best lunch box for kids?

[nabigus]

Recommend your kid's lunch box!

Ds has currently got a PBK lunch box, and it's just a bit too small. It also seems like it doesn't keep stuff as cold as it could, even with an ice pack. Since it's looking on the beat up side, thinking about replacing it.

I use either the 6 oz Lock & Lock or the Klip-It containers, so I'd like something that I can stack them into like we do currently with the PBK.

Suggestions??

[niccig]

We have a laptop lunch box and use a LLBean Lil Criters lunch bag. I like the laptop as it has separate compartments and it forces me to fill them, so I come up with things that normally I wouldn't think of.

[MMMommy]

I like the ones from Costco. I forgot what the brand is, but they come in two toned neutral colors (red, blue, green). Costco doesn't always have them, but I think I've seen them recently. And they usually carry them in the summer before school starts. They come with a stainless steel water bottle and an ice pack. I like them because they are very roomy. I think they were under $12 too.

[nabigus]

We have a laptop lunch box and use a LLBean Lil Criters lunch bag. I like the laptop as it has separate compartments and it forces me to fill them, so I come up with things that normally I wouldn't think of.

I agree, those little compartments really do force some diverse packing habits. :)

I use a bunch of little containers, either these:
http://www.reuseit.com/store/lock-lock-leakproof-food-container-p-2836.html

or these:
http://www.containerstore.com/shop?productId=10021677&N=&Ntt=klip+it
(and there's one that's half the size)

Also, sometimes there's a 10 oz wide-mouth thermos, or a SnackTaxi snack bag holding a sandwich, or a small rubbermaid container of smoothie.
http://www.reuseit.com/store/snacktaxi-snack-p-1458.html

I'm pretty happy with the inside system, but need a bag that lets me do any number of combinations inside. I like that the PBK is basically rectangular inside, but maybe that's not as big a deal as I think.

[o_mom]

We use the LLBean Critter lunch-box with L&L containers. I have an assortment of 6, 11 and 20 oz containers (the 20 oz is sandwich size) as well as some of the 29 oz 'four square' containers. I can pretty much fit any combination in the box. We also have Funtainer food jars and Rubbermaid litterless juice boxes. The Critter fits two containers high, so I can put a lot of stuff in there. It is much better than the Crocodile Creek one that we used to have.

If you want I can take some pictures of different combinations to give you an idea of what fits.

[lhafer]

I have the LLBean one for my daughter (she finished preschool). It's this one (different print) http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/62857?feat=62784-ppxs&dds=y

She likes it, and it holds enough food for her. I plan on using it for another year or 2, then getting her a different one and passing this one down to my DD2 when she's ready for preschool.

[bubbaray]

We have the LLB one linked to above. It is a bit small.

I prefer the LE Featherlight: http://www.landsend.com/pp/FeatherlightLunchBox~222112_-1.html?bcc=y&action=order_more&sku_0=::AME&CM_MERCH=IDX_Overstocks-_-Girls-_-BackpacksLunchBoxesLuggage&origin=index

This is the best lunchbox I've found.

[new_mommy25]

We use the LE Featherlight that was just linked above for DS and DD. I like it a lot.

I agree that the Costco lunchboxes are also very good, but they are very large and more than my DC need. I use that one for my lunch or for snacks when we go out on the weekend. They have the best insulation out of any lunch box I've tried.

[elbenn]

I think the LL Bean critter lunch box is a good size. It's cute, too.

[kristenk]

I got DD a lunch box from Hanna Andersson for this year and have been very happy with it. She's used it almost every day and it's still in great shape.

I've been trying to figure out how to describe how I pack DD's lunch box and what stuff fits in it, but I'm having trouble putting it all into words!

We usually use 200ml klip-its for her sandwich/chips/other dry stuff. Her water goes in an 8.5oz Rubbermaid Litterless Juice Box. Along the bottom of the bag (pretend it's zipped closed with the handle on top), I can fit her water and a klip-it. I can either fit 2 200ml klip-its, 1 400ml klip-it or 1 200ml klip-it + an ice pack. The water bottle takes up most of the vertical space on one side. On the other side, I usually put another 200ml klip-it with a 4oz. container of applesauce on top. I think that if I try to put another 200ml klip-it instead of the applesauce, the curve of the bag makes the top klip-it not stack as well. Not sure about that, though. Any random ziplock baggies and a spoon wrapped in a napkin go on top of the whole thing. Oh, and I typically wrap the water bottle with a washcloth so the condensation doesn't get on the other stuff.

Waaaay too much about the lunch box/lunch stuff, but it seems as if it could be helpful to you since you use the same containers.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Lands End Classmates' one.

We have an LL Bean original and it's fine but I like the LE a bit more.

Beth

[bubbaray]

DH and I use the Costco ones, but they are WAAAAY too big for my kids lunches.

[o_mom]

We have the LLB one linked to above. It is a bit small.

I prefer the LE Featherlight: http://www.landsend.com/pp/FeatherlightLunchBox~222112_-1.html?bcc=y&action=order_more&sku_0=::AME&CM_MERCH=IDX_Overstocks-_-Girls-_-BackpacksLunchBoxesLuggage&origin=index

This is the best lunchbox I've found.

The Critter is an inch narrower (7" vs. 8"), but it is also an inch deeper (4.5" vs. 3.5" for the LE one). Two of the 6 oz L&L containers stacked measure 3.75 in high, so I would be concerned that they wouldn't fit as well in that one. I can stack them two deep in there and still have room for a hard ice pack without it bulging at all. The Klip-it containers say they are 3 1/8", so they might be OK, but you would have to have a thin ice pack or put it off to the side.

[AnnieW625]

DD1 has an assortment of generic character lunch boxes. She has a soft sided Hello Kitty lunch tote w/sandwich space below (but she says this one is for DD2 now), a soft sided rectangular Dora one, a soft sided Cinderella lunch tote w/sandwich space below, and a hard metal Hello Kitty one. All of them clean well from what I can tell, however we haven't actually used the Cinderella one yet. Her current favorite is the Hello Kitty one but that's because half of the girls (7 including her) in her class have that one because they all got it from another classmate for their birthday. No clue what we are going to do for next year, but she recently came home and said that Dora was for babies (because a girl in her class said that) so I am honestly hoping we can avoid getting another character box to avoid this in kindergarten. Hopefully she'll be agreeable to plain pink.

I still use ziploc baggies for her lunch:bag because I am not sure I trust her with a Planetbox set yet, although they are super cool looking!

DH has one of the lunch boxes from Costco, and I have this one from Built NY (http://www.builtny.com/tasty-lunch-tote-prod.html), which was part of Snapware set last summer at Costco. I really really like it and surprisingly holds a lot of stuff. I think I paid $20 for the whole set, maybe only $16 or $18.

[MMMommy]

The Costco lunchbox is large, which is why I like it. I am able to put various stainless containers in it (stainless containers with plastic lids), along with a drink, two snacks, etc. No issues with room at all, which is why I like it so much.

They look like this:

http://www.ilovecostco.com/costco-lunch-box-bag