Middle school lunch box/bento box?

[fryjack2]

My kids want to bring lunch from home this school year.  I would rather they ate lunch that is free again this year because its less work on our end, but I told them we could do a couple days a week.

I would love to try a bento style lunch box to cut down on the containers that would need to be used and washed. They will probably need it to hold a decent amount of food.  Anyone have suggestions? 

[livinitup]

I got DD the Planet Lunchbox in elementary school and I sometimes take it to work. I loved making lunches in that thing and the whole kit went into the dishwasher in one piece. It’s bigger than it looks but not that big. It holds a full sized sandwich in the big compartment. The compartments are double sided, so you can slack food higher than it looks at first glance. Maybe get one and see if you need two?

ETA: We have the Rover with the dipping containers. The larger dipper with silicone lid works REALLY well. It’s my favorite container for bringing anything liquid to work (like yogurt & berries) even without the bento.

[circa1978]

We use Bentgo and have since DS was in...fourth grade maybe? Could be earlier. They hold up remarkably well. We have three of them and they are just as good as they were the first year we used them.

[pinkplasticdoll]

Planetbox, Bentgo, Omiebox and Lunchbots would be a good option. If you don't think they would break there are glass ones I have that are 3 compartment and they are great!

[erbear]

I find the bento boxes harder to clean bc they have so many tiny compartments. Mine use a set of glass containers and we put them in the dishwasher.

[heygrey]

We have 2 Planetbox kits and sometimes I take one for my own lunch. They are easy to clean and hold a good amount of food.
They are not cheap though so I’d want to be pretty sure I would love it before spending full price. Costco (at least in Canada) always has them around back to school time for decent price. I got both of mine second hand so that might be an option too.

[mcppalmbeach]

I was never happy with the compartments offered on the usual bentos. I got a sistema and it suits my needs perfectly.

[sonrisa]

Aug 31, 2023 20:09:25 GMT -5 fryjack2 said:

My kids want to bring lunch from home this school year.  I would rather they ate lunch that is free again this year because its less work on our end, but I told them we could do a couple days a week.

I would love to try a bento style lunch box to cut down on the containers that would need to be used and washed. They will probably need it to hold a decent amount of food.  Anyone have suggestions? 

My suggestion: this is on your kid.

Last year is the first year our schools offered free lunch and it was wonderful. Not because they ate it every day. They didn't. But because creating an alternative was no longer something I need to worry about. They can eat the school lunch, or they can make one. They need to tell me what ingredients they want me to buy. They need to make it (in time for school - so that might be the night before), and they need to clean it up. 

Sure, I sometimes grab a container out of my 4th grader's bag and throw it in the dishwasher, but we have nothing that needs hand washing. The decrease in whining about lunch has been amazing. 

[fryjack2]

sonrisa , totally. I already told them that they would be responsible for making and packing their lunches. Which is why I’m
Sure it won’t last that long and aiming for two days a week

They help when lunches are needed (one of the camps they went to this summer) and I’ve seen the enthusiasm for that packing and unpacking. Ha. Thought maybe bento style would be a touch easier.

[isabel]

We have Bentgo Kids bentos. I’d get the regular one for your kiddo. Costco had a two-pack recently that was a really good deal.

We’ve had them over three years now and they continue to hold up really well. I have one shell and five trays with extra lids. I pack all their lunches on Sunday and they are responsible for swapping out the tray each day.

[brooke77]

I prefer the Simple Modern bento box to the Bentgo because the individual containers have better space. Not sure if this would be too small for a middle schooler.

www.amazon.com/Simple-Modern-Bento-Girls-Porter/dp/B0B26YD6SM/ref=mp_s_a_1_4_maf_2?crid=3R0QWG7HQNVGT&keywords=simple+modern+lunch+box&qid=1693571530&sprefix=simple%2Caps%2C136&sr=8-4

[fivechickens]

I bought these:

www.target.com/p/goodcook-meal-prep-2-compartment-large-rectangle-dark-teal-containers-lids-10ct/-/A-75668319#lnk=sametab

D2 makes her lunch every day despite getting free lunches at school.

