I know, it’s cold and wet and the last thing you’re thinking about is sunshine and summer-minded stuff like sunscreen. Still, did you know that sunscreen is a year-round issue? It’s true.

During the winter you are far less likely to get an actual sunburn, because the sun sits at a different angle. That said, the sun is still present as are radiating ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet exposure does occur even during the winter months and even when it’s cloudy. When you cut your exposure to these rays you in turn cut your risks for developing skin cancer.

Be sure to apply a safe non-toxic sunscreen to the most exposed areas of your body and your child’s body each day. Usually in winter this means the neck, face and ears.

• Best non-toxic sunscreen for 2011
• Less expensive and still mostly safe sunscreen choices
• What the…! Less toxic sunscreen can cost more than an eco-friendly car

Image by shuallyo via sxc.

I recently wrote, 50 things I did outside as a kid that didn’t kill me, a post that got me thinking about how come I did all this cool stuff outside, but kids today don’t. I think it’s due to two major issues – screens and parent comfort with the outside world.

Photo © Flickr user N8tr0n

Kids are glued, almost literally, to screens nowadays from television to computers to Kindle to cell phones and other screens. Research backs this up and also shows that screen addiction results in some health and social consequences.

Anyhow, I’ve been pondering the situation and I’ve tried to come up with some ideas that will get your kids outside and active vs. constantly sedentary. Later I’ll be posting a challenge about this, since screen time and activity is something we need to work on in my own house. But first, some tips…

Photo © Flickr user KellBailey

Admit that the world is safe to explore

As I noted in that 50 things I did outside as a kid that didn’t kill me post, many parents are scared about letting their kids roam outside on their own.  As a kid, I wandered around all the time on my own, as did my peers, and statistically, there was more crime in the 70s and early 80s than now. We survived.

I think about what life would have been like had my mom (or some other adult) shadowed my every movement as a kid and the first thing that pops into my mind is yikes! What a downer. Life would have been considerably less fun had I never gotten any free kid time. I imagine that kids today maybe don’t mind as much, because they’re not used to exploring on their own. Still, I bet many would give their teeth to be allowed some awesome wandering time outside or at a mall or in a big city.

Admit to yourself and your kids that there are bad people and bad times, but for the most part, people are okay. Bad things don’t always happen. Life should be an adventure. If you’re brave enough to accept that being outside is safe and fun, maybe your kids will too.

For help coming to terms with the fact that the world is mostly safe, read the following:

• Is it safe to let your kids play outside alone?
• Do you let your five-year-old go to the park alone?
• Free-Range Kids, How to Raise Safe, Self-Reliant Children (Without Going Nuts with Worry)

As I noted in that 50 things I did outside as a kid that didn’t kill me post, plenty of parents today are too scared to allow their kids any freedom when it comes to outside play. In fact, the Kids Fighting Chance website notes that a recent study of parents’ worries by pediatricians at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, showed that nearly 3/4 of parents said they feared their children might be abducted and 1/3 of parents said this was a frequent worry, greater than that held for any other concern, including car accidents, sports injuries or drug addiction.

• Do you let your five-year-old go to the park alone?

As a parent, you need to get the facts and pass them on to your kids, because it’s not just parents who are scared of this world, but kids too. You don’t need to dwell on and relate the super scary facts you see on cop shows and the news, but the real hard core facts about safety in today’s world.

But kids are kidnapped!

This is true. Some kids are victims of horrid crimes. But very few.

The U.S. Justice Department released a huge report on U.S. child abduction (pdf) in 1999, and noted that during their study year, there were an estimated 115 stereotypical kidnappings, i.e. what we’d call stranger kidnappings. In 40% of such kidnappings the child was killed. In another 4% the child was never recovered. That leaves 56% of kids recovered, meaning, about 50 children are kidnapped never to be seen alive again. Teens, not young children were most frequently abducted.

Of course, those statistics are from 1999. Are more kids being kidnapped now? Some news reports state crazy stuff like 800,000 children disappear every year, but dig deeper into statistics and you’ll find that still very few (still only about 115) kids fall into that stranger-danger kidnapping category. Most child-minded organizations admit readily that cases of stranger-based kidnappings are extremely rare.

Obviously, even one child kidnapped is terrible. Plus, as Free Range Kids points out, it doesn’t much matter that just 50 kids are kidnapped, never to be returned each year, the bigger concern is that most parents think along the lines of, “My kid could be one of those 50.”

However, if you’re so worried about stranger danger that you keep your kids near you and inside at all times, you’d also better be aware of all the other dangers out there in the world.

Your child is more likely to be the victim of…

Fact: Your child is far more likely to be killed by a car crash, a pool, a parent-caused birth defect or your own home than kidnapped and killed by a raving maniac while playing outside.

• Injuries suffered in a motor vehicle traffic crashes, not murder, is the leading cause of death among children in the United States. In fact, the CDC states that each day eight teens die in a crash. U.S. National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) statistics show that every single day in the United States, an average of 4 children age 14 and younger are killed and 529 are injured in motor vehicle crashes.

