Lunch Box Ideas for Celiac Kids and Kids with Allergies

Fall is around the corner, and if you are like me, you are scurrying around trying at the last minute to get supplies, clothes, registration, books, and shoes for your kids. The last thing on most parents’ minds is the lunch box. That is, of course, unless their child has Celiac, or dangerous food allergies. In such cases we parents have a whole set of additional concerns that go above and beyond whether or not our child finishes the sandwich we packed. Here are a few cute ideas I’ve recently run across for brown bagging it in the cafeteria at school:

Parents of small children might like the Silly Yak Pack, designed for kids with Celiac disease. It has convenient labeling right on the bag so that watchful lunch room volunteers will have a daily visual reminder to keep an eye on the small ones while eating.

Small kids with multiple food allergies need a box with good visual labeling to help avoid mistakes in the lunch room. Kidsaware.com, based in the U.K., has a handy box for a bargain price that fits the need beautifully. This organization also sells wristbands, labels, shirts, and a variety of other useful items to make people aware that offering food to your child is potentially dangerous. For those on the other side of the Atlantic, Kids with Food Allergies, based in the U.S. also sells apparel that informs others your child should not be offered food.

Proper allergy warnings aside, packing lunch for the gluten and/or casein-free kid may be tricky. Often times the many plastic containers you pick up at the store are bulky and awkward to open, especially for little kids. The Japanese Bento Box is a great alternative. In Japan, traditionally half of the box will consist of rice and the rest will be made up of side dishes– vegetables, meat, egg dishes, etc. Fruit dishes are considered the ‘dessert’ item. Most Japanese moms pack the bento boxes while they are preparing the family dinner the night before. They choose items that would preserve nicely and as a result make their morning a little less hectic. For an all-around peek at everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know about the Japanese Bento Box, visit the Japanese American National Museum Kids Bento Box website with your youngster, Another cute place to check out Bento box lunch ideas is Jennifer Laycock’s Bentoyum blog. There you will find scads of lunch box ideas and beautiful photos that will inspire your creative side.

If you are looking to purchase a Bento box for your child, check out these sites for the best deals and cutest designs:

Biggie’s Lunch in a box’s Amazon Store (San Francisco based) sells Totoro, Snoopy and Hello Kitty Bento Boxes for sale. Her blog also contains tips, recipes, and a nice Blogroll of helpful Bento related links.

Lunchboxes.com also has the simple yet trendy Bento Box featured on the Rachael Ray Show. They also carry a variety of other suitable lunch containers for the average kid: Metal, Plastic, and Insulated lunch boxes are available and offer a variety of cartoon and pop culture themes. Accessories like the princess or Spiderman plastic ware are available for purchase as well.

Another place to check out for allergy specific products is My Precious Kid. They offer personalized waterproof labels that list up to four allergens. These are great for daycare, the first few weeks in the lunch room, field trips, class parties, and any other occasion where food might be offered to your small child while you are away.

Tags: Allergy Labels, Bento, Celiac, Kids, Lunch, Lunch box, School

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Meet the Author

Caryn Talty

The editor of Healthy-family.org has a master's degree in English from Northern Illinois University and a bachelor of science degree in special education. She has taught students from early elementary school through college freshman level. Today she enjoys reading and writing about both hot topics and those not so commonly discussed on other websites. Most of her days are spent playing all kinds of make-believe with her three very young and active sons. | All articles by Caryn Talty.

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