10 Tips to Consider when Buying Your Child's Lunch Bag

Now that back-to-school shopping is in full swing I thought I would share what I think is important to consider to when buying your child’s lunch bag.  It is no secret that packing lunches is not my favourite chore so I wanted to design a lunch bag that helped make a not so fun job a little more convenient.  It is also no secret that I hate germs and like any parent I will do anything to avoid my kids getting sick, so that’s why I included the HandsClean pocket on our lunch bags. Simple tweaks to an age old item to make parent’s lives a little easier is why SafeLunch was created. Here are some things you may want to consider when you’re out shopping for back-to-school lunch bags in the coming weeks. Good luck and happy shopping!! 

1. Size

The size of your lunch bag is very important.  Choose one that's too small and you can’t pack enough or fit your favourite containers inside.  Too large and bulky and it won’t fit in your child’s backpack.  Safelunch lunch bags are designed specifically to accommodate popular food containers but also fits perfectly inside the SafeLunch backpack. As a teacher and a parent I know that stuff that doesn’t fit inside the backpack often doesn’t find it’s way home.  Our kids have never been good at carrying more than their backpack so it was important that our lunch bag can fit inside the backpack. 

2.  Design

With balanced-day lunches in place at many schools the two separate compartments help your child organize themselves when picking out their snacks throughout the day. For schools without a balanced-day lunch program the separate compartments provide more space for separation of lunch food and snack containers.  As I mentioned earlier I don’t love packing lunches so I wanted a design that made it as painless as possible. I like how I can easily organize our kid’s food and they can easily find what they need at the right times in the day. 

3. Colours and patterns

Every kid has their own opinion on their lunch bags and at SafeLunch they have a choice of four trendy colours to pick from. All are easily identifiable and add style to any kids school accessories. I have a rule at our house that each kid has to have a different colour lunch bag or else I end up mixing up lunches. And then I get an earful after school because Olivia had to eat Angie’s sandwich and Angie had to eat Olivia’s crackers and cheese.  Life would be too easy if they both liked the same things…wouldn’t it?!? 

4. Price

It is easy to find cheap lunch bags out there but you get what you pay for. Expect to pay around $25-$35 for a good quality bag that will clean up well and last.  SafeLunch pricing is affordable and the quality will last, making it worth every cent!

5. Ease of cleaning

This is a very important thing to consider when purchasing a lunch bag. You want to make sure that your lunch bag can be washed out. Often kids leave yogurt, apple cores, or jam all over the inside of the lunch bag so be sure you pick one that can be easily wiped out with a cloth.  All SafeLunch lunch bags are easy to wipe out and can even be thrown in the washing machine.  Let me tell you over the years I have dealt with my fair share of lunch bag explosions so I knew our bags had to be easy to clean. Just last week Angie brought hers home from camp filled with Gatorade because she didn’t put the lid on right. I was able to completely spray the bag out and it was dry and ready to go the next day. 

6. Material

Hard shelled lunchboxes are very good at protecting the food but the drawbacks to that type is you are limited to a particular size.  Soft lunch bags are often more convenient because they can accommodate all different sized containers and fit in backpacks more easily. I find I can fit a ton of stuff in if I need to because of the flexible material. 

7. Insulation

Be sure you select a lunch bag that is well insulated. It is important to keep cold food cold and hot food hot, so that your food never reaches the "temperature danger zone." This is where bacteria can grow quickly and cause food poisoning.  A well insulated lunch bag is necessary to promote healthy safe eating habits for your child.

8.  Versatility

Be sure your lunch bag style is versatile.  A detachable strap allows for the lunch bag to be carried on its own when going somewhere without a backpack and can easily be removed when carrying it inside a backpack.  I use the strap with mine because I don’t carry a backpack to work.  Our kids don’t use their straps often but sometimes have for camp if they are only bringing a lunch. This feature has allowed us to get more use out of the bag. 

9. Weight

Kids have to lug around a lot of things back-and-forth to school be sure you don’t choose a lunchbox that is just too heavy.  SafeLunch lunch bags are lightweight and compact.

10.  Dedicated pockets

Having a dedicated pocket for napkins, wipes and sanitizer should be considered when choosing a lunch bag.  Be sure to select a lunch bag that will help your child identify where certain items are.  Our lunch bags have a HandsClean pocket with a logo to remind them to use their sanitizer.  This makes me feel more certain that they are cleaning their hands before they eat. Before we started SafeLunch I would label a space myself in hopes they would remember.  Now the reminder is built right in our bags.  So if you’re a parent who worries about germs at school, this lunch bag is for you!