Back to School Lunchbox Essentials

Today I’m sharing my MUST HAVE Back to School Lunchbox Essentials!! These are items that make packing healthy, delicious lunches THAT much easier!

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?! August is almost over. There, I said it. August is almost over and I’m being the Debbie downer talking about back to school stuff. Buuut, don’t you secretly nerd out about new notebooks and have grandiose ideas about how creative you’re going to be this year with your kid’s lunches? Me too. 

So today’s I’m sharing some back to school faves and lunchbox must-haves to make those lunchboxes the best they can be. So this is what we got:

1) Adorable Lunchbox: There’s a bunch of different lunchboxes out there, but I saw this and thought it was super cute. I also love that it comes in fun kid patterns but also has some more ehem… mature solids for older kids and adults looking to step up their work lunch game. My kids have one of those rectangular lunchboxes which is great, but I think once they are due for new ones, we’re going to spring for these!

2) Silicone Snack Tubes: these are great for two reasons. First, you can mix up a smoothie, poopsicle, or yogurt and then freeze them in these awesome reusable silicon tubes. My kids love when I buy yogurt tubes from the store, freeze them, and serve them up as a fun afternoon treat or dessert. I love the idea of making my own and these are pretty perfect. Find them on amazon HERE!

3) Planetbox Lunchbox: I have a few different lunchbox containers that I wanted to link to because you guys need options!! And, I kinda love all of these for different reasons. This planetbox is really awesome because it’s made from stainless steel, has a bunch of different sized compartments, and has an awesome latch/lock situation which is great. I have one of these and while I tend to go for the plastic containers for the kids lunches (#10 below), these planetboxes are a great option if you stay away from plastic and prefer stainless steel containers 🙂

4) Glass containers: ok these may be for the older kids out there because like I said… glass. But, I love these containers for packing MY lunches when I head out for a picnic or the beach, etc., and I thought that these should be good to include in this post. If you’re in the market for glass containers, whether its for packing lunch or just for storage, def check these out!

5) Hydroflask: Anyone else have a hard time with water bottles? For some reason my kids are pretty rough on water bottles but at the same time are really attached to “their” specific water bottle. Anyway, this year I’m buying these hydroflask water bottles to kick off the school year. They’re in a bunch of colors, they’re double insulated and have wide mouth straws so I’m into them! Find them here!!

6) Silicone Cups: These are great for two reasons. First you can use them for baking and no-baking, and delicious sweet treats. The second unexpected fun use for them is creating additional compartments in your lunchbox containers. If your kids are like mine, they don’t want things touching each other. These little cups keep everything where they’re supposed to be without sliding around. Grab a set here!!

7) Adorable Dog Ice Packs: How cute are these?!! Ah, I am all about packing a little something that puts a smile on your kid’s face. We have monkey and frog ice packs in our freezer and I think these dog ice packs are the cutest!! They’re a perfect size to fit in a lunchbox and keep things nice and chilled. Hope you guys love them too!

8) Sandwich cutters: OMG you guys!! Getting a set of these sandwich cutters totally changed my lunchbox game. My one son is not into sandwiches AT ALL. As soon as I made them into dolphin shapes… guess what. He ate the damn thing. So these are so fun. It also comes with some veggie/fruit cutters which are fun to use too. If nothing else from this post, you need to check these out!!

9) Stasher Bags: Y’all know my love for these stasher bags. I have a stock of plain clear ones for daily kitchen use and food storage but I also have a few of these cute kid-friendly designs that my kids love. Whether you’re packing them some pretzels or sliced apples, these reusable, dishwasher-safe stasher bags are perfect!

10) Lunchbox Containers: These are the plastic containers I use every single day for my kids. They are so convenient and easy to clean. I love that they reduce waste because I’m not packing tons of plastic baggies or wrap in their lunches. What I especially love is it keeps me on track. Big compartment = main lunch like a sandwich, banana sushi, bagel, or leftovers from dinner. Smaller compartments = one fruit or veggie and one crunchy snack. It makes mornings just a bit more mindless for me and I LOVE them!

11) Apple Slicer: Nothing else to say about this besides time saver time saver time saver!! Grab the one I have HERE!

This post contains affiliate links which means if you purchase one of the products I linked to, I’ll receive a small portion of the sale. I only link to products I use and love. Thank you so much for supporting The Toasted Pine Nut!! xo