There’s no shortage of cool lunch containers, bento boxes, water bottles and other fun accessories to help make your kid’s lunch a little more appealing than our own brown-bag days of yore. Here, we’ve pared them down to a few of the very coolest for our 2013 back to school shopping guide. Bonus: So many of them are reusable and eco-friendly, saving you plenty of money in the not-so long run. We like that.
Ninja Reusable Napkins
A warning to those who might try to steal your kid’s sandwich. ($10, Funkins)
Space Robot Lunch Containers
Love these adorable, practical Japanese food containers, from classic bentos to a box for utensils and a simple snack container. ($11-24.50, My Sweet Muffin)
Custom Reusable Sandwich Bag
The little tree trunk is made of your kid’s own initial, appliqued onto unbleached cotton. Velcro keeps it closed, and we love the loop tags to help little ones get it it open. ($9, The High Fiber Co)
Lunch Mail Lunchbox Notes
This set of 24 cards offer a new message each day meant to inspire, support, and give a big hug at lunchtime when you can’t be there. ($8, My Sweet Muffin)
Woodland Creatures Snack Bento Set
I love how easy these are to open and close–even for little fingers–and they stay closed too. Might this be the year that all the baby carrots get eaten and the containers come home from school empty? ($18/4 pieces, My Sweet Muffin)
Compleat Foodskin Flexible Lunchbox Container
Rather genius: A flat bottom to secure your lunch, and a stretchy elastic/silicone skin on top to protect it, whatever its size. Pop it in a larger lunch tote or carry on its own. (€24.95, Unika)
SIGG/Cuipo Reusable Water Bottles
Through this partnership, each of these cute reusable bottles saves one square meter of rainforest. ($18+, SIGG)
Handmade Reusable Lunch Bags
These handmade bags on Etsy let you choose from tons of fabrics (like this cool cassette tape design), all with a water-resistant lining. Close with Velcro, or for a dollar add a zipper or even a name. ($6.75, Bells and Unicorns)
Animal Friends Bento Cutters
BPA-free bento making set that’s great for cookies, making rice molds or just pressing into sandwich tops for a sweet finishing touch. ($9.99 by CuteZCute, at our affiliate Amazon)
Kids Konserve Ice Pack Cover
Highly rated among parents, this cover is made from 100% recycled PET bottles, and the gel pack inside is non-toxic. Pop one in the lunch box and keep those apples crispy cold. ($9.95, Kids Konserve)
Hello Kitty Water Bottles
Also from SIGG, we love these four new designs of one of our kids’ very favorite characters. (Seriously, do they ever outgrow Hello Kitty? We haven’t.) ($20.00, SIGG)
Lunchbox Love Notes for Kids
A longtime favorite of ours, this mom-run company has just introduced a new set featuring jokes meaning there are now more than 50 sets to choose from. Get more than one, trust us. ($2.99 with discounts for quantity orders, Say Please)
Colorful Plastic Cutlery Sets
You can’t beat the price of these utentils, with enough colors that hopefully your kids won’t fight over the red fork. Or maybe they will but they’ll change things up by fighting over the purple one tomorrow. Small favors. ($1.99/18 pieces, IKEA. In-store only.)
FEED + Target Water Bottle
Each bottle not only keeps kids hydrated and saves on juice boxes or disposable water bottles, but donates enough money to feed 10 hungry children across America. Just be aware they’re hand-wash only. ($13, Target for a limited time)
For more cool ideas for back to school, don’t miss the rest of our 2013 Back to School Shopping Guide!
Best kids’ lunchboxes and lunch bags
And find all the coolest tech gear for school at Cool Mom Tech!
