Yumbox Product Review

The Yumbox inspiration came from healthy and balanced French school lunches.  The desire was to help parents everywhere pack those kind of lunches for their own kids.  The moms behind Yumbox are so passionate about this that they even developed two iPhone apps to encourage kids to try new foods.  Click HERE to see Kids Food Adventure and HERE to see Choose My Food.  But here is the truth about lunchboxes.  Passion and ideas are all well and good, but if they don't translate to a practical usable product in real life, then it doesn't do us as parents any good.  Click here for the recipe that I made in the Yumbox--a healthy lunchable style lunch!

The first thing I noticed about the box was how heavy it is.  It's not too heavy to carry, but the weight surprised me.  It is listed at 1.5 pounds but certainly feels heavier.  From the outside, it looks like many other lunchboxes, but when I opened it the interior set the box apart.  

The inside clear tray looks nice and I love that it is removable and dishwasher safe. However, the compartments each only hold 1/2 cup of food each. This is perfectly fine for younger children, but older kids might need a little more. This all depends on the individual's appetite. The other part of the tray that I appreciated was that each compartment is labeled to remind you of the food groups that help make a balanced diet.

When I first opened the box, I didn't pay much attention to the silicone on the lid. This is a useful feature, though, because it seals each compartment. It is not recommended that you fill it with liquids such as soup or watery dressing. You can pack foods with a "Ranch Dressing" like consistency.  I always recommend testing liquids if you are unsure if they will work.  In our testing, we didn't see any leaks, but it is best to be cautious when packing lunches.  You don't want your child to arrive at school and find yogurt covering all their other food.

When it comes to the outside, my main concern was the durability of the hinge. I thought that with a few drops the hard plastic pieces would break. I did accidentally drop it on the cement and the hinges held up fine. Only time will tell how durable they are but for now they seem to hold up with no problem.  The latch is easy to use and my 7 year old was able to work it with ease.

Overall, the Yumbox met my expectations.  I liked the removable tray, the reminder labels, and the silicone seal on the lid.  However, it was a little heavy and the portion size will probably be too small for older kids and adults.  Yumbox will be coming out with a bigger box soon, so I am looking forward to seeing how they adjust the compartment size and if they introduce any new features.  The customer service was also great.  If you are looking for a smaller basic box with little food compartments that can seal, then check out the Yumbox.  You can find it online at www.yumbox.com for $28 in either pink or green.

Disclosure: Yumbox sent me this product to review.  I have received no other compensation for this post and the opinions I’m expressing here are solely my own.

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Product Review: yubo Lunch Box

yubo Lunchbox Review

You might have seen the yubo lunch box in the hands of celebrities such as Jessica Alba and Jennifer Garner.  However, just because a product is hot with celebrities doesn't always mean it's practical enough for regular parents and kids living an everyday life.  Yubo "wanted to make the lunchbox customizable, interactive, fun, flexible, functional, washable, ecological, colorful, beautiful, and of course, very cool and loaded with personality."  The resulting product is fun, recyclable, dishwasher safe, and BPA free.  It starts at $29.95 plus shipping.  Click here to see the 1 Meal 3 Ways lunch I made in the yubo!

When I first opened the yubo package, the amount of pieces made me skeptical.  I always do real world testing, and with all of these pieces, how practical would this lunch box be?  After making numerous lunches in it, I find it simple and easy to use.  The custom ice pack (shown below) is such a great idea.  I hate trying to find room for an ice pack in other carriers.  The three leak proof food containers fit right on top of the ice pack (different size options are available).  You can pack items such as yogurt or fruit, as side dishes, and a sandwich with small snacks in the main container.  The containers give you options, but at the same time help you carefully consider what you are putting in your child's lunch.  The accessory that might be hard to get used to is the drink holder (shown below).  A bottle won't fit inside the box so a drink holder attaches to the outside (for an extra $5.95).

One feature that stands out in this lunch box is the fun factor.  yubo has made their box very customizable.  It comes with faceplates in many designs to complement the colors of the box.  However, you can also have them personalized.  They can include your child's name or you can even upload a picture that they have drawn!  The faceplates are available in horizontal (above) or their brand new vertical designs (to the left).  They easily slip in and out of the plastic panel that holds them so they can be changed to a different set when desired.

