I have been meaning to write up a review of this lunchbox… which I bought many moons ago when they first hit the market. But I rarely have time to pack lunches AND snap pictures in the wee hours of the morning. Some days I cannot even believe I used to have a bento lunchbox blog where I blogged daily pictures of my son's lunches. The addition of a second child to the mix is throwing me off my game. But Mondays are much more nice now that my husband is home for them (at least for now) so I actually had time to throw a quick lunch together and take some pictures!
The lunchbox we used this morning is the Goodbyn. I grabbed it because I had personalized it with an "I love you" message that I felt my daughter needed to see. Yes, mommy was feeling major guilty this morning over her own bad behavior. So I grabbed the "I love you" box and already that is a major plus for Goodbyn. The stickers may not be eco friendly, they are probably plastic based, but the idea that you can personalize the lunchbox is a big hit in this house.
On the menu: Banana, baby carrots with hummus dip, green smoothie in a bottlle, PB&J Lara Bar, Strawberries, dried blueberries, and goji berries chilling with two fruity cubes to keep them cold, Brazil nuts, and two fair trade chocolate earth balls. Everything is raw vegan except the chocolate. The container with the Hummus is not from Goodbyn… I borrowed it from one of our Laptop Lunchboxes.
The whole concept of this lunchbox is awesome… BPA free (safe) plastics, compartments to eliminate the need for plastic baggies and single serving packaging, and it is a pretty hip looking bento. You know me.. I LOVE bento. I also like the carrying handle and the ability to use the stickers that come with it to make it completely unique to your child. There are even stickers for kids with allergies. It is dishwasher safe if you happen to have one (I don't) and you can recycle it if need be later on down the road.
The Goodbyn does have a pretty big drawback though. You have to instruct your child on the proper way to open and close the lunchbox to avoid spilling the contents everywhere and even when adults do it I am not so confident it will stay closed. I have yet to buy some rubber bands because I have a fear of them after an "incident" with my toddler but ideally I hope to get a rubberband to wrap around the box so my daughter can actually use the carrying handle to carry it. Every time she takes this lunchbox I worry that I will find out she had to eat her lunch out of the bottom of her backpack. The closure mechanism just isn't very secure… a rubber band would fix it though and I hope Goodbyn addresses this issue some day. Another drawback is that the box is heavier than her other lunchboxes, like the afore mentioned Laptop Lunchbox and her Yubo. I also find the side compartments a bit too small. This morning I wanted to add a few more greens but the side compartments are just teeny.
All in all, we like the Goodbyn and think it has some awesome features. The execution is a bit flawed but it is also workable. While it isn't my personal favorite it does make my daughter happy and that counts for a lot.
I bought this as well when they first came out. I was disappointed for a couple reasons. First it has a very strong plastic smell. Second it is somewhat difficult to get it open and sealed shut correctly.
People keep sending me links to this lunchbox thinking I’ll like it, but your review points out what my initial thoughts were – too small for some kids and possible spillage. I seriously doubt my son would remember every day to open this correctly, I think I’d have major worries about food all over the place too. Plus, he’s a produce freak, this whole thing would be filled with carrots, peppers, and apples, leaving no room for grains or other items.
I bought this yesterday for my grade one daughter after having a class on enviro health but returned it today. First of all, it does not hold the food that my daughter eats during the day at school and she is only a small girl, and sceondly, it had spill/leakage written all over it! There is no way that my 6 year old will properly shut it – I had a hard time!
I was going to purchase the Goodbyn but then I recently came across a new company called Easy Lunchboxes. I decided to purchase their containers and cooler bag for both my husband’s and 9 year old daughter’s lunches which I prepare nightly. Wow! Really can’t say enough good things about them. So easy to use and clean and holds just the right amount of food. The lunch bag has lots of room in it for more food items and a drink. They’re BPA-free too. Easy Lunch boxes aren’t nearly as expensive as the Goodbyn, so after reading some of the negative comments here, I’m glad I didn’t spend my money on the Goodbyn
Our family loves the Goodbyn. It has made our lives much easier in the mornings when we pack lunch. I’ve seen the Easy lunchbox thing around and it looks like glorified Gladware, very chintzy and made in China too. At least the Goodbyn is made in the USA and it’s the original sealed lunchbox. Looks like Easy lunchbox stole their concept and ran off to China.
I have been going crazy trying to find a Bento style lunch box for my kids. I have four so price is always a big part of the decision making. I found this great site planetbox.com and watched the video got totally geeked. However the price sent me reeling 1 lunch box with the insulated container would be $70.00 with shipping.
No way I can afford that. PLEASE someone post a less expensive solution. BTW kids are 5, 9, 13, 16. Thanks – Jenny
If you can swing it (and it was very spendy for me so I understand the sticker shock) the planetbox is worth every penny. Both my 3rd and 1st graders have them. We’ve been using them for about 2 weeks now and they are great to pack and the kids love them. I highly recommend them.