Well…… it’s almost that time again! School is BACK in just a couple of weeks and it’s time to dig out that old lunchbox to see if it will survive another year of being thrown around and left in the bottom of the school bag. We’ve got A LOT of school aged kids here at KiA so between us we’ve been through our fair share of lunchboxes so we thought it would be helpful to share which ones we’ve tried, tested and LOVED. Here’s our pick of the best kids lunchboxes and lunchbox accessories for kids.
Nudie Rudie Lunchboxes
Grab the kids a new lunchbox AND support a local S.A business, that’s a win/win!
Nudie Rudie Lunch Box is owned by accredited and practicing Adelaide based Accredited Practising Dietitian, Julia. Crafted for lasting sustainability, these leak-proof and dishwasher-safe lunch boxes are designed with non-toxic materials, ensuring a safe and eco-friendly experience.
We’ve got the Nudie Rudie Lunch Box Five compartment stainless steel lunch box which comes with five airtight and leakproof compartments including two removable snack pots and also the Nudie Rudie Lunch Box 3 compartment Hot n Cold Hero Box which is Australia’s only stainless steel lunchbox that includes a food jar for hot and cold foods – it’s the perfect size for noodles, pasta or leftovers and it fits right into the lunchbox.
Both lunchboxes have the perfect amount and sized compartments. Not too many that you’re cutting food up into tiny pieces to fill them, but enough that you can offer a good selection of different foods without them touching and also without the need for any cling wrap.
We also love that the top quailty stainless steel is dishwasher safe and the clasps have been designed with little hands in mind, both lunchboxes are easily opened and closed by my 5 year old.
Check the range online at www.nudierudielunchbox.com.au
Decor
For price, variety and availability you can’t go past Decor. They have a range of lunchboxes, lunchbox accessories like snack bags and snack tubs, ice walls lunch bags and in particular, a great range of kids drink bottles – perfect for school. They’re also available at your local supermarket.
New in ’24 is the Decor Personalised range of lunchboxes and drinkbottles that let kids go wild personalising their gear with the cute stickers provided.
We also love the triple split Bento. Great for parents (like me) who are a bit put off by a bento box with 11 spots to fill. This one give you just three generously sized sections with enough space to hold a sandwich, snacks and fruit and all contained with an airtight seal for freshness, it’s also a great price for this style of lunchbox at only $14. Love the new pastel colour range too, YAY for more options than just clearn, blue or pink!
Shop the Decor back to school range at your local Woolworths or Big W
Check the range online at www.decor.com.au
The Zero Waste People
If having the most GORGEOUS lunchbox in the class will get your kid to eat their lunch, then you need to check out the range from The Zero Waste People.
They have an enormous range of silicone bento boxes (in three different sizes), round containers, rectangle containers, drink bottles and accessories that come in the most stunning colours. We LOVE the Rainbow boxes, but the Paddle Pop, Splice and single colours are very cool too!
Everything is leak proof, drop proof, dishwasher and microwave safe which is a big win for us. They even personalise items, so they won’t end up in lost property!
Check the range online at www.thezerowastepeople.com.au
Shop local at Have you met Charlie?
If you love brands like Kollab, The Somewhere Co, Ever Eco or Rex London take a look at the lunchbox, drink bottle and accessory range from Adelaide store Have you met Charlie?
If you prefer to shop in store rather than online you can pop in and browse their range to find the perfect products for you.
shop online at haveyoumetcharlie.com
or visit them in store at Adelaide Arcade or Jetty Rd, Brighton
Get EVERYTHING you need from one online store
Lunch boxes, lunch bags, bento boxes, containers to keep things hot or cold, big, small or in-between My Green Stuff can take care of all your lunch needs. Made from recycled or recyclable materials in a huge range of colours and sizes, there’s something for everyone.
Take a look at their huge range at mygreenstuff.com.au
home. by Foil Me.
And now for the cutest way to wrap a sambo (and pretty much anything else) check out Foil Me’s foil sheets which will keep your lunchbox food fresh and also plastic free! These foil wraps come in boxes of 100 individual sheets in medium or large size and can be wiped clean and reused or if they’re ready for the bin, simply scrunch them into a ball and throw in your recycling.
20c from each packet is donated to Animals Australia to assist Australian animals in need so you can rejoice in your choice to wrap your food with a practical, socially responsible, environmentally friendly, and adorable Australian product.
shop online at homebyfoilme.com.au
Smiggle
And of course for something more fun Smiggle is always a winner with kids. We love their Double Decker lunchbox with it’s two tiered design making it easy to seperate lunch from snacks, or recess from lunch. Inslated and BPA free lining keeps everything fresh for when hunger hits!
