Non plastic alternative to laptop lunches?

[a.b.and.her.two]

I adore the idea of the laptop lunches system.. BUT we avoid plastic as much as possible.. is there such a thing as a bento box in the style of the laptop lunches one.. not a typical bento box?

[tbone]

subbing,

I've been searching hi and low for a stainless steel version of the laptop lunch.

[KyleAnn]

We have oogles of bento boxes, but all plastic (shhhh)-although the laptop lunchbox is free of phthalates, BPA and lead.

In all my shopping I have never come across a ss box similar to them, just the small sigg aluminum snack boxes.
I was given by my sis a wooden bento box which has 4 compartments...I've never used it though, I thought it was too pretty, LOL.

Sorry that wasn't helpful at all! I'd be interested to know if anyone has found anything else....

[circlek]

what about this
http://www.worldmarket.com/content.jsp?sectionId=tiffin

It's not exactly like the laptop lunch, but it might work for what you're looking for.

[eilonwy]

I've seen wooden bento boxes, actually... But I can't for the life of me tell you where they came from. So freaking cool, though. I don't need one, but I want one.

[a.b.and.her.two]

Originally Posted by circlek

what about this
http://www.worldmarket.com/content.jsp?sectionId=tiffin

It's not exactly like the laptop lunch, but it might work for what you're looking for.

i am not sure how much that would be an issue for ds to take to kindergarten.. ya know the *weirdo* factor would be alittle higher carrying that...

[eilonwy]

: You don't think the laptop lunch system has enough of a weirdness factor already?

Out of curiosity, have you tried the ads at the bottom of this page?

[Satori]

Originally Posted by eilonwy

: You don't think the laptop lunch system has enough of a weirdness factor already?

Out of curiosity, have you tried the ads at the bottom of this page?

What is the ad for? I have all ads blocked via firefox so I didn't even realize there were ads.

[eilonwy]

Oh, I haven't checked them out, but there were half a dozen different ads for bento boxes.

[Evan&Anna's_Mom]

Understanding the desire to avoid plastic when possible, I'm wondering if this isn't one of those times when the benefits outweigh the negatives? I'm thinking specifically about keeping lunch boxes as light as possible for kids to carry and unbreakable, not to mention easy to keep clean and sanitary.

[cloudswinger]

When you don't know where to find it, ebay is where you go. There are wooden bento boxes available there. Small, Not cheap, not watertight(don't let liquids soak in it either) and hand wash only. It's for people who are willing to take care of their stuff, like the Japanese are. I have one of the stainless tiffen types. I have a 4 compartment one, my dd loves checking out what's in each compartment. There are metal bento boxes, but I think most are aluminum.

[sarasprings]

I was in the same situation -- thought they were cool when they first came out, but didn't want one for my little guys because we aren't bringing plastic into the house. We did get them, though, because the metal ones were just too out there. DS used it last year in kindy and loved it. As far as I know there were no comments about weirdness. It's so much easier to use than little plastic containers and he loves opening it and seeing all his food right away so he can decide which order to eat his food in. We got him an Ellie Bellie messenger bag which fits his lunch box and his kleen kanteen. LL is also great for eating in the car.

[SAHMinHawaii]

[QUOTE=Evan&Anna's_Mom;11944929]Understanding the desire to avoid plastic when possible, I'm wondering if this isn't one of those times when the benefits outweigh the negatives?

ITA on this. We avoid plastics as well but there are few nonplastic alternatives that are truly kid friendly. My dd had a laptop lunch for school last year and it survived the whole year without anything being lost. Her friends actually loved her laptop and would all stare and wait for her to open the box. THey were just as excited to see what she got in her box that day. Also a few of the kids would try and get food from her box since they didnt have(if any) fresh fruits or veggies. I got an extra(used) laptop to use as a backup or for my 4 year old at the park, etc.. We pack them for long cartrips as well. Sure beats mickey d's. lol

[Ravin]

We have the Indian-style stainless one someone posted above from World Market. A friend got one for DD when she got them for all her own kids. She really likes it.

But then she goes to a weekly homeschool enrichment program, not a full-time public school, so being a nonconformist is probably less of an issue.

[a.b.and.her.two]

Originally Posted by eilonwy

: You don't think the laptop lunch system has enough of a weirdness factor already?

Out of curiosity, have you tried the ads at the bottom of this page?

lol i think the laptop lunches are cute! no weirder then a bunch of lil plastic containers! i think i am going to go ahead and order LL and hope that their claims of being safe are true....

[karne]

I looked at the LL today-ds loved it. My question is about spilling. Does food actually stay in the little plastic boxes without covers? I feel like I'd need more covers for stuff like hummus, almonds, etc. Does the little drink container stay tight and not spill the drink? Also, I wondered if anyone had difficulty with the latch on the actual box? Ds had some difficulty getting it open today and I wondered if it might break? Other than that he thought it was very cool--he loves gadgety type things.

As for the pub. school cool factor-dd has carried for years a vintage wooden purse as her lunch box, with small glass mason jars to hold food items. Her friends have never said a word, and actually it's entered the realm of chic. Go figure! She graduated this year to the Fleurville backback style lunch sak.

[sarasprings]

I'd be careful about hummus in one of the containers, but mostly solid food and sandwiches have been fine for us. The top does a good job, but over time it's not as tight on the sides. We haven't had any leaks, but I wouldn't trust anything to wet. I thought it would be an issue, but we never really have more than one liquidy thing in there at once. For the latch, when we first taught DS, we had him put one hand behind the box and use the other to push in and up. Now he doesn't need to, but he had to push the box against his hand at first. We didn't use the drink container for DS's drink because that was too plasticy for me (even though we did buy the system). We did put medicine in it once for travel and it didn't leak at all.