I obsess over Penny's lunch. While I am not a mom who worries about a beautiful, fancy experience of gourmet school lunch delights, I do care about using a box that is easy for her to open and close, keeps food where it needs to be, and holds the right portion sizes for a young kid.
We've tried individual boxes that fit together, sandwich bags, wraps, and other random equipment, but it all has annoying drawbacks. Just picture a little girl pulling out 6 individual boxes with removable lids. Guess what happens after lunch? It's all piled back in the lunch box with sticky leftovers flying around on the ride home. It's gross.
Bags, plastic wrap, and foil are all well and good, but our school is very green and doesn't want unnecessary lunch trash. As a recycle first family, I do my best to avoid those options.
There are adorable bento kits on Amazon, but the best ones seem to cost more than $35 and I wondered if there was something out there under $30 that was kid-friendly, slightly better for the Earth, and easy to clean.
I came across the Yumbox container and was a bit skeptical. I remember checking it out several times before I ordered the purple one. Honestly, I wasn't really confident that the yogurt, applesauce, and ketchup I pack would stay put.
Here's what I found after actually using the Yumbox for three weeks:
1. It fits in our usual lunch totes. It's not square, but it's in there and it doesn't shift around.
2. Filling up each section provides just the right amount of food for my daughter. We're not getting food back at the end of the day! I'm also more aware of how much meat, grains, and veggie to send. She's not a cheese eater, so the dairy section usually has yogurt.
Below, she's having grapes, yogurt, carrots, mushrooms, and heart-shaped sandwiches with ketchup for dipping.
3. The box doesn't leak! One day, my daughter forgot to close the latch and a bit of yogurt remnants made its way outside the box. But, when closed, the food stays put, not only inside the box, but within the sections. The Spaghettios you see below didn't end up in the pineapple.
4. My daughter isn't a big protein eater. This isn't the fault of the box, but sometimes I feel bad sending her with less protein than fits in the protein section. She won't eat much meat, so I look for other ways to get protein in her diet. Those don't usually end up in the protein section.
I'm so happy with this lunch box, I pop the insert in the dishwasher each night to make sure it's the only one we use. Next on my list is to get another one so we have a backup.
Want one for yourself? Here's the Amazon link (it's an affiliate link):
Yumbox Panino (Lavande Purple) Leakproof Bento Lunch Box Container for Kids and Adults
The Yumbox comes in different colors. Pick one that makes your kid happy and enjoy making school lunch again.
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