$36.95 online at www.smiggle.com.au
Wrap’d
Just like peeling a banana…with your wrap inside!
Wrap’d is the perfect and fun solution to keep your kids wraps fresh and tasty. It works a bit like peeling a banana! It encases your wrap to store, and while you eat, it eliminates mess and acts as a hygienic barrier between your hands and food. Perfect for little (and big) hands, Wrap’d is fully reusable, dishwasher safe and easy to use.
$19.95 online at www.adventureawaits.com.au
Goodful Stackable Lunch Box
The Goodful Stackable Lunchboxes are a great option for kids who would prefer a salad or a deconstructed sandwich that won’t go soggy! The container is 100% leak-proof and includes 4 lift out trays to make it easy to divide ingredients without touching. It’s even got a small cup you can use for salad dressing, mayo or a small treat.
Comes in 5 colours.
Yumbox Presto.
Kids love a Poke Bowl or Salad but don’t like it going mushy before lunchtime?
Try the brand new Yumbox Poke Bowl.
Using the removable divider makes it easy to create a poke or salad bowl and keep foods separate until it’s time to mix and enjoy! Or keep the divider inside to separate cut up sandwich, snacks, fruit etc.
All ages will love this one! Loads of colours available.
$34.95 online at www.adventureawaits.com.au
Yumbox Presto.
It’s the famous Yumbox – stainless style.
The brand new Yumbox Presto swaps plastic for stainless steel. It still offers absolute convenience in its moulded tray with pre-portioned compartments. And it’s still simple to use, thanks to Yumbox’s child-friendly single clasp. Easy to clean, super durable, heat-resistant, non-toxic and won’t corrode, even when storing acidic or briny foods.
$69.95 online at www.adventureawaits.com.au
The Hive Wrappa
Technically not a lunch box but a perfectly convenient eco friendly alternative to plastic cling wrap. Not sure about you but our kids are becoming fiercely passionate about these changes. Does any one else’s school reward kids for nude food and plastic free lunch boxes? Our kids take great pride in their various sized beeswax wraps and so we were stoked to find this beautiful little SA hand made product. If you haven’t ever tried beeswax food wraps, now is a great time and they are relatively inexpensive given they are made for multiple, multiple, versitile use.
You can find them at local markets like Stirling Laneways on 24th Jan 2021 AND their new website is almost ready to go here: www.thehivewrappa.com.au
Give them a follow on Facebook HERE and Instagram HERE
b.box lunchbox
The b.box lunchbox features a large compartment that fits a whole sandwich. Plus, sitting underneath the tray is an included gel cooler pack to keep food fresher and cooler for longer. Or, remove the sandwich tray and the compartment now easily fits pasta and salads. The best feature on this lunchbox is the unique flexi whole fruit holder which lets you store a whole apple or piece of fruit as the stretchy seal bends around – no need to cut fruit into smaller sizes, no more brown apple!
Leak-proof silicone seals lets you store wet foods like watermelon and yoghurts (no liquids). The custom divider slides across enabling parents to adjust the compartment size as they need, or remove it to fit a whole banana or wrap. Easy for little hands to open and close too.
The b.box range also comes in snack boxes (perfect size for munch and crunch) drinkbottles, insulated food jars, gel coolers, spoons and florks. Yes I said florks
The lunchbox is a great price at $32.95 online here
Seed + Sprout CrunchBox
I’ve had a Seed and Sprout Crunchbox since 2020 and it’s still going, this thing is TOUGH
Love it’s deep and large compartments that will fit a regular sized sambo so you won’t have to origami the bread to make it fit. It also comes with 2 x leak-proof pots that come with the lunchbox and can be used for anything liquid-y. Tried and tested, they are indeed leakproof.
Available in a range of sizes and colours. Easy to clean and very durable.
Available online at www.seedsprout.com.au
Fridge to Go Cooler Bags
We swear by the medium fridge to go cooler bags / lunch bags for our kids. They are perfect for fitting a lunch box inside that will stay cool for up to EIGHT hours and there will be no condensation. You simply freeze and insert a thing lightweight freezer panel that zips into place in the morning. It’s like magic.
