Yesterday while school shopping, we wandered down the lunchbox aisle in search of a thermos for Abigail. I have to say, lunchboxes have come a long way in just a few years. If we didn’t have the laptop lunchbox already, it would have been hard to choose from. But we did find a few things that will make lunch much better for Abigail this year.
The first being this Princess Thermos. It’s the perfect size to hold soup for her
for lunch. I am also thinking that things like spaghetti and beans and mac and cheese may work in this as well (and sloppy joe filling-her favorite!). The only thing I haven’t figured out yet is how to pack it- it doesn’t actually fit in her laptop lunchbag, so I’m not sure what I’ll do yet for that. Hopefully it seals well, because what I can see is it lying on it’s side in the bottom of her backpack until lunchtime.
The second thing we found was these really cool little ice packs made by Munchkin. They are fairly small, yet seem completely sturdy. 
Unlike the flimsy standard ice packs we used last year, these look like they will last a very long time without developing a leak. We won’t be able to use these all the time, as they are a little wider than what we actually needed, but when we do use them, I’m sure they will keep her lunch nice and cold for as long as I need it to.
And actually, as I am typing this out, I think I solved my problem with where to put the thermos. Obviously with a thermos full of soup or chili Abigail won’t be needing a laptop full of additional lunch. So I think I will be picking up an insulated lunch bag that that thermos fits in, and then I can tuck in a small sandwich or a piece of fruit to go with her thermos of food. I think it will be exciting to Abigail to have more than one lunchbox option. And maybe, just maybe, I can keep the lunchline at bay this year.
Oh, and for anyone wondering, I picked up these things at Target yesterday- and they had plenty of options for both boys and girls. Zander wants to know when he gets a lunchbox and a Spiderman thermos.
My oldest daughter is in 4th grade and has had a Thermos since kindergarten. We found our first one at a supermarket, plain silver, nothing fancy and costing about $10. It lasted 3 years! When my now 2nd grader started kindergarten we had to buy her one and still only found a plain silver one at Target costing $15. We still have it, it’s on it’s 3rd and probably final year. Last year we had to replace the first one and saw all the cool character ones. So we now have a Bratz thermos and the 2nd plain silver. They are WONDERFUL!!!! My girls take soups, spaghetti, macaroni and beef, french toast sticks and sausage links fit nicely in there.
My one tip, which I’m sure you’ve already thought of though: take boiling or almost boiling water and put in the thermos and leave until you put your food in it. If I’m putting french toast sticks or anything, of course, I dry it well. Otherwise, I dump the water, add the food and my girls have never had a problem with the food being cold. It does seal well also.
Now, I have only one problem with these. There’s a rubber seal inside at the top and food gets under this and makes it almost impossible to wash. I find myself taking a knife to clean under it. This year, I took our oldest one, ripped the rubber seal(band)out to see what happened. NOTHING!!! No leaks, food is still hot and I don’t have to be a surgeon to clean the thermos.
One other thing I found at Target, in the Dollar Spot, were 2 packs of ice packs, they’re the soft ones with gel type stuff inside. They had Hello Kitty, Princess and Spiderman. 2 in a pack for $1. We also have the ones you found and we do love them. But sometimes we run out of room and they’re hard to fit in. So the smaller, gel type ones work well and they’re flexible so you can freeze them either flat or a bit more curved if you want to wrap them around something. I know they’re not the best but for 50 cents each, they certainly work.
Good luck with school and healthy school lunches! My girls started school on August 13th…Boo! Yuck!
Oh my gosh! I could put french toast sticks in! I’m so glad to hear all of that Tammy, it’s so encouraging to read. I’m especially glad to hear that they are durable and that they do seal well.
I will be looking for those character gel packs too. Thanks for the tip!