To put a cool pack in a lunchbox?

[Purrloin]

DS is currently taking packed lunches to school, usually consisting of a sandwich, yoghurt, crisps and fruit.

I always put in a cool (freezer) pack to try and keep it all cool, particularly the yoghurt and the ham or cheese that he usually has in his sandwich.

Clearly ExH thinks I am bonkers, as he now has a nice little collection of my cool packs building up at his house and doesn’t put them in when it’s his turn to make the packed lunch when DS is staying with him.

So AIBU to put one in? Surely you are at risk of bacteria growing if things are kept at the wrong temperature?

Seems a fairly normal bog-standard thing to do.

There’s no issue in doing it, but I’ve never seen the need.

I’ve never done it, & never got ill. When I was going to the office, I took pasta salad everyday, sometimes with tuna. It just sat on my desk until lunchtime.

My daughter takes her lunch, ham wrap, yoghurt, fruit each day. No cool pack.

Drives me mad when exh is constantly keeping “my”’stuff for ds - items of uniform, water bottles, will be hats, gloves etc in the winter.

“Building up” is exactly the words I use! I imagine it like a huge mountain of stuff in his house.

I buy the tube yoghurts, freeze them and pretend those are an ice pack

You could try getting the tube yoghurts and freezing those. Pop them in the lunchbox in the morning and they will keep the food cold and be defrosted in time for DS to eat at lunch time. I'm another one with an ex that hoards the things I buy, it is so frustrating! At least there would be nothing for him to keep if DS is eating it!

I don’t see the need? There’s nothing I hate more than a cold sandwich. When I bring any to work, they go in my drawer until lunchtime. This includes ham, tuna, chicken.
Hopefully he’s just forgetting as he also doesn’t see the point.

I too froze tube yogurts.

Just freeze the yoghurt, tube or not. It'll be mostly defrosted by lunchtime.

Yes I do this. Very sensible!

God in 16 years of working in a school with packed lunches only I have never seen a child with one . On the other hand it's not doing any harm so I'd say work away.

I have made what seems like a million school and work packed lunches and have never bothered with a cool pack, I don't see the point but if you want to please go ahead, there is no need to consult the internet

It's mandatory in the summer here (UK so not exactly tropical)!

Tube yoghurts are an evil invention. Crack on with the cool pack, though - I wish it was warm enough in Wales to need to use them!!

Do you put a drink in OP? I used to freeze a third to half a bottle of water overnight, then top up in the morning, and put that in as an ice pack. (Don’t freeze a whole bottle as it won’t have defrosted enough by lunch time. 😁)

We use them, especially in summer.

I use them when it’s hot (daughter took a packed lunch on a midsummer school trip to the zoo without one once and it was inedible - banana had gone black and mushy, chocolate had melted and tuna sandwich wasn’t exactly tempting. She came home and said “Mummy, my lunch exploded!”) but don’t bother now the weather’s turned.

I freeze a water bottle - about 20% water and then top it up in the morning. Nice cold lunch and cold drink.

Freeze the yogurt, it'll be defrosted by lunchtime and keep everything cool in the mean time

I use a freezable lunch bag, but have also partially frozen water bottles and yoghurts.

Can you ask ex to return all your cool packs? It wouldn’t kill him to leave them in there even if he’s too lazy to freeze them

Another vote for freezing a partially filled water bottle then topping up in the morning.

DH works away and often eats sandwiches 2 days after he's made them, without any refrigeration. He's not been ill from it yet.

Will your ex keep a mini cool bag? Or would he use it for lunch the next day and you’d get it back? You could do packed lunch in fridge overnight, into mini cool bag cold in the morning, and that will still be cold at lunchtime.

@EasternDailyStress

DH works away and often eats sandwiches 2 days after he's made them, without any refrigeration. He's not been ill from it yet.

Are they meat sandwich’s because that’s grim?

I used to do this for dd for hot, summer days but in your position, I would do the water bottle freezing method. Dh has one in his lunch every day.

@GenericFemalePal

Will your ex keep a mini cool bag? Or would he use it for lunch the next day and you’d get it back? You could do packed lunch in fridge overnight, into mini cool bag cold in the morning, and that will still be cold at lunchtime.

Of course the ex would keep it, read the op!