Now that Charlie attends pre-k at a public school, I have to put more thought into how I pack his lunch. When he was in daycare, I didn’t have to worry about reheating food, keeping food cold, or even sending a sippy cup or utensils because they took care of all that. But now I have to think about all of those things, so I thought I would share what gear I’ve been loving lately to pack Charlie’s lunch for public school!


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1) Labels – I didn’t have to worry about putting labels on things in daycare because the kids went to a very small daycare. But Charlie has already lost 2 sweaters, a straw cup, and a bunch of utensils in his first two months of school. So now I put labels on everything – clothes that are taken off (hats, scarves, jackets, sweaters), backpacks, and all his lunch gear. I’ve been using Inchbug labels for years and have never had a problem with them coming off, and I think their labels are cute!

2) Dual compartment lunchbox – Recently Charlie’s lunch bag fell out of the stroller and we lost it, so I had to buy him a new one. I never buy Charlie superhero anything (just makes things easier so he won’t request superhero themed things). But the kids at his table had been making fun of his lunch (what he was eating and not the bag itself… I’m working on a post about teasing), so I bought him a Spiderman lunchbag just like all the other little boys in his class because I knew that he’d love it. We’ve been using this for a couple weeks now, and so far so good. I put an ice pack and a lunch box in the bottom portion, and the upper portion holds his water bottle, a thermos to keep foods warm, utensils, and there’s still room in there for an extra snack like a yogurt.

3) Bottle – I’ve had good luck with the Thermos brand keeping foods cold or warm, so I stuck to it and got Charlie a matching Spiderman Funtainer Thermos water bottle.

4) Thermos Raya Compact Food Jar – Charlie doesn’t eat as well in public school as he did in daycare because he’s never been a great eater, and there is much less hand holding at school. So to keep foods warm and tastier, I researched thermoses to find the smallest one. All the ones I came across were too tall, making it hard to get food out. This is the smallest one I found, though I’d love for it to be even shorter so he could use it like a bowl. I fill it with boiling water, then remove the water and wipe inside, then pack in foods that taste better warm like pasta and even chicken nuggets. They stay warm until his lunchtime.

5) Cheap utensils – I had been sending metal utensils to school, but after several got lost, I purchased some cheaper ones. The Take and Toss brand is fine for spoons, but I’ve found that their forks are not sharp enough to pierce food. I really like Ikea utensils, and we also have a set we love from Re-Play.

6) Bento/Lunchbox – Right now I’m using a Lock and Lock container that fits perfectly into the bottom compartment of the bag, but I’ve been thinking about getting a stainless steel lunchbox because I’m tired of washing the multiple compartments and organizing them (with our small kitchen and dishwasher), and I’d like to use less plastic overall. This 4 compartment one from Lunchbots has a layout that I love but it’s a little small, so I’m still on the lookout for my perfect bento box. I only use my big, fun bento boxes for Olive, because you need a big bag to accommodate them, and I think the lunchbox Charlie has now is easier for him to carry around.

7) Ice pack – I love these Fit and Fresh Slim ice packs. They’re flat so they don’t take up a lot of room and you can squeeze them anywhere into a lunch box.

I have many, many years of packing two lunches daily ahead of me, so I’d love to hear what gear works for you!