As far as durability goes, all the pieces are high quality plastic.  However, with kids (mine at least!) these will get bumped around quite a bit and might get some scuff marks with regular use.  They did hold up well in our testing.  One of the best parts of the yubo is how easy it is to clean.  You just take all the pieces apart and throw them in the dishwasher.  I love how both side panels come off so you don't get gunk stuck in the crevices!  The only thing not dishwasher safe are the faceplates.

If you can't tell, this has turned into one of my favorite lunch boxes to use.  The one drawback is the amount of pieces.  If your child has a habit of losing things, you could be ordering replacement parts for this quite often.  Regular Tupperware might work in the box, but you won't get the perfect fit that the yubo containers offer.  This could be frustrating to some parents.  Other than that, if you are looking for a FUN, easy to clean, personalized lunchbox, then you should try the yubo.  Check out getyubo.com for all the options and designs.

Disclosure: Yubo sent me this product to review.  I have received no other compensation for this post and the opinions I’m expressing here are solely my own.

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ECOlunchboxes Review

ECOlunchboxes Review

If you are looking for some great looking, eco-friendly, fair trade lunch containers, then these are for you.  They are durable and clean up easy.  However, all of the products might not work for kids and all of the features come at a price...CHECK OUT MY FULL REVIEW HERE

ECOlunchbox makes stainless steel lunch boxes and accessories for those families that are looking to keep their food in containers that are, "Healthy for People and the Planet."  They say their products are, "plastic-free, waste-free, BPA-free, PVC-free, petroleum-free and vinyl-free."  They are fair trade artisan hand crafted goods made in India.  I love that they are doing their part to help the planet and help people.  I only have time to go into my real world review of how the products worked for my family, but to learn more about how their products are made click HERE.  To learn more about fair trade and how you can make a difference in people's lives check out the Trade As One site HERE.  

Clever Packaging

The customer service for ECOlunchbox was friendly and prompt.  They answered my questions very quickly--even on a holiday weekend!  I received my products in a couple days and was immediately impressed when I opened the box.  Their packaging was simple, but smart and communicated their mission clearly.  Their "nutritional facts" label was very clever.  All the packaging was made from recyclable materials.

The Oval, Solo Cube, ECOlunchpod,
and Spork

I looked at their stainless steel food container products first.  They were simple but sophisticated and very functional.  They sent me their ECOlunchbox Oval (with included small stainless steel cup and lid), Solo Cube, ECOlunchpod, and spork.  The Oval ($24) was my favorite piece as it is big enough to pack numerous food items in, yet small enough to be extremely portable.  The latches held the lid snug and I had no issues.  You need to be aware that the small dipping cup is not water tight so it will leak if you are not careful.  I chose to put cold pasta in the dipping cup for my daughter and it was a great serving size for her (check out  the whole lunch that I made in these containers HERE).  The Solo Cube ($20) is the perfect size for a sandwich or similar food.  For the small ECOlunchpod ($7), I put in a serving of blueberries.  It seemed to be a good size for a side dish such as this.  My daughter was very excited about the unique looking spork ($20 for a set of 4).  I was skeptical about it, but it turned out to be a fun way for her to eat.  There is one caution.  If you plan on using this, make sure to include hand sanitizer or be in a place to wash your hands.  The spork doesn't have a handle and you need to touch either the spoon or fork side to use it.

All the containers held up well after a day at Kindergarten.  One thing that surprised me was how cold the containers were after taking them out of the fridge (I make my daughter's lunches the night before).  There is no insulation, however, so if your food needs to stay cold for long periods of time you will need to find a way to include ice.  ECOlunchbox provides ideas for this on their website so you can check those out if interested.  I was wondering how hard it would be to clean, so I tried hand washing and using the dishwasher.  Both methods proved very easy to clean.  There were some water spots, so if you are very particular, this might drive you nuts.

ECOlunchbox Soft Goods

I received three bags to review, the Furoshiki ECOsnacksack, Furoshiki ECOlunchwrap, and ECOlunchbag with cloth napkins.  These come in all different colors and seem to be durable.  They look thin, but are double layered and sewed together well.

