Finding the best high school lunch boxes can be the answer to your school lunch struggles. Because by the time you hit the teenage years, the lunch box (or bag) matters way more to high schoolers than what's packed in it.
Gone are the elementary years of tossing their lunch bags in one big bin when they enter the classroom. By the time teens enter middle school, they've entered the years of having to shove their lunch bags in their school backpack or carry it around with them all day long. And it's most likely the latter.
And, you know how it goes in high school. If they are carrying it all day, everyone sees it. Which means, they care more about what it looks like.
What I'm saying is that the look of the lunchbox matters. There, I said it. 😉
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Finding the Best Lunch Box
With so many lunchbox and lunch bag options out there, it can be hard to find the right one for your kids, especially once they hit the tween and teenage years.
I'll help you narrow down your choices and figure out what to look for.
Dietitian Tip
And as a dietitian, if the key to getting my kids to eat a more wholesome lunch at school is buying them their favorite lunch boxes with cute prints, I'm all in!
Still, it's one thing to find the right lunch box, and it's another to have food ready to pack.
At the end of the day, what keeps me motivated to pack lunches is having the right kitchen tools and cookware at my fingertips, including lunch containers.
What to Look for When Buying a Lunch Box or Lunch Bag
- Will your tween or teen carry it around school?
- Backpacks are heavy. Anything we can do to 'lighten their load' will help. This includes a lightweight lunch box. Food and food containers weigh enough, the lunch boxes should be light.
- And, once again, style matters to most teens. Is your teen willing to be seen carrying their lunch box around?
- Ease of Use
- Packing lunches is less stressful when they have plenty of room to fit large containers like food jars or a thermos and smaller containers as well.
- A lunch bag that is easy to clean is a must. Oftentimes teens are distracted and/or short on time during lunch, so they throw their containers, leftover food, and trash right back in their lunch bags.
- How much food does it hold?
- Growing teenagers eat a lot of food. And I mean a lot. This means their lunch box needs to hold their favorite foods, including lunch box snacks, in addition to what they would consider 'lunch' (example: a sandwich or leftovers in a thermos).
- The shape of the lunch box
- Take into consideration the size and shape of lunch containers that you use to pack lunches. For instance, wide bento-style lunch boxes will likely not fit in the bottom of a tall and narrow lunch bag, but it may fit perfectly in a lunch box with a wide base.
My Picks for the 5 Best Lunch Bags
If you are like me, you still call any reusable lunch bag a lunch box, lol. Still, when I look at all of the lunch 'boxes' favored by teens, they are actually considered lunch bags.
You'll notice that none of these options have an outside pocket that holds a water bottle. I'm assuming it's because most kids are like mine in that they prefer to carry their stainless-steel water bottles separately, in their school backpacks.
Dietitian Tips for Buying the Best Lunch Box
- Buy one that your teenager is willing to carry around with them. Teenagers are much more likely to eat a packed lunch if they like what it's packed in.
- Make sure it holds enough food. Before taking the tags off and using the lunch box your teenager chooses, put clean and empty lunch containers and unopened snacks along with ice packs in the lunch box to see if it holds what you need it to. If not, return it and try a different one that will hold more.
- As for keeping cold foods cold and hot foods hot: yes, their lunch box should have insulation. Just make sure it has room for ice packs and thermoses.
Questions You May Have
The best school lunch box is one that is easy to clean, fits enough food for your child, and is one that they are willing to carry to school.
According to the USDA, school lunches should be packed in an insulated lunch box, not in a brown paper bag.
Use at least two cold sources in an insulated bag to keep perishable foods in your lunch safe; ice or gel packs in your insulated bag or box work best.
Yes. Just be sure that you find a lunch box that will fit the Bento Box you will be using to pack lunches.
While some Bento Boxes come with ice packs, most do not come with handles to carry it around. Also, putting a Bento Box inside of a lunch bag will prevent lunch from ruining the backpack and school materials if the Bento Box were to accidentally leak.
These are just a few reasons why I recommend putting a Bento Box in a lunch bag.
Related
Easy Recipes to Pack in Lunch Boxes
Did this post help you find a lunch box for your high schooler? Please let me know by leaving a comment below!
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Amy says
This article was spot on and I am so glad to hear my daughter is not the only one that brings all of her trash home in her lunch bag 🤣
Kristi says
Thanks, Amy! Your daughter is definitely not the only one!😅😆