You lovingly pack your child’s lunch for school each day. You fill that adorable Frozen or Transformers lunch box that you bought from a big box store with healthy items, tasty treats and enough nutrition to get them through the day. Unfortunately, that adorable lunch box may be leaching chemicals into their food and actually hindering their learning experience – the exact opposite of what you are trying to accomplish when you pack it. Here are a few safe lunchbox alternatives, lead free and still completely adorable.
What makes some lunch boxes less than desirable?
In short, a large percentage of lunch boxes contain lead or they leach other harmful chemicals. This means your child may be eating their sandwich you lovingly made that morning while also consuming dangerous levels of lead with their PB&J. Many of the culprits are vinyl lunchboxes made by major lunchbox manufacturers and sold at standard retail outlets. Lead causes behavioral and learning problems and prolonged exposure can lead to cancer and death. Many plastic lunchboxes have BPA or PVC in close contact with food which is also never a good idea. BPA or Bisphenol A is a hormone mimicking chemical that can cause a lot of health problems for children.
What Can You Do?
Buy safer plastic lunch boxes or stainless steel. Many children are image conscious or prefer to have notable characters on their lunchboxes. Be it Spiderman, Elsa from Frozen, or My Little Ponies, they want the image on their lunchbox. No matter how cute and adorable they are I cannot get behind purchasing potentially harmful products. I think I have found some lunch boxes and bags your kids may like just as much. They are safe lunchbox alternatives and will be sure to make you AND your kids happy. Check them out below.
These are pretty snazzy lookings bags and they are safe for kiddos. In fact Crocodile Creek is one of those names I know I can trust as a mom. Their lunch boxes are PVC free, Phthalate free, BPA free, and Vinyl free. Seriously how much more could you want?? Well, they are cute too. The T-Rex lunchbox is adorable but they have many other options too and all are colorful, fun, and appealing to kids.
This is the system that I used with all three of my kiddos. I even have one myself. Laptop Lunches features removable inner containers that can accommodate a variety of food sizes. The tray-like feel makes lunch exciting for kids and keeps things separate. Sealable lid prevents wet foods from leaking onto other foods. Dip container for sauces, salad dressings, and dips makes eating vegetables fun. Made in the USA using high quality materials. BPA, PVC and Lead Free.
We have several of these. Mom, dad, and kiddos all use them. We have Uno, Duos, Trios, and Quads…anywhere from one to four separate areas for food. They are so versatile, you just grab what you need for what you are packing that day, you just need a bag to put them and if you have more than one, you can rubber band them together for security. They are great for little kiddo snacks (like Pre-K) or for older kids who don’t want an actual lunchbox anymore and would prefer a reusable bag/sack. Plastic free, BPA free.
These lunchboxes are made from PVC-free, phthalate-free, lead-free and BPA-free canvas. They are insulated and they have a nifty pocket in the front for notes form home, napkins, or reusable utensils. They are sturdy and nice looking too. I like the shark camo print on the right but they also have green dinosaurs, pink leopard spots, and other lovely prints.
Link Love List!
- Bento Lunchbox – My favorite lunch box site!
- Green School Supplies – A great list of green school supplies from eco pencils to green lunchboxes.
Great options! I love LunchBots! Thanks for sharing.