Lunch Bags and Reusable Containers for Kids

Making Bagged Lunches and Lunch Boxes More Enjoyable for Children

Oct 16, 2009 Caroline Post

Food and beverage lunch bag packing tips to be taken, so that a packed lunch can be accessible for little hands and a meal at school can be easily eaten and enjoyed.

Buying the right lunch bag to fit school lunch and snack needs, finding containers easy for kids to open, thermoses to keep foods warm, ice packs to keep foods and drinks cold, and drink containers that are easy to drink from, are all necessary items needed to make bagged school lunches both accessible and enjoyable for kids.

Buying a School Lunch Bag

It sounds simple enough to pick out a lunch bag for school. Find the bag with the design the child likes and it will make lunches fun. Although this is an important part of the purchase, there are differences that will determine how well the bag will meet lunch needs:

• Some are better insulated
• Some have inside linings that pull out for cleaning
• Some have separate compartments that allow for foods to stay cold without effecting the foods that need to stay hot
• Some are larger, wider, taller and some hold thermoses and reusable lunch containers better
• Some have a waterproof section, which prevents spills from ruing the lunch and book bag

Buying Reusable Food and Drink Containers for Lunch

Purchasing containers for school lunches sounds easy, but before purchasing, there some things to consider. Look for:

• Reusable containers that prevent sandwiches, fruits and muffins from getting squished
• Plastic sandwich bags that seal well to keep food fresh and be easy for little hands to open
• The container or thermos lids that can be grasped easily enough for smaller hands to open
• Lids that are easy to take on and take off than others

Buying a thermos that keeps food hot is important. Some thermoses benefit from being preheated with boiling water before adding the food or soup. Some thermoses have wide mouths and some are narrower. For food and soup to be eaten with a spoon or fork, the wide mouths work better. Not all thermos lids fit snug enough to prevent leaks, so test this out before sending it to school as sometimes lunch bags are tossed sideways.

Reusable drink containers and water bottles also need to be carefully chosen:

• Be sure the cap on the lid is easy to open and the spout is easy to drink from
• Sometimes bottles with straws attached become unattached, and young kids can’t fix it by themselves
• The lid and cap are snug enough it won’t open in the lunch bag

Items to Include in a Lunch Bag or Lunch Box

These items are important to include for helping make lunch sent from home safe and enjoyable:

• Small cooler packs to keep food items cold
• Fork or spoon in a size the child is comfortable with and that fits to the bottom of the thermos
• If sending a juice box, make sure the straw is attached
• A napkin or wipe if the food is messy

Eating lunch at school and bringing a bagged lunch from home means finding the right lunch bag to meet the child's needs, using containers that are easy to open for little hands and remembering to include items that make lunch safer to eat and easier to access. These are all lunch bag tips and items needed so kids can eat and enjoy lunch at school.

The copyright of the article Lunch Bags and Reusable Containers for Kids in Nutrition is owned by Caroline Post. Permission to republish Lunch Bags and Reusable Containers for Kids in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Lunch Bags Come in Different Sizes

Easy to Open Lunch Containers

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