My kids love bringing lunch to school. School lunches have improved, generally speaking, over the past several years, but we still enjoy the flexibility of bringing lunch rather than buying it.

The challenge comes in finding more eco friendly containers for the kids’ lunches. Kids are great for losing things, so you don’t want to spend a fortune. So far, most of my kids’ stuff has eventually made it back to us, anywhere from being found in the lost & found the next day all the way to appearing in a different teacher’s classroom the following school year. Obviously, sometimes I’ve had to buy more containers because I thought the previous ones were gone.

You also want containers that will last well. I prefer stainless steel, and for the drink bottles, ideally no straws. My youngest still gets straw containers, even though the straws eventually go bad because she chews on them, because that’s what she can open without needing help and close reliably. For older kids, I like bottles that the kids twist the lid off rather than a sports bottle type opening – kids are great for not closing sports bottles tightly enough and having it leak all over their lunch bags.

Insulation is wonderful, especially for drinks. Ice works well to keep drinks cool, and you can freeze milk into cubes so you don’t ruin the flavor if that’s your child’s preferred drink. Make sure the drink bottle has a wide enough mouth that ice is easily added.

Size is key with food containers. Some will be too small to hold enough food for your child’s appetite. Too big and you may have to rethink the lunch bag. Pay attention to reviews as well as how much your child tends to eat for lunch to figure out what’s the right container. Some have their own carry bags available.

There are plenty of places to buy eco friendly school lunch supplies. Here are just a few:

Amazon (seems like they carry everything)
Shop Waste-Free Lunch for Kids at ReUseIt.com
ECOlunchbox
PlanetBox
The Ultimate Green Store
Laptop Lunches