Snack boxes are one of those things you buy in a rush in September and regret in October. Here’s what to look for before choosing one.
One compartment or three?
It depends on what you want to put inside.
- One compartment (sandwich box): perfect for a mid-morning snack, a sandwich, or some cut fruit. It takes up little room in a backpack.
- Three compartments: useful when your child has lunch at school, as they keep the main course, side dish, and fruit separate. They also prevent the sandwich from getting soggy.
You’ll find both in the snack box collection.
The material: what does "BPA-free" mean?
BPA (bisphenol A) is a substance used in some plastics. In Europe, it is banned in baby products such as baby bottles and restricted elsewhere, and reputable food containers are labelled BPA-free. Our snack boxes are made from food-safe, BPA-free plastic. This is the first thing to check on the label of any container, even those that aren’t ours.
The right size
A snack box measuring around 19–20 cm on each side will fit in any nursery or primary school backpack. If you choose a larger model, make sure it fits flat in the backpack you already have: if it has to stand upright, the contents will spill out.
The closure
Side clips keep the lid on better than a simple snap-on lid, but they can be difficult for a 3- or 4-year-old to open by themselves. At nursery, where there’s a teacher, this isn’t a problem; from primary school onwards, it’s best if your child can open it by themselves, otherwise their snack will come back home untouched.
How to keep it clean
- Wash it by hand with warm water: high temperatures in the dishwasher warp lightweight plastics and fade character prints.
- Dry it open: if it’s closed while wet, it will start to smell within a day.
- To remove odours, soak it in warm water with half a lemon or a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda for ten minutes, then rinse.
- Seal: if it has one, remove it occasionally and wash the seal and the groove it sits in, as that’s where dirt collects.
The complete set
If you’re buying now, it’s best to get a snack box and a water bottle together: choose the same character so your child can recognise them, and have the same name written on both. In class, with twenty identical containers, the name is the only thing that will get them back home.