A while back I wrote a post about starting to make bento lunches for Drake in preparation for the coming school year where he would be needing a lunch. My biggest challenges were the fact that I liked stainless steel, but I felt the Planetbox Rover was simply too much in cost and size for Drake’s needs. Then recently a friend told me about the Planetbox Shuttle, which is a smaller box meant for the younger pre-school set. It’s stainless steel with one large compartment and one smaller one, as well as a smaller dipper container. The size of the box was better suited for what I felt Drake could eat, as well as what I could pack. Since I was planning on buying only one Bento lunchbox, I felt like I could justify spending a little more. It fit in his Skip Hop lunch box, so I skipped buying the lunch box container it came with to save a little money.

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Here are the things I like about the box:

– Stainless steel.  I have been moving away from plastics in the last few years so this was important to me, and I decided it was worth the extra cost for the steel.  The plus about steel is it’s easy to clean, no odors cling to it, it’s sturdy and it won’t fall open with a rough 4 year old messing with it.

– The other box I was considering was the Yumbox, and what pushed me over to the Shuttle besides the steel material was the fact that the Yumbox didn’t have a compartment large enough for a full sandwich. Let’s face it — sandwiches are quick and easy to make and kids eat them. I felt like if I took sandwiches out of Drake’s lunch rotation, I really would be hard pressed to be able to make lunch for him.

– The Shuttle is small enough to fit in Drake’s lunch box, along with his water bottle and even an extra bag of snacks. Drake is very attached to his lunchbox so it was a big deal for me to find something that would still fit inside. Also I didn’t like how the Shuttle’s lunchbox didn’t have space for anything but the lunchbox, meaning a drink would have to be attached or carried separately. I wanted everything to fit in one bag for ease and less chance of things getting lost or misplaced.

– At first I never thought I would use the little dipper that came with the box, but then one morning Drake wanted applesauce with his lunch and the dipper was perfect for that. Nothing spilled to or coming home.

– I liked that the shuttle has one large tray (big enough for a sandwich), but still has another compartment which I can divide with cupcake liners if I so choose.  The main compartment is large but it can be divided with cupcake liners.

– I chose the DIY magnet set to let Drake personalize it more for himself since I didn’t think he would like the designs that came with the box.  I have read that colored pencils work well on the magnets and can be erased so Drake can change his pictures which is a plus.

– Drake managed to work out the latch on the box fairly quickly on his own.  At school his teachers haven’t had to assist him.

Overall I am happy with this Bento system and see it working well for us well into kindergarten and maybe even first grade. I haven’t been too adventurous with my bentos and hope I can use the summer to learn some new options to play around with, and make Drakes lunches more fun and appealing for him.