Kindergarten Lunch Products That Work!

Wondering what to use to pack your kindergartener's lunch this fall?

I have two kids, one is going into senior kindergarten and another is almost 10 months old. With that, the following are my top two container choices that work for my whole family:


1. The First Years Learning Curve Take and Toss Feeding Variety

First off, this pack is perfect for a clan with kids of all ages. With sippy cups, snack containers, and utensils, these BPA-free dishes are durable and easy for little hands to open and close by themselves with no difficulty. A great value for its multi-use; I've seen it at Walmart, as well as Amazon.ca (28 pieces, $16.98). Worth every penny, trust me. 

2. Ikea's Pruta Food Containers

My daughter was able to open and close these containers by herself since she was three years old. They're microwavable, last forever and I love how I can use these for either my daughter's lunch or food storage at home. (Check out "Awesome (And Affordable!) Products for Kindergarten Students" here for more info on Ikea's Pruta containers.)

What do you use to pack your little one's lunch? Post your answer below to share. 

Awesome (and Affordable!) Products for Kindergarten Students

Now that my daughter's been in junior kindergarten for approximately a month, I'm getting the hang of what she needs (and doesn't need!) in terms of shopping. So for the future, note these cool products for when your kids start school:

1. Funtainer Bottles by Thermos
I've tried many different water bottles and this is by far the BEST. In public school, kindergarteners have to do things "by themselves", and this thermos is so easy to open and close! My daughter's been using this one since she was about two and now she's almost four. And don't worry, it comes in different characters, not just Hello Kitty.

Best place to find it cheap: Real Canadian Superstore -- wait for a no-tax day and you can pay approximately $9 or $10.


2. Pruta Food Containers

I purchased these containers before my daughter was born, but it just so happens that I've found these to be the most user-friendly for her little hands. She can take off the lids and put them back on the containers, and they're still secure enough for food AND survive the rough-and-toughness of a child. 

PLUS, you get so many in one package at an awesome price, you can't lose out! So in other words, great for home and the classroom. 

Best place to find it cheap: Ikea (online), set of 17 containers for $5.49



3. Mabels Labels "Write Away" Labels
 
Everything -- and I mean everything -- needs to be labelled in school. Backpacks, lunch bags, water bottles, containers, shoes, clothes, the works. I didn't want to keep wasting pen and tape for labels, so I gave Mabels Labels a try. Well, they work alright! Dishwasher- and microwave-safe, they're super durable and when they stick on things, they stick! However, they don't stick on "textured" products such as backpacks very well, but they're amazing on clothes and other items.

Best place to find it cheap: Walmart! You can find a package for $10. (FYI: these are only the "Write Away" labels, NOT the personalized ones.)


Have you tried these products? Can you recommend other kindergarten-friendly items? 

Ikea deal on stocking stuffers and last-minute gifts

I have a confession to make: I'm addicted to Ikea.

My family and I have recently moved which means... we've made multiple trips to the famous furniture/home accessories store.

I won't bore you with my home adventures (hello, our new kitchen cart just doubled our counter space!), but I will tell you to check out Ikea's children's department for stocking stuffers.

Now I already know how Ikea's announced some children's furniture recalls, however, their toys are super attractive.

Right now at the Etobicoke, Ontario location, soft toys are 50% off. Plus, when a soft toy is purchased, the IKEA Foundation gives a dollar from that purchase to UNICEF and Save the Children until January 4, 2014. And when you sift through the children's department, you'll find other cool stuff that's half price, such as costumes, finger puppets, etc.

If you need a last-minute gift or you just want to top off a stocking, Ikea will be worth your time. Seriously. Plus, they've got Swedish meatballs. Enough said.

A quick guide to family-friendly restaurants

I never appreciated eating out until I had a baby.

My husband and I could dine anywhere up until my daughter was about two months old, when she would sleep peacefully in her car seat. (Ah, those were the days!)

Not my kid, just a pic I found from the Ikea site.

But after that ... she became aware of things, of other people – and wanted out of her seat, out of the restaurant! And so came the crying. And neither myself or my husband (or both) didn't get to eat.

Then when she started crawling at eight months, she wanted to explore. By a year old, she wanted to run around restaurants. And it doesn't matter how many stupid crayons and colouring pictures the restaurant offers, they just don't work!

So eating out for my family has been trial and error – but luckily, we've found a few successful places. At these restaurants, my daughter will sit still for most of the time. And when she signs "done", these locations are pretty cool about kids bobbing around. Here's my list:

• Ikea: Open space, bright lights and good food. Lots of high chairs available too! Great if you need to get some furniture shopping done too. (See my August 2012 post on Ikea.)
• Jack Astor's: It's loud but not annoyingly loud – just loud enough to cover your embarrassing moments. No one heard me sing ABC and Twinkle, Twinkle to my daughter, see?
• Pizza Hut: If we go, we eat there around 4:30pm (I know, we're like seniors!). So it's pretty empty then and if my daughter wants to walk, she can do so freely.
• Mandarin: Hello, THE place for walking around! And my daughter loves the food.

Am I missing any other restaurants? Let me know!

The perfect family outing?

So if your baby or toddler can't do restaurants or malls (ok, let's be realistic here, can't go out in public), then Ikea is the perfect place. I haven't gone there in awhile, so maybe some of you will think this post is old news. But I figure if I didn't know the latest Ikea info, then there has to be someone who doesn't know either!

Two things babies and tots love are food and toys. The two departments (in the Etobicoke location) are beside each other, so transitioning between the two places is effortless. My daughter — who is now 21 months old — loved exploring the mock bedrooms, little furniture and toy displays. And when she got her hands on a night light, I was fine with this because it was completely kid-friendly.  Now if I wasn't on a strict budget, I probably would've picked out a toy or two for her (or maybe more so for me?!). For toys, the prices are pretty decent. For instance, a cloth 14-piece vegetable set is $9.99. It's safe for the washer and dryer, so I would definitely dish out $10 if I can wash it that easily!

Restaurants for my daughter are VERY problematic — she can only do Pizza Hut and Asian buffets because she loves to walk (or should I say run) around. However, we have added Ikea to our list! There's enough room for a tot to roam around and high chairs and booster seats are readily available. And because the atmosphere is so family-friendly (P.S. lots of natural bright light!), I wasn't embarrassed when my daughter stood tall on her booster seat or pushed her stroller down an aisle. (Or maybe I didn't care because there were teenagers dancing beside my table anyway!)

Now when you go to Ikea, you MUST have their Swedish meatballs. Great prices here, too —10-piece meatball dinner, salad and drink is $5.99. Kid meals are $1.99. If your baby is on purees, you can get free baby food with an adult meal. For the hell of it, we got some baby food and surprisingly, it was an organic Heinz mixed veggies jar! So for a freebie, that's not bad at all.

When we finally ventured to other departments that were not kid related, we felt no pressure to leave due to annoyed customers and employees. Families are all over the place with newborns or babies in strollers, slings, etc. and shockingly, my daughter wasn't pulling us away when we were looking at closet displays for 30 minutes.

Can you recommend any other family-friendly stores or restaurants? Feel free to share with myself and other readers!