The Best Kids’ Lunchboxes According to Our Cleaning Expert
Jolie Kerr is a cleaning expert, advice columnist, and New York Times bestselling author of My Boyfriend Is Boiling In My Purse … And Other Things You Can’t Ask Martha About . Her flagship column, Ask a Pure Man, debuted in 2011. Here at Offspring, we’ve launched a new iteration of it, with a focus on parenting and all the mess it brings.
I don’t know about you, but it seems almost impossible that time is back in school. Where has this summer gone?!? Well, that’s what it is, and we have to admit that it’s time to go back to school. (Or perhaps more accurately, we should celebrate that it’s time to go back to school!)
Back to school, of course, comes back to school for shopping, and if one of the items on your list is a lunchbox, we have some help for you in the form of an overview of easy-to-use products. -clean options! Here are a few things to look out for and tips to consider when choosing a new lunchbox for your child:
- Soft lunch bags are ideally machine washable, although not always easy to find (we found these!). If you’re opting for a cooler style bag, look for one that has a removable insert so it can be machine washed without compromising on the coolant.
- Many parents report that washing soft lunchboxes / bags is a kind of drag and drop; If a soft bag works best for your child, choose one that has a hard plastic interior or a hinged lid that will make it easier to wipe with a sponge, paper towel, or disinfectant wipe.
- While the mesh pockets are handy for storing dishes and napkins, they are very difficult to clean – imagine crushing a piece of banana in there! – what to consider when choosing a lunch box or bag.
- Lunch boxes made from hard plastic or bento boxes are often marketed as dishwasher safe, and while this is a great feature, there has recently been news that using certain types of plastic in the dishwasher (and microwave) can be harmful to children . While we don’t know how bad it is to put plastic in the dishwasher, we recommend that you be careful and hand wash your plastic lunch containers.
- Bento boxes are best used for older children because as one mom of a 5 year old commented to me, “I found that“ the little pieces and tops are very unusable ”so basically we only have the outer box and nothing … more.”
- Consider buying a duplicate / backup! When I asked what kind of lunch box her preschool son had, my friend admitted that she “bought two, I’m lazy.” (My friends are the best.)
- Make sure your child can open the item on their own. One parent who works with the school administration mentioned to me that “First of all, school administrators just want small children to have lunch boxes that they can easily open so that 30 children don’t have to plug into lunch monitors to help them. open your bentos. ” “
And now my choice:
BUILT NY Gourmet Getaway Neoprene Lunch Bag
While some BUILT NY lunch bags are poorly designed ( buyer caution) , this zip-up tote style lunch bag has received high marks for being completely machine washable and because it is made of neoprene. flexible enough to accommodate irregularly shaped objects. …
Lunch box Land’s End ClassMate EZ Wipe
This zippered lunch box with padded sides and plastic interior can be easily wiped clean with a sponge. It’s also insulated, so you can put an ice pack inside to keep food cold.
Lunch box with LL beans
Reviewers note that this soft-sided hinged-lid lunch box is a little shallow, but praises it for its ease of cleaning thanks to its seamless interior that does not accumulate crumbs and dirt (their words are not mine!)
OPUX Premium Insulated Mini Lunch Bag
Despite the name, this lunch bag has been praised for its spaciousness and easy cleaning (it can be easily wiped clean), as well as its simple design, which is great for parents (and kids!) Looking to relocate. superhero or princess themes.
Pottery Barn Mackenzie Retro Lunch Bags
While this soft lunch box is not machine washable, it has a hinged lid that closes with a zip, which means it won’t be too difficult to wipe down the inside. The top also features straps to secure an insulated water bottle that can be used for drinks as well as hot meals like soup or spaghetti.
Yummy
This bento box style lunch box has only one lid, not many tiny lids, which means it is less likely to be lost. The Yumbox is also sealed and the latch is easy to open.
Wildkin Lunch Box
The zip closure fully unfastens making it easy to wipe down on this insulated padded lunch container. It is machine washable too!