[cereal K]

We have one of these:

www.walmart.com/ip/Sistema-To-Go-1-65L-6-9-Cups-1-Pack-Plastic-Rectangular-Bento-Lunch-with-Yogurt-Pot-Teal/497165769?athbdg=L1200&from=/search

It fits perfectly in the kids' PB lunchboxes. It holds plenty of food while keeping it separate but not making a lot of containers. We don't use the dressing cup. We can just throw it all in the dishwasher at the end of the day.

DS (9) is happy to buy school lunch every day. DD (13) is more particular, and usually takes her lunch 2-3 days a week. She'll happily take leftovers if we have something she likes, so we also have this thermos:

www.amazon.com/THERMOS-FUNTAINER-Stainless-Insulated-Folding/dp/B08VS2JZYP/ref=sr_1_7?crid=1L6A0GBPNYEOR&keywords=thermos&qid=1693575494&sprefix=thermos%2Caps%2C123&sr=8-7&th=1

And a set of these containers:

www.amazon.com/Fit-Fresh-Reusable-Container-Microwave/dp/B0057PDX0M/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=fit+n+fresh+containers&qid=1693575544&sprefix=fit+n+fresh%2Caps%2C98&sr=8-6

[DarcyLongfellow]

I think I'm the only one who didn't love the Planetbox. I got one for DD1 in maybe kindergarten. Ours got rusty, which was incredibly annoying given how expensive it was. I always hand washed it (because it was so big it would have taken up way too much room in the dishwasher), but I left the decorative magnets on it when I washed it because taking them on and off every evening seemed unnecessary. I was wrong because the areas under the magnets got rusty. I also didn't find the areas to be filled to be a good size for us, and my kid wanted to bring a fun lunchbox, but you had to buy the specific Planetbox ones to fit the metal container.

My very favorite lunch containers were the Rubbermaid Lunchblox, which I couldn't find for a while, but they seem to be making again :-) I prefer small plastic containers because they fit easily in the dishwasher. DD2 currently packs lunch every day, and she brings a thermos, a plastic container with cut up fruit, and a small treat.

[ny96]

I love our PlanetBoxes, but I’m the one who uses them now. I would check with your kid to see how they eat at school. My kids much prefer a traditional lunch box with individually packed items because they grab part of it in the morning for a snack, eat some at lunch, and then continue eating at afterschool.

[sonrisa]

Sept 1, 2023 6:55:51 GMT -5 fryjack2 said:

Thought maybe bento style would be a touch easier.

Perhaps with your kids

Mine never reach for those options (We have two compartment containers). When they do, they get get hung up on having one thing in each compartment but don't necessarily eat all of the things during the day and still take secondary containers for things that didn't fit by size. They usually prefer to grab one container per item. Our food thermoses are in high demand.

[akayf]

Another vote for sistema boxes. We have been using various boxes for years. My oldest is now in 10th grade. He uses this one daily(we have 3 of them. He brings a sandwich and berries. He has a short lunch and that’s all he has time to eat.

www.sistemaplastics.com/us/snack-attack-duo-to-go

My middle school kid uses this. He does a homemade lunchable 3x a week(crackers or pita chips, pepperoni or salami, cheese and 2 cookies. He buys lunch the other days.

www.sistemaplastics.com/us/1-7l-quad-split-to-go

We have other sistema boxes too since they’re great for snacks and I use them too but those 2 are the ones that used all the time.

[InBetweenDays]

Personally I would start with whatever options you already have rather than buy something new right away. See what they typically bring (or confirm they're going to continue to bring their own lunch) and then buy something that accommodates what they typically bring. Or maybe you'll find you don't need anything new.

Bento boxes with many small containers wouldn't be helpful with our teens. They generally bring a sandwich and chips, leftovers or ramen type noodles (which can usually be put in a single thermos), or potstickers, fried rice, and edamame which we throw all together.

[bugandbibs]

We have a variety of sistema boxes in different sizes and configurations. They work well for my kids from elementary to middle school. We have tried all different kinds over the years and we always reach for the simplest ones. Too many small compartment or giant all in ones don’t work for how we eat food or do dishes.