Plastic lunch box swap to Steel bento or food jar

Why make the swap

• Why switch to steel bento or food jar

  This bento is 18/8 stainless steel, box and lid, so food touches only steel, with no plasticizers or bisphenols in the mix. Hot lunch? Heat it at home on the stove or in a glass dish, then pack it in the insulated steel jar. AAP suggests glass or stainless steel when possible, and advises against microwaving kids’ food in plastic.

• What's the concern with plastic lunch box

  AAP’s policy on chemicals in kids’ food lists hormone disruption as a concern for bisphenols and some phthalates, and calls it a particular worry early in life. It advises skipping plastics marked 3, 6 or 7, and keeping plastics out of the microwave and the dishwasher.

• General information, not medical advice. Ask your pediatrician before changing what your baby or child uses.

• Good to know before you buy

  LunchBots’ dividers aren’t watertight, so tuck yogurt or dips into a small leakproof cup. For hot food, fill the jar with boiling water for 5 minutes, empty it, then add piping-hot food so it stays warm until lunch. The jar’s outer sleeve is silicone; the food sits against steel. Reheating leftovers at home? See glass containers.

• Sources (1)

  1. AAP 2018 policy: don't microwave or dishwash plastics; use glass or stainless steel when possible (opens in a new tab)

  Health and safety facts on this page come from this source. What a pick is made of comes from its maker's listing or website, as stated on the date we checked.