Which green lunch set is best – lunch according to Cedar
July 28, 2009 by Jennifer
So, Cedar’s lunch sack died this summer. He’s currently using the Bamboo lunch sack for camp, but it’s not appropriate for a kid all year at school I don’t think. One recent con I’ve found is that because it’s cloth, ice packs act badly in there (see an updated review).
In any case, Cedar my son is super picky about stuff. Clothes, toys, books, and so on, so I knew choosing a lunch pack wouldn’t be easy, but it’s actually been harder then I thought. He’s snubbed some eco-lunch kits as not cool enough already and our options are wavering. Of course I want eco-friendly, so I decided to post on it. I’ll choose some that I think Cedar will like and after let him choose. Along the way maybe you’ll see something you like for your kid. NOTE: Cedar is very boy – so all these will be ‘boy’ type kits. Later maybe I’ll post a girl friendly bunch…
Laptop Lunch System in Periwinkle: Cedar already gave this kit a color thumbs up, but he doesn’t like the water bottle. I told him fine, use your Kleen Kanteen. This kit comes with the Laptop Lunch insulated carrying case, water bottle, the Laptop Lunch Bento Box with all inner containers and utensils, and one copy of The Laptop Lunch User’s Guide. All Laptop Lunch products are phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA), and lead free. If he gets this lunch set, I’ll probably also pick up an extra set of interior containers.
Waste Free Lunch Kit: I like this kit, but I’m guessing that Cedar won’t like the bag color. He might though. Who knows. Because this bag is cloth, if he picks it, I’ll have to also get the non-toxic ice pak and sweat free cover (shown above as well) – a non-toxic green ice pack in a Squiggle cover made from plastic bottles. All Kid Konserve products are made from safe, non-leaching, bisphenol-A free (BPA) lead free and phthalate free materials.
The bag I think Cedar will like best so far is the ACME Bags – Recycled PET Medium Thermal “6 Pack” Lunch Bag – it’s boring but basic, which he’ll like. Perks include…
- 90% post-consumer recycled content
- Made from recycled plastic bottles & containers
- 100% lead-free materials
- Zipper closure and exterior slip pocket
- Thermal insulation keeps contents colder longer
- Made with Fair Labor/Fair Wage
Fleurville Lunch Pak in silver digital camo. Can be worn as a back pack or carried with handle.
- Closed-cell insulation throughout the entire body of the bag works as an insulator.
- Easy to clean lining.
- Hidden name tag.
- Heat reflective, easy to clean lining.
- Project pocket.
- Exceeds CA Prop 65 standards for lead and other toxins
- PVC-free/Teflon®-free
These are the most Cedar + earth friendly I found. I’ll let him take a look then I’ll be back later to let you know which pack wins the cool factor for this picky kid. My vote is with the laptop lunch kit, but I’m still guessing he’ll pick the ACME bag. We’ll see.
Which bag would your child like best do you think?
Two more choices for you:
http://www.lunchsense.com/ – My husband uses one of these for his lunch and loves it. I was going to use one for my 5 year old for his lunch, but I was slightly concerned about the number of lids and pieces for him to have to keep up with at school and then I saw the Goodbyn lunchbox. http://www.goodbyn.com/goodbyn/Default.aspx It looks like it might be perfect for us.
I don’t like lunch sense because there’s no room for extra little baggies I’ve seen it before though. Another thing, is really I’d like to stay away from plastic altogether which is also a downside of the laptop lunches too. Even though it’s chemical free, I’d rather use stainless steel or cloth food baggies.
I’d never seen the goodbyn before that’s super cute, but not quite right for Cedar. He needs room for an icepack of some sort in his lunch, and this one doesn’t have extra space, also while I really like open tray lunch containers – i.e. like little tv dinner trays, I think they’re more complicated for kids. I can see Cedar accidentally opening it then dumping the whole darn thing.
Dang – they’re super adorable though!
Yeah, I’d love to stay away from plastics all together too. We use our snack sack and think baby stainless set a lot when we go places together, but they don’t really work for school.
Goodbyn recommends freezing the drink container half full and then filling the rest with liquid to use as an icepack. I don’t know if it will work. But they are really cute.
I am also trying not to use any plastic in my kids
lunches. Using all stainless steel becomes too crowded and I can only fit so many. I came across some organic cloth bags http://www.grazeorganic.com that are working out great at camp. My son is an 11 year old jock and he doesn’t think they are too feminine. They also sell plain ones that have some kind of eco statement on them. I used a ice pack with the cloth bags and they didn’t get wet. I can fit a lot (he has a huge appetite)in a aluminum lunchbox(no plastic) Three cloth bags and two stainless steel containers.
I just wanted to share this one I saw today:
http://www.planetbox.com/index.html
I like those planet box ones, but it’s the same all in one tray issue that bugs me. Kids dump stuff all the time.
Laptop Lunches have come up with a new 2.0 system that is more kid-friendly (in aesthetic, anyway).
http://secure.laptoplunches.com/AMAZING/itemdesc.asp?ic=B630-ALIEN&eq=&Tp=
They also have Bento Buddies 2.0, which is a good way to use a lunch bag like the ACME one shown, but with containers that fit better – along with a Klean Kanteen, of course.
http://secure.laptoplunches.com/AMAZING/itemdesc.asp?ic=B650-LIME&eq=&Tp=
Still plastic, yes, but at least it is poly #5. Having kids, I have resigned myself to the fact that plastic is going to have to be a part of our lives for a few more years….
@Laura – I actually posted about the 2.0 at another place I blog, but that darn Cedar didn’t like the 2.0, when I showed him. I DO, but not him.
I came across your blog entry about school lunches and thought that you may be interested in knowing about these Waste Free Lunch Kits.
They include a stainless beverage bottle, a thermos for hot meals, a neoprene washable lunch bag and an optional set of stainless food containers.
They come in a variety of configurations as well.
Here’s the link:
http://www.gogreeninstages.com/shop.php/waste-free-lunch-kits
Thanks,
Julia