Recyclable healthy alternatives to plastics for kids lunches

As an ongoing effort to figure out ways to kick the plastic out of our house, I’ve been testing other products. It’s hard and it’s always easy to sacrifice another plastic baggy, but with all the bad news about plastic, I’d like to completely eliminate it in 2010.

One option is glass, and we did a review on Pyrex bowls that work well in a lot of situations. Unfortunately, they are also breakable, which isn’t great for my five year-old.

Another option is a new line stainless steel containers from Thermos. They are called
Funtainers and come in different themes for little kids. On the positive side, they are strong and durable and stainless steel is about as safe as it gets. You can use them to store hot or cold foods.

Unfortunately, they are pretty expensive, which will be an obstacle for a lot of cost-conscious parents. Additionally, like a lot of options like this, there is still plastic involved, in this case in the sealed top.The lid for the Funtainer food jar is made from Polypropylene (PP) #5. This material was chosen because it is durable, safe and BPA free. However, it is still plastic and I wish it would have been eliminated in favor of silicon, especially since they will often be used with hot food that will come in contact with the plastic.

Use these and try to keep them upright, minimizing the contact with the food.

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