Learn about
lunch boxes, the ins and outs, the pockets and pouches. Use our checklist to find the right lunch box for your child in our
Lunch Boxes article.
Insulated lunch boxes : Compartments : Lids : Drink bottles : Size : Where do I buy them from and how much will it cost? : Useful articles
Some of the lunch box options available offer real, practical benefits, but there are also many which prove impractical in the playground, (no matter how stylish they seemed on the shelf!). So before you launch yourself at the plastics aisle, take a look through this handy checklist and work out which type of box will be right for your child.
Keeping your child’s lunch cool not only makes it taste better, but it keeps their food safe, especially if their bags are hung out in the sun all day. Yoghurts, cheeses and cold meats are all foods that need to be kept cool, but your child will also appreciate fruit or sandwiches that aren’t withered and hot.
If your child is at high school and has their bag with them all the time, it may not be so much of an issue. A frozen drink bottle is usually enough to keep an ordinary lunch box cool, especially if your child’s bag is in the classroom all the time. Similarly, most daycares allow you to put your child’s ‘keep cool’ food in the fridge, so an insulated lunch box may not be necessary for your pre-school child.
There are a few different styles of insulated boxes available, so consider the following when making your choice.
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Bag or box?
Insulated lunch boxes come in 2 basic styles. One has a zip open lid which sits flat like a standard lunch box, and the other is more like a bag with an opening at the top. Younger children like to be able to see all their lunch at once and make a choice, so a lidded version is probably better. Older children are quite happy to rummage around in an insulated bag.
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Velcro, zips, or domes?
Lunchboxes are opened and shut hundreds of times, so you need a fastening that is sturdy and easy-to-open. In my experience zips seem to last the longest, the plastic lids with joins that fold often crack and break over time.
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Size
Insulated lunchboxes quickly move into mini chiller bags, so it’s important to remember that your child is not a builder! You obviously want it big enough to carry their lunch, but they don’t need to fit a whole loaf of bread in there.
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Drink bottles
Some insulated lunch bags have room for a drink bottle to slide down the side (and some even include a bottle). Having the pocket on the outside of the bag means your child can keep their box and bottle together, without having their drink take up valuable lunch space inside.
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Other features
which are often found on insulated boxes / bags include handles (which are great for little kids), and a zip or Velcro pouch for lunch money.
The idea with ‘compartment’ boxes is that you can put in individual snacks without wrapping them, and the sections will keep them apart. This is a great idea for pre-schoolers who are taking small snacks to day care or kindy, as they can open their picnic without struggling with lunch wrap. In fact many early childhood centres do not allow plastic wrap in children’s lunch boxes, so a sectioned lunch box is a great way to go.
For older children, compartment boxes are not always practical. They are usually taking a more substantial lunch to school, and the food items do not always fit into the specific compartments. If you’re buying a sectioned lunch box, make sure it has sections that are big enough to hold standard snacks like muesli bars, crackers and sandwiches, plus a main box where you can fit bigger items like yoghurt and fruit.
I know it sounds funny to be considering lids, but trust me, it’s important. Firstly, if your child is anything like mine, they will need a lunch box that has a lid attached. If the lid can be peeled off completely, it can also be left on the tennis court and thrown out with the afternoon rubbish.
Secondly, you will want the lid to be attached to the box by a hinge, not just a strip of plastic. Lunch boxes are opened and shut hundreds of times, and eventually the plastic strips just snap in half. I realise your child’s lunch box doesn’t have to last them a lifetime, but it would be nice if it saw them through a year or two.
Lots of lunch boxes come with their own drink bottle, and while this seems like a nice feature, the only real benefit is that they are small enough to freeze and use to keep the lunch box cool. Very few lunch boxes come with practical sized drink bottles, because they are designed to sit inside the box. Keeping the box and bottle together is a nice idea, but it often means your child has a whopping great lunch box just to accommodate their drink bottle.
The main exception to this is insulated lunch bags, which often have a reasonable size drink bottle attached to the side. Having the pocket on the outside means your child can keep their box and bottle together, without having their drink take up valuable lunch space inside.
This is a biggie (excuse the pun!). None of us want our children to starve, but we don’t want them lugging around a small chilly bin either. Be practical about how big a lunch box they need, and keep in mind how much they really eat during the day. Lunch boxes without compartments usually allow you to squeeze in more food, and give you enough height for things like yoghurts and fruit. Drink bottles can be carried separate to your child’s lunch box, so don’t feel you have to fit one inside.
Soft insulated lunch boxes are good as they squash down when they are empty, and make more room in your child’s bag for paintings, projects (and lost property) due to come home.
Large department stores like Farmers, K Mart and The Warehouse all have a good range of lunch boxes, and specialised plastic stores like Payless Plastics and Plastic Box also have plenty to choose from. Most supermarkets also have lunch boxes in their home wares aisle, but the range is usually limited to a few basic styles.
Lunch boxes vary in price from approximately $6 - $18, with most hovering around the $10 - $12 mark. You can purchase standard plastic boxes from emporium type stores for just a couple of dollars, but be aware that you usually get what you pay for.
Happy hunting!
There has been some recent controversy from environmental groups about lead content in children's lunch boxes. If you wish to read more about this, visit this web link:
http://www.cehca.org/lunchboxes.htm
For great advice on what to put in those lunch boxes see our Kiwi Families article by nutritionist Fiona Boyle on healthy School Lunches
See our Kiwi Families article on Labelling to keep those new lunch boxes safe
Article Lunch Boxes written by Kerri Tilby