My daughter chose the Lunchbag (the largest bag, $50 bundled with container, napkins, and bamboo spork) to take to school.  One drawback to using multiple containers is that you need more space in your bag to carry them.  This Lunchbag carried them well with room to spare, although you wouldn't be able to carry a tremendous amount of stuff in it.  The cool thing about this bag is that it can be converted to be used as a backpack, purse, or hip bag.  The cloth napkins match the bag and come in handy for numerous things besides cleaning up.

The Furoshiki ECOlunchwrap ($35 bundled with a container and bamboo spork) is a pretty cool bag if you want something different.  Be warned it does take a few times to figure out how to tie the knots well (although instructions are included for this, as well as all their bags).  This bag style dates back centuries in Japan and can carry a few of the lunch containers, but not as much as the larger Lunchbag.  My friend and food critic, the Picky Eater, loved this bag and thought it could come in handy for her needs.  This bag is probably not for the kids since there are no latches and it can come open easily.

The Furoshiki ECOsnacksack ($35 bundled with a container and spork) was the smallest bag.  My wife really liked this one and said she would use it to tie to the stroller for snacks while she is out with the kids.  All the bags have different purposes so the one you would choose would depend on your needs.  As a man, I do have to say that while the stainless steel containers work for everyone, the bags seemed to be geared more towards women.  Due to the patterns and look, they are not my cup of tea, but I love how they are made and the women I showed them to were highly impressed.

Overall, I give all of these products a high grade.  The stainless steel containers don't have the bright colors for kids that some lunch boxes have, but the bags could serve that purpose for your child.  If you are looking for reusable lunch containers that help the planet and are well made, then these are for you.  They don't come cheap, but if you use them regularly they will pay for themselves over time.  You can order them from www.ecolunchboxes.com.

Disclosure: ECOLunchboxes sent me this product to review.  I have received no other compensation for this post and the opinions I’m expressing here are solely my own.

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Product Review: Laptop Lunches lunch box

Laptop Lunches Review

I discovered laptoplunches.com while doing some research on lunch box containers.  They are based out of Santa Cruz and have been featured in magazines such as Everyday With Rachael Ray and Parents.  Their mission is to provide lunch boxes that are safe, cost-effective, reusable, recycled, easy to clean, and waste free.

I was immediately impressed with their website.  It was professional, easy to navigate, and very helpful.  They offer newsletters, a store, healthy tips for lunches, and a place for users to send in pictures of lunches they have created.  Their customer service was also prompt and helpful.

Rear view of packaging

When I received the lunchbox I was impressed with the packaging.  It was fun and engaging.  It also shows key features and has a QR code on the back to scan with your mobile phone.  This leads you to a mobile version of their website.

The outside container seems sturdy and attractive enough.  However, it is just one solid color.  So if you are looking for different designs, you will need to choose a more expensive bento kit from their website (this particular model reviewed costs $23.99 + shipping).  My daughter was just happy it was purple.  After one use, I did start to notice some scratches on the top but this didn't compromise the overall build.

Top of lunch box

Inside of lunch box

When I opened the box for the first time, I really enjoyed the bright colors of the inside containers.  Some of the pieces came with lids, which is helpful to contain those things you dont want spilled.  There were five containers included, plus there is a compartment for utensils.  The containers really did help to not pack too much food, but at the same time really made you think about what you are putting in the lunch.  It was fun to pick out the different foods for to fit in each one.  If you want to see the finished product for the lunch that I made for my daughter, click here to see the Angry Birds Lunch.  My daughter ate everything and the lunchbox was easy to clean and dishwasher safe.

Close-up of the latch

The biggest problem my daughter had was with the latch.  Even though there are clear instructions, it took a good amount of practice to open it consistently.  I tested the latch out with more K-1st grade kids and they all had the same problem.  When I tested it with 2nd graders, however, there were able to open it with no problems.

Overall, I was very pleased with this product and would recommend it, as long as you practice opening it with your kids beforehand.

Disclosure: Laptop Lunch sent me this product to review.  I have received no other compensation for this post and the opinions I’m expressing here are solely my own.

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