Lunchtime Favorites For Toddlers and Preschoolers

Finding the right sippy cup that your toddler will actually drink out of is hard enough, then add in trying to find one that’s not plastic and it becomes nearly impossible. But fear not! From plates to straws to lunch boxes, I’m sharing all of our lunchtime favorites for toddlers and preschoolers to use and they’re all nontoxic, easy to wash and hard to break.

So first let’s talk plastic and why to avoid it. After the news broke about BPA being bad for us, manufacturers scrambled to find a another compound to replace it with and they did about the same amount of research on the new replacement as they originally did on BPA. So now here we are a few years later with shelves full of BPA-Free plastic containers only to have new studies come out showing that the replacement for BPA looks to be even more harmful to us than BPA was. Yikes, what will they find in plastic next? Luckily, there are some great alternatives to plastic for kids to use!

Thirsty?

Pura Kiki is one of our top choices for a sippy cup for several reasons. The top is interchangeable and you can use their traditional sippy cup spout on it or swap it out for the straw version depending on your child’s preference. If you invest in some Pura Kiki bottles when your baby is still a baby, you can actually use it as a bottle first and then switch out the top as the child goes into the next stage and use it as a sippy cup. How cool is that? Also, there’s zero plastic on these. It’s all stainless steel and silicone.

Our second choice is Foogo. Part of the inner straw is plastic on these, but the straw they sip out of is silicone. I truly wish these were 100% plastic free, but I’m willing to forgive the small amount of plastic since the price is great and they offer them with tons of different characters. This was the first non-plastic cup I could find with Elsa on it. Since the top fully closes and doesn’t come off (just another piece for the kids to lose), these have been the easiest for tossing in my bag and going. This is also the kind I pack for my kids to bring to their preschool.

My 5 year old son LOVES these stainless steel cups. He thinks they’re so cool! I love that they’re the perfect size for little ones and they can go in the dishwasher. They’re lightweight, but still sturdier than plastic.

Annabelle just turned 3 last week (I seriously can’t believe it) and we are at that transitional stage where she’s past sippy cups, but still regularly spills or knocks over regular cups. I just bought these universal cup lids and straws to use when I’m cooking or can’t be hovering nearby while she’s drinking. They’re both 100% silicone and made by GreenPaxx. The lids are pretty genius. They fit almost every glass or cup in our house. They seal onto glass the best, but I have also had good luck using them with the stainless steel cups above and they’ve prevented MANY spills (they sit a little loose on those cups, but do a pretty good job when the cup gets knocked over on the table).

Dish It Up.

Plates, plates, plates. How I struggled with what was the best type to go with. Honestly, now that both of my kids are out of the stage where they may throw or knock down their plate, I end up serving them on our regular dishes a lot, but still use the kid dishes a fair amount too. There are a lot of great options out there though, especially if you’re starting from baby’s first meals.

Kids love a divided plate. I swear, I can serve them the same exact thing we’re having, even if it’s a salad, if only I dissect it and keep each food on it’s own! We love this stainless steel one from ECOlunchbox. It’s the perfect size for a toddler or preschooler meal and easy to wash or throw in the dishwasher. This would be great for babies too. I’ve branched out and found one cheaper alternative, but beware it’s pretty large.

These silicone bowls are great for toddler’s and babies. They’re colorful, completely unbreakable and dishwasher safe.

If you can’t tell, we’re big fans of stainless steel around here. These bowls come in 3 cute colors and the handles make them extra easy for the little ones to hold it steady while they scoop up a bite of cereal.

Lunchtime!

I’ll admit that I’ve struggled to find a lunch box that doesn’t leak and that my little ones can open by themselves (my son’s in Pre-K and is required to bring something he can open independently). I love the idea of stainless steel bento boxes, but a few I’ve tried do leak, so I know to pack non-liquidy foods in them. They also happen to be incredibly expensive, in my opinion.

This three tiered lunchbox from ECOlunchbox is one of the cheapest ones that I’ve found that is all stainless steel and actually functions pretty well. I will say it’s still expensive enough that you may not be willing to buy several. A bonus is that the kids like all the separate compartments.

This silicone lunch box is what my son brings to school everyday since it is so easy for him to open and it does a great job of being leak proof. So the lid is plastic, which was a compromise I had to make- I generally pack his lunch and then insert this upright into his insulated bag and then up right into his back pack. He’s 5 so I’m not gonna say the food never touches the lid, but I think for the most part the food is resting in the silicone. For the price and how easy it is for him to open and close, this has been the best choice for us. 

For food that needs to be kept hot or for things that may leak, we love our Foogo storage jars. The lid screws on tight and the insulated jar keeps food hot or cold. They come in TONS of different character themes, which the kids love and the price is great. I generally pack this upright as well, for fear of it accidentally leaking if I didn’t tighten the lid enough and because part of the lid is plastic on this as well (why must everything have plastic??).

If you’re looking for inspiration for what to actually pack in those lunch boxes, be sure to come back tomorrow! I have Lisa from ThisOrganicGirl.com sharing all of her secrets for packing a healthy lunch and giving us some yummy recipes. If you want to see more products my kids love, here’s another post on some of their favorites. xo