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5 Great Ideas to Make Packing Lunches Easier

Packing lunch for a house full of children each day can be quite a chore, but we’ve found some innovative tools to make the job easier. From keeping perishables at the proper temperature to making things easier for little hands to access, here are some of our favorite products:

1. Bento-style containers. Our Japanese friends bring a great lunchtime idea from their culture: the bento box. These neat little containers have separate spaces for main entrees or sandwiches, and sides. One of the best we’ve found is at EasyLunchBoxes.com. We like the one-piece, one-lid simplicity of the design, and they’re super-affordable. Another option can be found at LaptopLunches.com, and gives you the flexibility of separate pieces.

2. Built-in cool packs. Keeping your child’s food at a safe temperature until lunchtime is important, and cool packs are one way to keep refrigerated foods chilled. We like these new containers that have a slim chiller that snaps into the lid at Fit&Fresh.com. They come in a variety of sizes for salads and other foods, and there’s even one with a specially-designed dip container for fruit and veggie dips.

3. Stainless steel water bottles. These sturdy containers are great for taking the best possible beverage for your child: H2O. You can make sure the water is nice and cool at lunchtime by pouring a bit of water into the bottle at night and placing it in the freezer overnight. Take it out in the morning and fill it on up, and the frozen portion acts like an ice cube (regular ice cubes can be tough to fit through a small bottle-neck!). These are sold almost everywhere now, but look for one with a good quality gasket to seal the bottle when the lid is screwed on to prevent leaks.

4. Restaurant supply stores. Most of us don’t even realize there are restaurant supply stores in our midst, but check your yellow pages for one in your area. They have a wealth of little condiment containers and lids and other odds and ends which can make lunch-packing a breeze—at very affordable prices, too!

5. A great insulated jar. A quality, sturdy thermos is a must-have for those cool days when you want to send something hot and filling with your little ones. Look for one with a wide mouth for easy filling and clean-up and that’s rated to keep hot foods hot for up to 5 hours, which should get you from the bus stop to the cafeteria with no problem.

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