Buying a Better Lunchbox

Last year, I bought this lunchbox for my daughter, when she was starting kindergarten.  It was being sold through the PTA as a fundraiser and it looked pretty good on paper.  A year later, with another kiddo slated to start kindy, I began to revisit the lunchbox options.

The old lunchbox wasn’t bad, but, it had some negatives that made me question if I’d want to invest in it again for #2.  So … after carefully searching the web, I found a new favorite lunchbox.

It’s called Easy Lunchboxes, and I have to say, it lives up to the name.

When considering a lunchbox system for my kids, I had the following criteria:

• affordable
• flexible
• easy
• non-toxic/healthy

The Easy Lunchbox system fits the bill. It’s comprised of two parts:  a 4 pack of compartmentalized, reusable containers with lids.  A set costs $13.95.

And a cooler bag (comes in 5 colors) to carry the container(s).   The bags are $7.95 each.

The cooler bag is optional – if you already have a lunch bag/carrying case, the containers may fit in what you already have.

There are so many things I love about this system, I made a list.

The Good Stuff:

* Earth friendly - not only is it reusable, thus cutting down on the need for things like plastic baggies, it’s also free of icky chemicals like BPA, phthalates, lead, and vinyl.

* Microwave and Dishwasher safe. Anything that going to be used 5 days a week by 2 kids has got to be able to be tossed in the dishwasher.  After two months of use, the containers are holding up well and show no signs of warping.

* Space Saver.  I love that the containers can be nested and stacked without taking up a ton of room in the cabinet.  Even when filled, they stack easily in the fridge.  This is one of the huge advantages over my the other lunchbox system I invested in.

* Configurable. While the shape of the containers themselves may seem limiting, the coolers are quite roomy, leaving plenty of space to add an ice pack, water bottle and any other items you might want to throw in, like an apple, or a thermos of soup, etc.

* Easy for Kids. My kids have had no problem opening the containers to get to their food.   And having one lid for one divided container means less stuff to lose.  Simple is good!

* Affordable.  As I compared prices on the various bento-type lunchbox systems out there, this one was one of the most reasonable options.   If you want to use you a cooler bag you already have, you can hardly beat $13.95 for the containers.  A bonus is that you get free shipping if you spend $50.  I didn’t need $50 of stuff, but easily found a friend or two to combine my order with.

* Excellent Customer Service. This is not something I typically think about when I order, but I have been very impressed with the way Kelly runs her business.  Orders are processed and shipped quickly.  Kelly is extremely responsive and attentive to her customers  – any issues that have come up have been quickly and satisfactorily resolved.

Additionally, the website has a ton of information.  Not only about their product, but great hints and ideas for packing those bento-style lunches.  I especially love the gallery of yummy lunches.  I was going to show off some of our lunches, but really, they are so boring, you ought to just check out the gallery.

So, those are all the ways I love Easy Lunchboxes.  But are they perfect?  Well no, nothing is.  Here’s a few counterpoints to consider.

The Negatives:

* The containers are not meant to be leakproof. That means they are not suitable for liquids like soup or dressing.  This hasn’t been a problem for me, as there is plenty of room to add another container for those items.    However, they do have a creative solution for using the containers with thicker liquids, like yogurt.

* The cooler bags are big. The coolers are roomy enough to hold three containers (or 2 containers + something else like ice pack and water bottle).   This comes in handy when I’m packing for an outing with all 3 kids.  However, they take up a lot of space in a kiddo’s backpack.  It would be nice if they had an option for a smaller sized cooler, big enough to hold one container, with a little extra room for a ice pack and drink.

* The cooler bags are boring. They only come in solid colors.  It would be nice to have some colorful prints as an option, but this really wasn’t a dealbreaker for me.  You can also jazz up your “boring” bag by creating a customized tag.  Check out their gallery of tags.

After using these lunch boxes for a couple of months, I am still a satisfied customer.  Easy Lunchboxes work for me – and they can work for you too!  Check out my Easy Lunchbox Giveaway!

This post is linked up to Works For Me Wednesday at We Are That Family and TILT at The Diaper Diaries.

Disclosure: I was not paid to review or endorse Easy Lunchboxes, I did so because I discovered and purchased their product on my own and love it.   Since discovering EasyLunchboxes, I decided to become an affiliate, which means I do receive a small amount for any purchases through my site (at no cost to you).

Tags: gift guide, product review, reviews, what's cookin