Sistema School Lunch containers – products we LOVE:

{If you’re looking for a list of ideas of what to pack for lunch, this post has a perfect School Lunch list to print out and hang on your fridge.}

Two years ago I spent the summer stressing out about Kindergarten.  I had Kindergarten anxiety to the 10th degree.  I was worried about sending my first kid off to school all day but I was also worried about school lunch.

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What was I worried about?

• I didn’t know what kind of lunch containers I would use.
• I didn’t know what I would pack for lunch.
• I didn’t know if we needed new lunch boxes for lunch.
• I didn’t know how I would keep lunch cold.

What did I want?

• I wanted a lunch that stayed cold.
• I wanted containers that Kate could open and close on her own without help.  (I was an elementary school teacher and know there’s not enough time, or hands, to open all of those containers.)
• I wanted containers that easily fit into a lunchbox.
• I wanted containers that had compartments that were flexible.  Meaning, a PlanetBox lunch box was not was I was looking for.  I didn’t want to have to decide what I was packing by the size of the compartments I had left.
• I did not want a Bento box.  I have 3 kids and if I am being realistic, I have no time for fancy lunch making.
• Something that was dishwasher safe. (I’m all about the dishwasher!)
• I need a few of the same product.  There’s no way I can be responsible enough to make sure everything gets washed right away.

Packing a school lunch was causing me some great stress. I spent the summer experimenting with different types of lunch containers and different types of ice packs.  Our trials consisted of me packing lunches at night and then heading to a park and for a picnic in the morning.   This trial time helped me discover what worked and what didn’t.  And I was very surprised.

We had been using Pottery Barn Kids lunch boxes for preschool and they didn’t get a lot of use.  They were in good shape and I really didn’t want to buy new ones.   So I started by buying new containers.  I bought these on the recommendation of Laura at Momables (I LOVE her!) and loved the containers.  They worked well and kept the lunch ingredients separated, however, these containers didn’t fit in our lunchboxes.  We could squeeze them in but the zipper was stretched as far as it would go and I knew that Kate wouldn’t be able to unzip or zip it back up.  They didn’t fit in our Pottery Barn Kids lunch box.  Or our Lands End one.  Or our LL Bean one.  We had every popular name brand lunch box you could imagine but I needed to find containers to use inside of them.

I bought a set of Rubbermaid Lunch Blox containers.  They worked great but they took up a lot of space.  All of the containers were separate and when they were all in the lunch box, there wasn’t a lot of room for a water bottle.

I saw Sistema containers at a Container Store that was an hour and a half from our house.  I bought 2 and brought them home to try out.  At the time, they said they were dishwasher safe on either the top or the bottom rack.

The first time we packed them, I knew we had a winner.  They took up less space and still allowed room for a water bottle and an extra snack that is prepackaged.  Over the course of the next few months I experimented with different sizes and shapes of Sistema.  Every single one was great and worked extremely well.

The only issue we had with them is that the Lunch Cube can be tricky to open if you don’t know which way is up.  I solved this problem by adding a Name Bubbles sticker to the very top so Kate would know which side of the cube to place facing up before opening it.  We practiced a few times at home first and the problem was solved.

As the months wore on, Sistema kept working for us and STILL does, 2 years later.  We’re still using those same containers.  We did, however, switch to different lunch boxes.  I noticed the kids always wanted to eat the remainder of their lunch on the ride home from school.  Ewww!  It was always warm and beginning to spoil.  So we switched to using PackIt Cool lunch boxes and now their lunch is still cold when they get home from school.  I don’t have to add ice packs or worry about whether their lunch will stay cold all day.  I’ll never use another lunch box again.  It’s like I finally got the whole system to work.

Here is a list (with photos) of the Sistema containers we use:

Sistema Klip It Lunch Cube

Sistema Klip It Salad Container

Sistema Klip It Breakfast to Go Container

Sistema Klip It 11.8-Ounce Rectangular Split Food Container

Sistema Klip It 3 by 6.7-Ounce Containers

Sistema Dressing to Go Containers

These containers are perfect for ketchup, Ranch dressing, or hummus.  We also put in yogurt for strawberries or cottage cheese.

Sistema Snack Food To Go Containers

Sistema Twist ‘N Sip Drink Bottle

I don’t have a photo of the bottle but I can tell you that what I like about it the most is that it’s super thin so it easily fits in any lunch box.  You will need to teach your kids how to open it, though, because it can be tricky to make sure they always close it all the way.
Lunch caused me the most anxiety and now 2 years out, I finally feel like I have it figured out. What do you use to pack school lunches in?

What do you use to pack school lunches in?

xoxo
–k

Take a look at our healthy school lunch ideas

Do you dread the idea of packing a school lunch? Make packing school lunch quick and easy with this comprehensive list of school lunch ideas.

Take a look at how we teach kids to pack their own school lunch

Want to get your kids to pack their own lunch? Teach them how to! It’s empowering for them and they’ll take ownership in it.

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