If you are sending your child to school with a packed lunch, consider getting her a lunch box to carry the food in.
Of course not all lunch boxes are created equal.
They vary in size, material and price quite a bit.
Here are some suggestions on how to pick a good lunch box for children.
Plastic Or Metal Your first consideration should be the material of your child's lunch box.
Popular choices are plastic and lightweight metal such as aluminum.
While aluminum is slightly sturdier than plastic, I prefer plastic lunch boxes.
They are lightweight and easy to care for.
Plastic lunchboxes can also easily be decorated and customized.
Size The next determining factor is size.
How large of a lunch box does your child need.
Unless you are buying one for a growing teenager, you don't need a large lunch box.
Remember, your child will have to carry the box around every day.
Stick with a small size, but make sure it is large enough to hold a sandwich, juice box and a small cup that you can put a side dish like fruit salad in.
Insulated Or Non-Insulated The last thing I would like you to consider is if you need an insulated or non-insulated lunch box.
For most children, a non-insulated lunch box will do just fine.
Unless you are planning on fixing lunch items that need to stay cool to avoid spoiling, stick with a simple plastic lunch box.
If you do end up fixing something that should stay cool, like a chicken salad wrap for example, pack a Ziploc bag of ice cubes along with the wrap.
Use a small thermos to send hot items like tea or soup to school with your child.