Well, I managed to make it 6 years without packing school lunches, thanks to our daycare/preschool that provides breakfast, lunch, and snacks! Enter elementary school, and the jig is up. There are plenty of influencers out there promoting $40 bento box-style lunchboxes for kids, and I'm wondering who has the money to buy multiple (at least 2 per kid, right?) OR the patience for anything that requires hand-washing on a daily basis. NO THANKS.
While I'm not super crunchy, it is important to me to minimize waste as much as possible, so I like for everything to be reuseable. When B and I brought our lunch to work (pre-COVID), we love Stasher bags as a durable, reuseable option, but C's school requires that kids be able to independently open their own lunch packaging to avoid spreading germs. Stasher bags are a little too secure for his 6-year-old fingers, but he can handle all of these on his own.
Here's what we've been using so far this year - all dishwasher-safe and on the more affordable side!
Pottery Barn Kids Cold Pack Lunchbox - these go on sale fairly often and are a good value for the quality at the sale price (and the designs are so cute!). PBK stuff is just so durable! I machine wash or scrub with a dish brush (see my post here for cleaning tips), and they look good as new. The "Cold Pack" model is more rectangular in shape, which fits the reuseable lunchboxes we use (see below). It comes with an ice pack that Velcro-s into place, although I don't typically use it.
EasyLunchboxes - we've used these for years and years to take our lunches to work, so I ordered a few more for the school lunch rotation. These are super durable, go right in the dishwasher, nest into each other (space-saving!) and inexpensive. There are so many cute bento lunchboxes out there but many of them are pricey, hand-wash-only (NOPE), or too small for my kiddos' huge appetites. C can open these on his own. They fit (snugly) in the "Cold Pack" lunchboxes from Pottery Barn Kids. The 3 compartments work well for us - the larger one can hold a sandwich or other entree (soft tacos, cheese/crackers, etc.), and we use the 2 smaller compartments for a fruit and a vegetable.
Sistema dip containers - we use these little containers for dips - hummus or ranch for veggies, marinara for ravioli, etc. These are screw-top, which makes them well sealed (no spills!) but easy for a kiddo to open on his own (unlike press-on lids, which are either not tight enough or impossible to get off). These are small - they hold a few tablespoons. Dishwasher safe!
Ziploc Twist 'n Loc snack cups - these come in several sizes, and we use these for snack (C's lunch time is at 10:40 AM, so they have an afternoon snack). Both the 1/2 cup ("mini") and 1-cup ("extra small") sizes work well for snacks; the 1/2 cup is better for small items like trail mix, while the 1-cup is better for larger snacks like veggies, muffin, those peanut-butter filled pretzels. (Note: smaller quantities are usually available at Target or Walmart). These are super thick plastic - not flimsy like many containers - and again, have the magic screw-on lid which makes them spill-proof but easy for kids to open on their own. Dishwasher safe, no warping!
Thermos 16-oz water bottle - our elementary school requires kids to bring their own water bottle everyday, so I bought 2 of these to keep in rotation. I put them straight in the dishwasher and they've been fine - no impact to the finish. No straws or rubber spouts to worry about keeping clean, and the stainless steel inside means no absorbing weird smells like plastic does. I fill these with ice water the night before (ain't nobody got time for morning lunch packing), and the water stays very cold until lunch the next day. We haven't had any issues with leaking, either. The tall, slim design fits well into his backpack outer pocket; it also fits in the side pocket of his PBK lunchbox, although he doesn't usually carry it that way (he keeps the lunchbox inside his backpack, so it's easier to access the water bottle via the backpack outer pocket).
Flexible Gel Beads Ice Packs - I love these ice packs because they aren't rock hard with sharp edges like so many ice packs are when frozen! Because they have beads inside, as opposed to liquid, they won't leak slime everywhere if they do get punctured. They are also very slim, so they easily lay beneath or on top of our lunchboxes to keep cold items cool until lunch!
Avery labels - we use these on the lunchboxes, snack cups, and water bottles - they survive many rounds of the dishwasher without falling off. I just write his name on them with a Sharpie.
Lunchbox notes - these are sweet and easy enough to add to his lunch! I looked at a bunch of different designs, many with jokes that seemed like they'd go over his head. These looked perfect - easy for an early reader to read!