I love summer - all the travelling, seeing friends and family, and getting away from it all. But having returned from our holiday, I came to the realization that school is a little over a week away.
I will be spending the next week making sure my kids are ready for school - backpacks, clothes, supplies, and lunch bags. It is the last item that has been bothering me for the last couple of weeks.
Without going into great detail, let's just say that DD is a picky eater - I never know from one day to the next what will find approval in her lunch bag. Sandwiches seem to be OK, so I tend to pack a lot of them. But with the new Balanced School Day, I find myself having to pack two sandwiches, instead of one, to ensure that she lasts through the day.
I've been packing them in plastic containers (which is a post for another day!), but they are bulky, so the second sandwich has often found a home in a Ziploc bag. Then I visited my friend and went on a picnic with her and her kids. She had the most amazing thing - vinyl (maybe plastic?) Velcro sandwich wrappers. You put the sandwich in the middle, fold the wrapper around it, and seal shut. When open, the wrapper can be used as a place mat.
I vowed to find myself some for the coming school year. While I'm on a search for them, I'm going to use waxed paper, which can be composted when DDs finished with them. Not the best solution, but better than a plastic bag. If I'm inspired, I may make my own wrappers....we'll see how September goes!
If you do find those reusable wrappers, make sure they aren't made of PVC! PVC contains phtalates to keep it pliable, and you will be doing your children and the environment more harm than good by using it.
ReplyDeleteI've been using a reusable sandwich bags for awhile now and I love them! However, I find whatever mine is made of (cloth outside, some sort of food grade nylon liner) dries out the bread if I make the sandwich too far in advance (night before). If I make the sandwich the morning of and have it at lunch it's fine though. Same goes for carrots, they tend to dry out unless I bag them in the morning.
ReplyDeleteHopefully they are not made of vinyl!
ReplyDeleteYou can find good and non-toxic reusable sandwich wrappers on www.etsy.com (they sell handmade ones, you can choose the person and the location from which you you want to buy).
I saw some of these at www.grassrootsstore.com
ReplyDeleteThe store is in Toronto (I would love to get there some time!) and they have an online component. They also have some other fun and useful stuff...
I'm struggling with this issue as well. Not the Balanced School Day (which I hate and so do my kids), but the container issue. Two of my kids are always losing/forgetting their lunch bags and containers! I've spent way too much money replacing this stuff and am not sure what to do.
I hate to be buying "disposable" items but don't want to waste money on things replacing lost items either...
Have a great day and let me know how you like the wraps. I may get some for my children who don't lose everything :)
Carolyn
The sandwich wraps are call Wrap N Mat. The Canadian distributer can be found here (sorry my hyperlink isn't working, you'll have to cut and paste)
ReplyDeletehttps://www.envirobottles.ca/wrap-n-matr-retailers.html?main_page=index&cPath=105
There are options to buy Canadian made (though these are apparently being discontinued), US made or Chinese made.
You could extend your environmental reach even further and suggest it as a fundraiser at your children's school. That's how we got ours.
There are other online retailers if you prefer to Google Wrap N Mat
The lining is not PVC, but LDPE, or PEVA. The company website claims that they are phalate free, BPA free and lead free. They do warn to not heat the mats and also claim that the Chinese made ones are fair trade.
Thanks for the advice, everyone. I checked out the website, Kathy, and found a store in Kanata that sells them, so I'm off to shop tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteJust bought the wrap n mat at a local eco retailer - bought the Canadian made version (at great expense, I might add!)
ReplyDeleteMy kids are happy about them because they could choose the design themselves, and they double as a placemat, which they think is cool! I am wondering how long they'll last and if they truly are kid durable - but fingers are crossed here!
Footprints - I think are pretty durable. My friend Kathy (see her comments above) has had them for a while and the mats seem to be still in great shape.
ReplyDeleteFootprints - I have had ours since fall 2009. They were a school fundraiser. They we're used at least 4 days per week from October 2009 - June 2010. They still look virtually new. There are some creases in the plastic liner, but I expect to get years of use out of them. My kids tend to be tough on thier stuff too. I use them for my sandwiches for work and we use them for picnics etc. There have been a few times where food has gotten on the outside fabric and I've just thrown them in the washing machine. They've survived really well.
ReplyDelete