The Best Lunch Boxes for School
Lunch boxes come in various types of materials, sizes and designs. Choosing the right lunch box for your child is an important decision. Food allowed to get over 40 degrees becomes susceptible to food-borne illnesses. Parents want a well-insulated lunch box to keep lunches cool. Large containers will be too much for a kindergarten-sized appetite, and not many middle-schoolers would be caught dead carrying a box with Sesame Street characters adorning the outside.
Other People Are Reading
-
Size and Appearance
-
Younger children have smaller appetites and will struggle with large, bulky lunch boxes. They also will have more difficulty opening plastic snap-lock containers. Keep packaging simple. If using a metal box, check to make sure hinges won't pinch fingers. Zippers need to be graspable by little fingers, and juice boxes easy to open. Allow children to pick colorful designs that they will easily recognize in a crowded classroom when the craziness of lunchtime arrives. Older children will desire more portions, so packing lunch in plastic ware will not only keep food fresher, but will allow more variety for larger appetites. Older children will need sturdier lunch boxes that not only hold enough food, but are still easy to fit in a locker.
Keeping it Cool
-
Purchase well-insulated lunch boxes that keep food temperatures at safe levels. Keep in mind most foods will sit for up to five or six hours, depending on what time your child arrives at school. A thermos will keep drinks cool longer than plastic bottles. When using a plastic bottle, freezing a portion of the drink the night before, then filling it the rest of the way in the morning helps to keep drinks cold longer. A frozen water bottle will also keep lunches cooler. Freeze sandwiches the night before, then allow them to thaw during the school day. Frozen ice packs are also helpful for keeping lunches cool.
-
Eco-Friendly Packing
-
Instead of using plastic zipper bags, consider packing sandwiches in plastic storage containers. Many lunch boxes provide individual storage for foods. Make sure to remind kids that these containers are not to be tossed in the trash, but brought back home and taken out every night for proper cleaning. Sandwich baggies made of an organic type of washable cloth are now available for those families that wish to keep it green and cut down on the use of plastic.
Pack Up the Non-Perishables
-
Packing such non-perishable foods as fruit cups, crackers, and whole fruits is the best way to keep your child's lunch foods safe. You don't have to spend a lot of money on the individual packs, either. Small snap-top containers that stack easily in a child's lunch box can hold crackers, and small fruits such as berries, carrots, sliced cucumbers or other natural, healthy foods. Prepare a small plastic dish with peanut or another nut butter which can be spread on crackers. If you're worried about these items getting squished or bruised, purchase a plastic or metal lunch box to store them in.
-
References
- Photo Credit Lunchbox image by Scott Williams from Fotolia.com
