Keeping packed lunches cool?

[BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz]

Primary dc would take an insulated lunch bag with freezer block in, so no warm sarnies at lunch.

Secondary people seem to suggest that a basic see thru tupperware tub/ basic paper bag shoved into their backpack is the norm. But how does the food stay at a nice temperature?

What do your secondary school kids do?

Still used the thermal lunch box/lunch bag, like a mini chill-bag that you use in your shopping!

Mine have these smaller insulated lunch bags shoved in their rucksack:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Smash-Insulated-Lunch-Black-Basic/dp/B017OUFLMA

They fit the Sistema Tupperware-style lunch boxes (Bento I think they're called) with a thin ice pack.

One of my DC has a Dakine Campus bag which actually has an insulated front pocket built in.

Err... Literally never used a cool block in my life for a school packed lunch...

Mine would have preferred to starve than get out a mini cool bag with ice pack.

Most students eat their lunch at breaktime anyway.

DD has a small insulated lunch bag and put an ice block in there.

This is the thing. There's a hierarchy of need in secondary, it seems, with "appearance to others" being several rungs above "practical solitions"

Mine still used the ice blocks when they used to take them...
But I used to make grated cheese and salad cream sandwiches just to let them get smushed up in my bag, to eat back at home. Didn't even know ice blocks existed back then 🤣 didn't do me any harm. Probably did it with ham sandwiches too 🙈

Same.

Thanks @fartfacenotfatface, they're quite neat actually. DS uses a slightly young packed lunch bag, and seems happy to continue doing this for now. I might get one of those for me, and see if he steals it 😄. We also use the Systema bento boxes that you mention.

Freeze yogurt pouches and pop them in? Or do frozen sandwiches or smoothie cartons.

But mine had a proper cool bag and used the ice blocks She didn't care what people thought, she wanted a nice lunch

Freeze the sandwiches? Ds won't eat at school he just takes a snack and eats at home

I’m meant to cool packed lunches?!

Freeze a drink, means they have a cold drink by lunchtime, cool sandwiches and no ice pack related embarrassment

Ours have those sistema clear boxes if cold food or a flask with eg chilli and rice if they want hot food put into a slim insulated lunch bag which has a pocket for an ice pack if needed (they usually have tuna and pasta in the box and fruit separately). It has a fold over top with Velcro so doesn't have the primary lunch box look that they're so worried about!

Err... Literally never used a cool block in my life for a school packed lunch...

Has that been ok then? I'm just wondering about the risks of fish or meat or rice being out on a hot day for 4 hours, even in a lunch bag? Seems risky!

To the pearl clutchers who are mortified at their wee bairns being embarrassed and mocked. .............

You can give them a cool bag lunch box without the ice packs in It's not compulsory to put one in! The stuff inside will still stay cool til lunchtime. It would just stay cool longer with them. (Like til 3pm...)

Now calm down. Your bairns will be OK..........

Three children and have been making packed lunches for 12 years...I've also never used a freezer block or cool bag 😂

They get their tuppaware sandwich box filled which is chucked in their school bag. On hot days, if they're lucky and I remember, they get their water bottle thrown in the freezer for a bit before they leave in the morning.

Mine appears to eat his before he’s left the house.

Never used ice blocks for any of my dc's lunch boxes, or mine for that matter. At 2ry none of them wanted to use lunch boxes. They said it was more convenient to either eat their lunches straight out of their backpacks, or to transfer food to their blazer pockets, and eat on the go. There weren't enough tables for them to sit down and eat without wasting a large chunk of the lunchbreak hanging around. Anyway, by then they were making their own lunches.

My older ones were happy with my packed lunches, but last DD would only have a reused 'single use' plastic water bottle to accompany a smallish plastic box, both of which were jostled around in her bag for a couple of years. She was embarrassed by the amount of variety in her previous lunches and ate a lettuce roll with some cheese and grapes tucked in around it for ages.
When she went to 6th form she went back to a bigger box with more variety so she could have some at morning break: a contigo coffee mug was swapped in instead of the water bottle!

@00100001 We never used containers at all. Mum wrapped our sandwiches - or 'piece' as we call lunch sandwiches in Scotland - in the waxed paper that bread came in. Sometimes we folded up that waxed paper after lunch and took it home to use again.

We do use an ice pack - I wouldn't be happy to send a ham sandwich otherwise. Amazon has unobtrusive flat square ones.

I think my children went to the Sainsburys local for lunch.

Never used ice blocks as a child or for my two. It’s Britain. It’s generally not that hot. The tuna sandwiches seem to get eaten without trouble.

What do you think is going to happen to ham in 4 hours (max)?