisle at Walmart and looking at zippery/plastic pencil cases and stuff like that.
All different sizes and designs.

? might work.

[keyslover]

Sfl

[daisyheadmaizie]

I love these reusable baggies. The seller is awesome, the prints are cute, and they hold up really well. We have had some of ours for 2 years and they are like new still. She will put a zipper in if you prefer and she will also make a larger size if you convo her.

www.etsy.com/shop/mamamade

[Marle]

Oh I found reusable baggies at Nordstrom. They are lined with plastic. You just throw them in the wash and you're fine and they're pretty.

[dragonfly08]

Sept 7, 2012 9:02:12 GMT -5 jaylea said:

We have these for L's lunches:

www.amazon.com/Ziploc-Container-Divided-Rectangle-2-Count/dp/B003U6DJ90/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hg_1/180-3359382-7771115

They fit well in her lunch box. I send additional items in the tiny snack containers.

I have a couple of these, as well as both rectangular and round small single compartment containers. I just use whatever works best for the lunch I'm packing. I also have the containers from IKEA another poster mentioned and they work well, too. My goal is reusable but cheap, so that if the kids crack or lose them I don't care much.

I tried the reusable bags, but they were only good for small sandwiches which didn't help me with other things I needed to pack. Plus they weren't as well sealed as ziplock bags or containers so the bread tended to get a bit stale and/or crumbs leaked out into the lunch bag.

[litebright]

I have a ton of containers. DD1 doesn't even have snack time at preschool, but I keep stockpiling stuff. At least she used them for summer camp!

PBK has a lot of this kind of stuff, but I find that their containers are tough to open. Goodbyn and Laptop Lunches are two other ones to check out. Or try googling bento boxes.

My Target has unlined fabric ziploc-type bags that close with velcro. They were pretty cheap and I just rinse them out after each use and let them dry. I wouldn't put sliced fruit in the unlined ones, but for dry snacks they're fine.

A lot of the daily deal-sites are good for this kind of thing. Re-usies (reusable snack/sandwich bags) had a deal on Plum District a few weeks back and I got that, so I'll end up getting four lined baggies for $11. Plum District also has a $15 for $30 deal on ecomom.com right now that could get you a decent amount of reusable lunch stuff.