As much as I’m always sad to see the summer come to a close, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t excited that it’s almost back-to-school time. And it’s not just because I’m looking forward to turning the kids over to someone else during the day, but also because I love all the back-to school gear. Pens, binders, organizers—you name it, all the school supplies make my heart sing. And it’s not just the school organization tools that I adore, I love the lunch-box ones as well.
And because this is a nutrition blog, I figure you all would rather me post about my food-related must-haves than my favorite note books (maybe?). Here are the winners in our house:
- Thermos Funtainer water bottle
I don’t want to brag here, but I think I can confidently say I have tried every single kids water bottle out there. And while there are some that I love for everyday use, (hi, Hydroflask!) this water bottle takes the cake for school use as it can be put in a lunch box, kept in a desk or thrown in the bottom of a back pack and it Will. Not. Leak.
2. Bentgo Lunch Boxes for Kids
There are a lot of great bento boxes out there (LunchBots is another good one that’s in our household rotation), but these have more compartments than some of the others which I find to be more fun for younger ones (these are ideal for 3-7 year olds) as variety can be conducive to expanding their sometimes picky palates.
I’m hoping I’m not the only nerd out there who appreciates a nicely designed ice pack. Not only are these adorable, but they really do a great job keeping food cold.
I realllllly would like to be able to put a reusable sandwich bag on this list, but I reallllly don’t like them. I’ve tried, I’ve really tried, but washing out four cloth or plastic sandwich bags AND trying to find a place to prop them open to dry them so they won’t get mildewy and smelly, is just not in the cards. I know my weaknesses and this is one. I adore these from Lunchskins and I feel slightly better about myself that they are both recyclable and compostable.
When our oldest was in preschool, we would often pack her with a thermos for lunch and fill it with pasta, soups, oatmeal. But for some reason we stopped doing that and I don’t know why. Thermoses are such a valuable lunch-box investment and I’m loving this one because the opening is really wide and it comes with its own spoon!
Even though I’m not the best at the reusable sandwich bags, these containers have been a huge hit in our house for a long time. They are the perfect size for snacks for either the kids or myself and they are dishwasher safe. I love these. They are a little of the pricey side, but I bought four about two years ago and we have literally used them every day.
I can’t tell you how many times I have had this conversation with the kids while unpacking their lunchboxes: “Hey—where is the spoon I packed today in your lunch box?…You threw it out?! That was a real spoon!!”
With these plastic utensils, I have peace of mind knowing that even if the kids do chuck them in the trash, it’s not as bad as losing the ones that we registered for.
My kids have inadvertently donated too many lunch containers and water bottles to other families because they aren’t labeled. I thought my labeling days would be reserved for just summer camp but I’ve found that our house loses a whole lot less stuff the more I label. So now I label everything. Backpacks, shoes, clothes, lunchboxes, water bottles, ice packs—everything.
