For the bento-ers among us with kids... About This Page:

[Chrissi]

The Goodbyn™ lunchbox

Self-contained, waste-free lunchboxes!

[chezp]

Neat!

[lukesmom]

Like it..much better than a lunchbox full of plastic bags.

[my2girls]

I like it. But I have one question, if you were to put yogurt in one on the side containers, like the picture, how does it not spill when you carry it around?

[Caldercup]

The lid is fitted for each section and holds the food in. (Or that's what it looks like to me.)

Unfortunately, it's a little too "young" for my DS at this point, but it does look cute!
Eileen

[my2girls]

I might have to jump on the Bento Bandwagon and order one of these for DD7. I think I will show her tonight and see if it's something she will use.

[eff051102]

Originally Posted by lukesmom

Like it..much better than a lunchbox full of plastic bags.

Um if you use small plastic containers in your DS lunch box then you won't
need the bags and there wouldn't be any waste. I use these really small plastic
containers (BPA free) in DD lunch bag and they work really well. Just wash
and done, no waste.

While I really like the Bento idea and they are super cute, I just can't see
spending the money when a regular lunch bag/box with small containers can
do the same thing. I can make the cute little food designs with cookie cutters
and what not without spending money on the extras.

Am I missing something? Are they just to get kids to eat?

[Chrissi]

KJ, the biggest drawback to using small containers in place of sandwich bags in a regular lunch box or bag is that kids lose lids, throw away containers, leave them at school...Meh. This is big enough and all in one that it's a lot harder to lose the parts, throw them away, or leave them in the lunchroom - thus saving you money on replacement containers.

DJ homeschools, so when we pack a bento to go to the park, I can keep track of the bits and pieces. But if he were to go out with someone else, go on a field trip with another family, or somesuch, I would want one of these to just give him fewer pieces to keep track of.

[Tink and co.]

I love it! I'm going to present it to the kids for their coolness factor rating. I've been looking for something like this for a while. We've been using small bentos that go inside of a reusable lunchbag, but this just looks like a better idea.

[Caldercup]

Bento-ing is also very much about presentation -- done in a way to "feed" the eyes as much as the food feeds the body. A tightly-packed bento with all the food arranged in one container is more appealing than lots of lidless containers.

You can certainly do without 99.9% of the "cuteness" tools. After my initial collecting spree, I ended up liking some simple rectangular containers from Ikea that were just a few dollars for a set of three. I think I use them more than any other item I have. And I don't use many other tools than a good set of knives and some interesting food picks.

Eileen

[stretch2864]

That is very cool!

[eff051102]

Originally Posted by Chrissi

KJ, the biggest drawback to using small containers in place of sandwich bags in a regular lunch box or bag is that kids lose lids, throw away containers, leave them at school...Meh. This is big enough and all in one that it's a lot harder to lose the parts, throw them away, or leave them in the lunchroom - thus saving you money on replacement containers.

DJ homeschools, so when we pack a bento to go to the park, I can keep track of the bits and pieces. But if he were to go out with someone else, go on a field trip with another family, or somesuch, I would want one of these to just give him fewer pieces to keep track of.

Cool, thanks! I have really wanted to try these for DD, but since she is just
starting her "school" and so far has been ok with the containers (their teachers
help them eat) then I think I will wait.

Are there somethings to buy for a starter type kit?

[Chrissi]

You mean for bento-ing? Or just waste-free lunches in general? I get by with what I would consider basic bento equipment: dollar store bento boxes, cheap food picks, a dozen silicon cups in two different sizes, and some disposable baran. (I'm keeping an eye out for silicon baran that's not too babyish, but no luck so far, so I often just use lettuce as baran. ) Lock & Lock makes a great sandwich keeper that makes a perfect, beginner's single-tier bento. Two of these is a huge lunch for my husband, so one should more than suffice for a child. On the plus side, the dollar store bentos just fit inside DJ's traditional lunch bag, so even when they get crammed into a backpack, they're upright and can be kept cool with a freezer pack.

For waste-free lunches, I would look for or make some sandwich wraps and oilcloth lunchbags and buy a few Sigg bottles - one to wash and one to use - at least. Lock & Lock and Fit & Fresh make great small containers to add a single side to waste-free lunches or you could buy a kit like the ones made by Kids Konserve: Reusable Waste Free Lunch by Kids Konserveâ„¢ These kits are really my favorite of the waste-free lunch options because they make so many different types of plastic alternatives for waste-free lunches including sandwich bags, stainless steel bottles, stainless steel sides and condiment cups, sweat-resistant icepack covers, picnic packs, thermoses, napkins, sports bottle tops for their bottles, and even all natural detergents and cleaners for their products! The drawback is the number of pieces that could potentially be lost by kids from these kits. I would only use these for older kids or supervised by mom on a picnic to avoid replacing the bits and bobs frequently.

[Caldercup]

I love the oilcloth lunchbags too!
Eileen

[Carousel96]

how would this heavy a plastic work with the "ice" blocks to keep lunch cold. I'm always worried that things would get warm.