How to Choose a Lunchbox for Your Child

It might seem like all lunchboxes are created equal. After all, all they do is hold food, right? How different can they be? The truth is, lunchboxes are vastly different depending on your needs and your child’s needs (yes - we said YOUR needs, too!). Instead of going through a million different lunchboxes and dealing with the trial-and-error process, we are here to help you. Keep reading for the best tips on how to choose a lunchbox for your child, including some of Innobaby’s picks.

Consider Your Little One’s Eating Habits

When choosing a lunchbox, it is important to keep your little one’s eating habits at the forefront of the process. Some questions you may want to ask yourself include:

Does my little one hate when their food touches? Do I tend to feed my child leftovers from the night before? How often do I cook my child’s meals? Does my child like their food cut up or served a certain way? Do I want to avoid pre-packaged food?

Lunchboxes that do not have bento sections can be difficult to accommodate your child’s eating habits. For example, they require either Tupperware or Ziplock-style bags to keep everything separate and clean. This means more dishes for you and more trash for your little one to have to deal with at the end of lunchtime.

Make Sure It Is Easy to Clean

This might sound like a no-brainer, but you’re gonna need a lunchbox that is easy to keep clean. The keyword here is easy - because most lunchboxes are actually very difficult to keep clean. Not all lunchboxes are stain-resistant or leakproof, which can lead to some sticky and icky accidents. In addition, most leak-proof lunchboxes include that rubber gasket to stay leak-proof. The problem is, those rubber gaskets have deep crevices where mold and mildew absolutely thrive. Eww.

Many bento-style lunchboxes have sharp corners that can be difficult to get into, and many insulated lunchboxes have that certain *smell* that seems impossible to get rid of. Finding a lunchbox, such as the Flex&Lock Lunchbox, made with food-grade silicone (which is naturally mold and mildew resistant) and is super easy to clean (top-rack dishwasher safe and no special brushes needed) will make your life a whole lot easier.

Make Sure It Is Easy to Use

In addition to being easy to clean, your child’s lunchbox should also be easy to use. Remember—they have tiny fingers and hands, and you don’t have a million hours a day to dedicate to their lunchbox.

Ease of use in a lunchbox comes down to many factors, including:

The lunchbox should fit easily into their backpack, comfortably over their shoulder, or the handle should be comfortable to use. Your child should be able to easily open and close the lids and use any latches. Consider a lunchbox that is microwave safe and oven safe to make preparing meals easy. Make sure your child’s lunchbox is long-lasting and durable. Many lunchboxes can break or crack rather easily. Consider having more than one lunchbox per child. This way, you can keep one clean while another one is in use, making your free time at home a little less hectic.

Our Top Lunchbox Pick: Flex & Lock Lunchbox, Utensils, Charms

Finding a lunchbox that fits a wide range of eating habits (even for the pickiest of eaters!), is easy to clean, and is easy to use just got super easy because we’re about to give you our #1 pick: the Innobaby Flex & Lock Lunchbox Set! Five factors make this the best lunchbox for any child, including the Flexbox, Flexplate, Flexboard, Flexcharms, and Flexware utensils!

The Flexbox: It is super easy to clean! Simply remove the silicone FlexPlate™ and wash it! No special brushing or scrubbing is needed to prevent mold growth. The FlexPlate™ and FlexBox™ are specially designed to work together to leak-proof seal without the need for a rubber gasket. The Flexplate: Made of platinum silicone, it is pure & eco-friendly as well as free of toxins, BPA, PVC, and Phthalates. It’s hypoallergenic, microwavable, oven safe, dishwasher safe, and the all-around ideal on-the-go option. The Flexboard & Flexcharms: Make lunchtime more fun by changing up the charms on your Flexboard! Fun and interactive play that works for the accompanying utensils, too! Flexware Utensils: Available in blue, green, or pink, these utensils pair perfectly with the Flex & Lock Lunchbox Set! Made with groove and easy-to-grip design, the FlexWare Spoon and Fork promote self-feeding and are extra fun with Flexcharms.

Our FLEX & LOCK lunchbox set is perfectly leak-proof without that yucky and tough-to-clean rubber seal. FlexPlate is made with platinum material and FlexBox is made with ABS for long-lasting. These two pieces are specially designed to work to leak-proof seal without the need for a rubber gasket. Everything in this set is super easy to clean and easy to detach when you wash it, and all parts are easy to assemble back together.

FLEX & LOCK Kids have practical use and fun at the same time. FLEX & LOCK will offer a new experience of lunchbox for family members. Join our mission to create a worry-free & sensible lunchbox that does not mold or leak and encourages healthy & waste-free meals. Win-Win for parents & kids!

Learn more about all of our products on Innobaby.com!