Help Me Buy-Lunch Bag but for Snacks

[mustardseed2007]

So this year at his new school, hot lunches are quite a bit more than our old school. They're 6.50, which, isn't totally ridiculous but it definitely puts hot lunch into the "not every day category." 

Also, unlike his old school, parents provide your child's individual snacks, and since we're in after care we actually need to provide 2 snacks. I have the snacks kind of figured out but I'd like to be able to pack a fruit and a yogurt sometimes.

But the pokemon lunch bag that he loves won't accomodate a lunch and two cold snacks. 

So I'm thinking a small lunch bag just for snacks, hopefully quite small. I was thinking about those fold over insulated bags but I can't remember their name. Or is there another option that you know of that I'm not thinking about? 

[xctsclrx]

I don't have any advice on the lunch box, but wow that is an expensive hot lunch. Our elementary school has lunch for $2.60

[mustardseed2007]

It is private school, but even then his old private school had hot lunch for 4.25, with the option to get a "large" sized lunch for 5.50. I think the public school is in line with what you describe xctsclrx.

There's another private school in our area that has it for 8 dollars so I guess it could be worse. And plus also, I can pack it for way less so I guess we're doing that from here on out. At least most days.

[librarychica]

I put everything (snack, lunch, aftercare snack) in DD1’s giant lunchbox but DD2 will sometimes eat her aftercare snack at lunch if I leave it there so she gets a little bag I bought at target. It’s made by Fit &Fresh and is very lightly insulated. About the size of a sandwich bag. Fine for grapes or a cheese stick but I wouldn’t trust yogurt in it. We have had good luck with frozen Greek yogurt tubes for morning snack.

[2chatter]

PackIt or Kohl’s has the freezable lunchboxes as well.

Ideal would be an Avent EBM bag - the zipper just broke on mine that was almost 15 years old - it was the perfect size for snacks.

[waverly]

This was posted in another group and someone suggested Bumkins reusable snack bag. I think it was 5.99 in Amazon.

[phdmomma]

Lands end has some that are pretty small, which we used all last year and are in good enough shape to use this year.

Lunch here is $2.50 if you are unsubsided. And for snack last year in K, there was a revolving sign up, so we had to bring snack once every 20 days for the whole class.

[mommyatty]

I just put “snack bag for kids” in Amazon and fell into a cuteness coma. So many good options! I like the neoprene ones that can fold flat.

[sdlaura]

We use a target pencil case. There are some cute ones. This is the one I got DD for this year:

www.target.com/p/ice-cream-cone-pencil-case-pink-yoobi-153/-/A-53246858?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Seasonal+Shopping_Brand&adgroup=SC_Seasonal&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=m&location=9031293&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4b2Vw9L63AIVC2d-Ch13mwUWEAQYASABEgJWn_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

And wow, our hot lunch is $4 because it’s organic and locally grown, apparently, and I thought that was pricey!

[sandandsea]

I bought these to hold ds’s snacks for school. Bumkins DC Comics Reusable Snack Bag Large, Batman www.amazon.com/dp/B00Z1R5EIA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_8XJEBb496T9T0

They fit 2 granola bars, 2 fruit snacks, and 2 apple sauce pouches so it’s enough to get him through school and aftercare snacks. I throw it in his backpack separate from a lunchbox. It has a zipper and he’s been using one daily for 6 months and it’s still in great shape.

Thirty one has similar bags that are insulated that could work for cold snacks but they’re pretty pricey. Or you can buy shelf stable yogurt pouches.

[mustardseed2007]

I ordered the pack it mini lunch bag for 14 dollars. It might be too big, I'll give a review. I liked the reusable snack pouches but I was hoping for something insulated. Having said that I was able to fit his lunch and one snack in his bag today and then for his second snack I did one of those jiffy peanut butter cups and pretzels so no cold pack needed.

He then proceeded to tell me that he would hang on to the zip bags because it'd be bad for the environment to throw them away, lol. If the mini lunch bag is too big then I may order one of these reusable bags that aren't insulated cause we made it work today.

[sunbutter]

My kids take lunch and snacks in one bag. Snacks are small and usually slip onto the front pouch of the planetbox carrier that they use. For times when snacks need to be separate, we use reusable sandwich bags like lunchskins.
We don’t send coldpacks for anything. Most food is fine until lunchtime at room temperature. Afternoon snacks are usually pantry items.

[mustardseed2007]

Honestly this would have been a lot easier if I had just purchased a larger lunch bag - like a big one from Lands End or Pottery Barn. He just was dying to have this 7 dollar one from Target. And now if we go with this snack bag thing his snack bag will cost twice as much as his lunch bag, lol. Dumb.

[2chatter]

mustardseed2007 - if it makes you feel better some teachers her require lunch and snack to be separate. I learned that the hard way when I tossed a previous years lunch box and then had to turn around and buy a new one for snack.

Now we just stick snack (whole fruit for all but DS, do shelf stable) in the backpack but it’s been a long road of figuring this out.

[186momx]

I just want to say I'm so glad I don't have to do snacks. Aftercare does snack after school and it is just part of tuition. Also the district got a fresh fruit and veggie grant in part with the district garden so each day they get something as a quick snack colored carrots, pomegranates, cranberries, dragon fruit, snap peas, it is a very wide variety which is super cool.

[sandandsea]

Aug 20, 2018 14:59:41 GMT -5 186momx said:

I just want to say I'm so glad I don't have to do snacks. Aftercare does snack after school and it is just part of tuition. Also the district got a fresh fruit and veggie grant in part with the district garden so each day they get something as a quick snack colored carrots, pomegranates, cranberries, dragon fruit, snap peas, it is a very wide variety which is super cool.

My kid is a piggie. He eats aftercare snacks plus his home snacks. He’s talked a his 5oclock snackS before and it’s kind hilarious. He has his fathers metabolism too as you can see his ribs and he eats a lot of snacks.