Lunchbox Confessions- The Good, the Bad, and the Moldy: Why We Finally Switched to PlanetBox

We were provided with product for this review. Our opinions are our own. Affiliate links are provided for your convenience. 

All right, before everybody starts asking me why in the world I am talking about such an expensive lunchbox today, let me tell you, I totally get where you are coming from. I have had my eye on these lunchboxes for about four years, since my oldest was in preschool, but I haven’t tried them until now because the price tag is very steep. But…

I have a deep, dark confession. Are you ready? Last year my son’s lunchbox got mold in it. More than once. And the year before that. I know. Then my daughter went to kindergarten and it happened to her too, and I knew it was a universal problem and not just a mysterious “boy problem,” like his room smelling like feet all the time. Something was wrong. I kept having to buy new $20 lunchboxes. I bought three lunchboxes for Nicholas last year alone. So I was spending $60 on lunch boxes anyway, I was just spreading it out and those cheaper lunchboxes weren’t lasting. I actively went on the hunt for a modern version of old school metal lunchboxes, and I found one that was more environmentally friendly, had a five year warranty, and came very highly recommended by other parents who had actually bought it. 

I have another confession: I am a snob about certain things, but lunchboxes was never one of them. For example, I am a backpack snob. I think over time it works out to be much less expensive than paying over and over again for the cheaper ones that fall apart and aren’t as well-designed for their backs. I’ve always invested in the expensive backpacks for my kids instead of the cheaper character ones. And I really do think of it as an investment. I paid a little more for Nicholas’ first name brand backpack (the kind from the camping website that can be monogrammed, you know the one). Yes, it was a little more expensive upfront than the plastic backpacks at the big box stores, but it lasted him for four years, and I only got him a new one last year because he wanted a new color; it would have lasted longer.  So we had backpacks on lockdown.  I’m also willing to pay for higher end shoes when my kids are learning to walk. Sometimes I think it is just worth it to shell out the extra money up front, as long as it is not a hardship for your family. And I am learning that lunchboxes really might be one of those times. If the food that my children are going to eat is sitting in something for hours, I want that thing to be as healthy and well-made as possible. 

I always bought brand name, seamless, washable lunchboxes, but even those had their issues. I don’t know about your school, but around here there is this policy where the school often sends home ALL of the uneaten food with your kid. I understand that this is so that parents can see how much the kids eat and also so that nothing gets wasted. However, it also means that a lot of half-eaten applesauce and not-quite-finished juice boxes were sitting in our fabric lunchboxes for hours. Even when I asked my kids to put their trash in the extra baggies I sent for that purpose, they were in first grade and kindergarten at the time, so I couldn’t really blame them when their level of cleanliness wasn’t up to par with my own. Um…there was a mold situation. More than once. It was so gross, you guys. I was getting really tired of trying to decide between buying new lunch boxes (again!) and if it was safe to send food the next day in a lunchbox that had been bleached, but had just been contaminated with mold the day before. And no matter what I did, I could never seem to get all of it out of the stitching. I was throwing away so many lunchboxes! 

I had heard about PlanetBox on other blogs and from friends who very highly recommended them. One of my friends told me that her kids have been using their PlanetBoxes for almost six years! (She bought new fabric covers, but reports that the stainless steel interior- the expensive part- is fine.) They are unique in that this Rover design is a lunchbox designed for kids, but with a removable stainless steel interior that can go into the dishwasher. Not fabric inside! Finally! Plus because of the way that the interior is divided, like a bento box, you do not need to use any plastic bags or other containers either, so it is better for the environment too. And the divided compartments also help them learn to independently pack their own lunches and gauge portion control in a covert way, without me having to say anything. But I’ll admit the high price tag was REALLY hard for me to swallow at first because, with Penny starting preschool, I have THREE kids in school this year.

Yes, they are expensive. I do know, though, that sometimes you really do get what you pay for. Every year for the past three years I have had to buy at least two or three $20 lunchboxes per kid. If these last through one entire school year, let alone two or three (or four, like Nick’s first backpack), they will have paid for themselves. The stainless steel from PlanetBox is warrantied for 5 years, so that is not an unrealistic goal. Plus the company says themselves, “We take ‘non-toxic, non-leaching, safe from BPA, phthalates, and lead’ very seriously – in fact, it’s why we designed PlanetBox! We don’t think you will find safer products on the market than ours.” 

I reached out to PlanetBoxto review. I have to say, the kids love them even more than I thought they would. Their favorite part was being able to decorate the front with magnets, like a puzzle. And because a set of magnets costs less than $4, maybe we will be able to get a new set of magnets to let them redecorate the lunchbox they already have instead of a buying a whole new lunchbox each year. Right now Nick has a red carrying case with dinosaur magnets and Abby has a pink carrying case with fairy magnets. Abby is especially fond of hers. She volunteered to make a video to show it off to you. 

If you have ever wondered how a first grader would review a PlanetBox Rover lunch box, today is your lucky day! I’m going to hand it over to Abby so that you can see for yourself how PlanetBox might compare to your current lunchbox. 

Thank you to PlanetBox for the product for this review. Our opinions are our own.