School started this past August for my family and with that came new school gear! My daughter started Kindergarten, and for her, the most important aspect about school is LUNCH (go figure). So, over the last few weeks of summer I started researching must-haves to make lunch-packing and lunch-planning simple. As a new Kindergarten mom, I wanted Layla to have everything she needed and I wanted to make it an easy process for me so that I wouldn't add any stress to our already hectic morning routine (Can anyone relate?).
Say goodbye to boring lunches! I have compiled a list of quality lunch supplies and accessories that I think make lunch-packing a more strategic operation and of course - make it more FUN!
Now before we begin I want to make it very clear that you do NOT need to have all these products in order to make lunch fun and simple - these are just products I have used that I think work extremely well.
Lunchbox
Pottery Barn Kids has my absolute favorite lunch boxes - They come in so many different designs and styles depending on your little one's specific needs. The quality of these lunch boxes is what sets them apart - They last longer, are so easy to clean, they are lightweight, and very easy to carry. They include a compartment for a water bottle and can even be customized with your child's name.
Marshalls also has adorable selections of lunch boxes - but I've noticed some stores only sell them seasonally. I bought Layla a shiny blue sequins one as a back-up lunchbox (comes in handy when you wake up in the morning and realize you forgot to clean the lunchbox your kid just happened to leave in the backseat of your car overnight).
Bento Box
YumBox is a brand I had never heard about prior to public school lunch - but lemme tell ya... it's a name worth checking out. I think the Panino style works best with Kindergarten level students - just because of the size and number of compartments. These bento style lunch containers are LEAKPROOF, dishwasher safe, and fit perfectly inside the Pottery Barn lunchboxes. These boxes eliminate the use of multiple Ziploc bags & make lunch fun! (If you have a Prime membership these boxes are cheaper when you buy them on Amazon).
Systema Bento Cubes are another great option for lunch organization. They are a very inexpensive option and come in a variety of colors. They have removable compartments so you can totally customize your lunch set up. They are slightly larger in size compared to other bento style lunchboxes but still fit nicely in a standard lunch box.
Thermos/Water Bottle
Pottery Barn Kids has a great selection of lunch thermoses (for hot lunches) and insulated water bottles (Layla's school encourages use of a water bottle as to deter students from using a public water fountain). The thermos can be customized with your child's name and come in many different designs. There are also cheaper options on Amazon. **Side note: you MUST pre-heat the lunch thermos in order to keep food HOT until lunch time. To do this, add boiling water to the thermos, close the lid tight and pre-heat for 10-15 minutes. Pour out boiling water, add food, and quickly close lid for best results (It took me a longgg time to figure this out - which is why I am sharing!)
Small Plastic Containers
Whenever I pack a hot lunch (using my hot thermos), I do not have room in the lunchbox for a bento style box - so I find it best to use smaller plastic containers for other food like veggies and fruits. They really come in handy when you still don't want to use ziploc bags. I love the Systema container sets because they have MANY sizes to chose from and they are all stackable (inside the cupboard & lunch box). Amazon is my go-to when re-stocking my duo containers and my smaller single-compartment containers. I love these because they are leakproof, durable, dishwasher safe, and have easy-locking clips.
Silicone Cupcake Liners
I know it may sound silly, but these little babies are so great for separating foods inside containers. You can create your own little compartment and customize lunches any way you want. You can create homemade lunchables or have a separate liner for a special treat! You can find all different shapes/colors on Amazon.
Reusable Snack Bags
Layla's class has an early morning snack break so I pack her a healthy snack to take to school every morning. I got really tired of buying ziploc bags (hence - why i switched to bento boxes for lunch time), so I came across these zipper washable/reusable snack bags one day & had to try them! They are so easy to clean and they come in so many cute designs!
Ice Packs
When it came to buying ice packs for Layla's lunch, it was hard trying to find brands that weren't bulky or heavy (a packed lunch is already pretty heavy for a Kindergartener on it's own without a huge icepack taking up valuable space). So after using a couple of different brands throughout the school year, here are my favorites:
Fit & Fresh Soft Cool Coolers Ice Packs - the soft/flexible/reusable ice packs that come in adorable designs that are fun for lunch time! These babies can be found on Amazon - but multiple people have told me that you can sometimes find them in Target's dollar section (~$3) so be on the look out for these next time you do a Target haul. These ice packs do not sweat and so-far have not started leaking through. They don't take up huge amounts of space in my freezer like other ice packs do, and they have a durable fabric on the outside.
LunchFox Chill Pack Reusable Thin Ice Packs - These ice packs have a hard exterior and are large enough to cover the entire span of the lunchbox but are thin enough to not completely take over the zipper section. They are lightweight and come in many bright colors.
Sauce Containers
Now, this may seem a little "over-the-top" but having separate containers for dipping sauces like ranch (my daughter wont eat any vegetables without it!) or ketchup REALLY come in handy when it comes to cleaning lunchboxes. Trust me - you will wish you had gotten them the first time your child's lunchbox is leaking ranch all through her lunchbox, onto her spare change of clothes and communication folder paperwork in her book bag (been there, done that - this is why i not only switched to leakproof lunchbox containers but also why I've learned sauces are no joke on-the-go).
Kotobuki condiment containers - I buy these on Amazon (like the majority of my purchases) and they come in cute little animal designs that my daughter loves!
Drink Box
I started getting frustrated very quickly when I would run out of store-bought lunch box drinks (juice boxes/pouches), because 1. It adds up and makes packing lunches more expensive than they need to be. and 2. They were hard for Layla to open at lunch without help from a teacher. So I immediately started looking for alternatives when it came to packing her a drink. I came across the DRINK in the BOX on Amazon and haven't looked back since. It's eco-friendly, you can fill it with whatever drink you want (milk, apple juice, water, etc.), it's easy for Kindergarteners to open and close, it's LEAKPROOF, and its reusable! This little guy has saved me tons of money and has definitely earned it's keep!
Utensils
In an effort to cut out plastic waste (I try to be good sometimes...) I found these awesome kid's utensil sets at Pottery Barn Kids that are perfect for lunches and they come in cute pastel colors.
Sticker Labels
With all this new school gear I thought it would serve us well to get some stickers with Layla's name on them to put on all her lunch supplies - especially since her lunch supplies get washed everyday. I found this amazing shop on Etsy called StickersLabel, that makes customized WATERPROOF sticker labels. A set of 16 stickers is $4. This way if anything gets separated, it will make its way home (We hope).
Luggage tags
I used to put sticker-like labels on the outside of Layla's book bag and lunchbox to help identify her bags, but pretty quickly I found out that they do not last very long, and + this year Layla went with an all sequins book bag and lunchbox, so stickers, as you can imagine, do not mix with sequins! I found this 2-pack of luggage tags on Amazon that have a tough stainless steel locking system - so little hands cannot take them off.
I hope these lunch essentials serve you well and happy packing! Let me know which ideas are your favorite!
Have you come across some great lunch essentials? Share them in the comments below!