The quality is brilliant (we simply wipe it clean or occasionally pop it through the washing machine on a gentle cycle) and we are only just now replacing one that’s four years old! Don’t want to put a lunch box in it? No worries, we pack whole fruit, yoghurts and wax wrapped sandwiches or snack pouches directly in to the fridge bag.
The medium lunch bag is $42.95 and comes in awesome plain colors and fun patterns – plus you can personalise it if you wish.
Buy it here: www.fridgetogo.com.au
Econo
Looking to lift your ‘nude food’ game this year? Don’t forget the fork! For a truly zero waste alternative ECONO have a perfect solution for little fingers. This handy bamboo travel spork is perfect for everything, from lunch on the go to a spontaneous ice cream at the beach. They come as a set of three with a cute carry pouch which makes it easy to keep your clean sporks separate from the dirty ones.
If you have older kids, send them to school in style with ECONO’s stunningly designed matte black travel cutlery set. The set comes with everything they could possibly need, including straws and a drawstring pouch and dishwasher safe carry box, making it nice and easy to keep their dirty utensils separate… actually… maybe a set of these could save Mum from the disappearing teaspoon dilemma at the office too!
Check the range online at www.econo.com.au
And once you’ve chosen your lunchbox below are some ideas on how to fill it!
Make Your Own Sushi
Did you know that making sushi doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated? Our kids love rolling…
Back To School Recipes from the Adelaide Central Market
It’s always hard to come up with nutritious lunchbox ideas that your kids will actually eat, isn’t…
Double Chocolate Scones
Nothing like your Grandma used to make and every thing like the chocolate mud scone that you will…
Some (not all) of the lunchboxes mentioned above we received free of charge for the purpose of this review however as for all reviews from Kids in Adelaide the above is honest and in our own words.
You might also be interested in
-
We have made it to the last school term of 2020, and if you are feeling like me (after a long and weird 2020) then you are in need of some lunch box inspiration! But let’s step away from the deli counter……. Processed meat is a food that I find is not often talked about in infant or childhood nutrition guidelines (or not talked about enough) and I am yet to find a child who doesn't like processed meat. So, what are the current recommendations and should we include processed meat in our children's diets? Processed meat is any meat that has been transformed through salting, curing, fermentation, smoking, or other processes; this includes hot dogs, ham, turkey, salami, fritz, prosciutto as well as canned meat. Processed meats are certainly convenient and most kids love them, but they high in salt, high in fat, and they also contain chemicals that are confirmed to cause carcinogenic compounds when consumed (YUCK!). - The Australian Cancer Council recommends “avoiding ALL processed meats such as Frankfurt’s, salami, bacon and ham”.- The Australian Dietary Guidelines for children recommend “limiting consumption of foods high in saturated fat, including pies, processed meats and commercial burgers, among other…
-
As the summer holidays slowly draw to an end you may have started to prepare for the school term ahead. If you are anything like myself, one area that you might be thinking about is food. What are you going to feed the kids and how can you pack them a healthy lunch box. As a society we are understanding now more than ever the importance of gut health and its influence on overall health. Whilst this area of science is still an emerging field we do know that certain foods are better than others for building a healthy gut. Looking for ways to support your little one’s gut and overall health? Check out my top tips for building a gut friendly lunch box below. Diversity is key - by incorporating a range of plants into their lunch boxes you are helping to fuel a diverse range of gut bugs as bacteria love to eat from a range of different plant fibres. Don’t stress if you can’t get them to eat a huge range of vegetables just yet! Just start with the fruits and vegetables that they do like and try to switch them around as much as possible and…
-
What we think might be healthy to include in our kids lunchboxes and what is actually healthy for them can be vastly different! Our choices are often influenced by what we have been programmed to believe when we walk around the supermarket aisles due to marketing, packaging and the power of the corporate dollar. Here are 5 examples of some foods that you might want to reconsider and try these healthier alternatives instead. Kids Yoghurt is a classic example. The small child size containers of yoghurt which are marketed to kids are actually packed with sugar (often 2 or more teaspoons in that small tub) and artificial flavours.Plain yoghurt is a fantastic option and is mainly milk and live active cultures or coconut yoghurt is a great option for children that might be intolerant to lactose or cow’s milk protein. You can add fruit to it if extra ‘natural’ sweetness is required. If you're kids love "squeezy yoghurt" try picking up some resusable food pouches and filling them up each week to pop into lunchboxes. We buy ours from www.littlebentoworld.com.au That way you can control exactly what type of yoghurt is going in there, you'll save money AND it's much…