• Deaths from fires and burns are the fifth most common cause of unintentional injury deaths in the United States (CDC 2006) and the third leading cause of fatal home injury (Runyan 2004). Four out of five U.S. fire deaths occur in homes, not outside, and kids are in a high risk group.

• The CPSC estimates that about 300 children under the age of 5 years drown each year in home swimming pools. Additionally, CPSC points out that almost all child victims “Were being supervised by one or both parents when the swimming pool accident occurred.“

• Radon gas affects 8 million homes a year and kills 20,000 in the USA alone annually.

• The CDC notes that currently about 1 in 8 pregnant women in the United States reports alcohol use and because of that the March of Dimes notes that up to 40,000 babies are born with FASDs annually.

• American Association of Poison Control Centers notes that 1.25 million kids younger than six years of age are unintentionally poisoned in the home each year by common household products.

• Last year, a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found more than 1.7 million children live in homes with loaded and unlocked guns and it’s also been reported that there are about 500 child deaths per year due to accidental gun shootings.

• According to The Consumer Products and Safety Commission reports over 230,000 toy-related injuries are treated at U.S. emergency rooms annually.

Year after year unintentional injury is the leading cause of death among children in the U.S. NOT kidnapping.

If you’re really hell-bent on protecting your child, then seriously, don’t ever take your child out in your car. Don’t take him to a swimming pool. Don’t give him toys. Don’t allow him to be inside too long, because he might die in a house fire or eat poison.

What happens when kids aren’t allowed outside freedom

• Kids miss out on basic rights, such as forming fun childhood memories and making mistakes.
• Kids don’t learn how to be brave.
• Kids face health consequences such as obesity and other illnesses.
• Kids loose out on all the major benefits of free play.
• Kids can’t figure out how to entertain themselves or figure out what to do when a screen isn’t available.
• Kids miss out on “nature buffers” which have been shown to protect children against the effect of stressful life events.

If you really can’t drop the kidnapping issue, consider that research shows that street-smart kids are less likely to be abducted. Kids cannot, no matter what you think, develop street smarts while sitting safely inside.

Sure, teach your kids basic safety rules. Wear a helmet. Look before crossing the street. Don’t go places with people you don’t know. However, don’t teach your kids that the world will kill them if they step into it. That’s not only a lie but it’s created a society of kids who don’t value outside fun and who have no clue what to do with themselves when they’re on their own.

It is safe and beneficial for your child to play outside alone.

If you’re looking for a good video about “strangers” check out The Safe Side. It encourages safety but not fear and discusses “People we know well” and “People we don’t” vs. “Terrifying strangers.” I thought this video was great and especially liked that it encourages kids to be smart and safe, but not freaked out. If you can’t chill out, read Free-Range Kids, How to Raise Safe, Self-Reliant Children (Without Going Nuts with Worry) – it’ll help I promise.

Kids are pretty darn sheltered these days. On Facebook I once posed the question to some parents, “At what age is it safe to let kids play alone outside?” The answers I got freaked me out. Parents posted stuff like, “14, 18 years of age” or “Never.” Very few parents said they allowed their kids outside time without a parent at all, at any age. Even fewer parents said they allowed kids under the age of 12 alone time outside.

• Do you let your five-year-old go the park alone?

It’s shocking. Not only do kids get almost no time outside they seem to get literally no time away from their parents. In fact, research shows that just 6% of kids ages 9-13 play outside alone. This is almost cruel in my opinion. Kids need nature. Kids need to be outside. Kids need to explore. Kids really, really need free play sans adults.

In some cases parents halt free play in favor of academics. In other cases parents halt free play because it’s easier to say yes to video games and TV. In a majority of cases though, I’ve seen parents halt free play because they’re scared to let their kids out of their sight. It’s a disservice to kids to be so scared of the world that outside play becomes a hazard. The world isn’t perfectly safe, but it’s not a big fat danger either. Not if you talk to your kids about basic safety rules.

My mom was far from perfect. However, she did give me outdoor freedom. She told me about stranger danger and advised me to look both ways before crossing a street. She liked when I was playing with friends, but also understood that sometimes I needed alone time. Because my mom was good in this respect I had a childhood full of normal healthy outdoor risks and adventures.

In fact, here are 50 things I did as a kid, before the age of 16 (WITHOUT an adult present) that didn’t get me killed, kidnapped or otherwise scarred for life…

1. Planned to build a clubhouse and sort of followed through using nails and (gasp) hammers.
2. Play acted movies out with my friends.
3. Kissed a neighbor boy.
4. Ran in the rain without a coat.
5. Climbed a million trees.
6. Walked 20 blocks to a corner store for soda and candy.
7. Rode my bike on very busy streets all over town.
8. Built stuff out of rocks, mud and other nature items.
9. Swam at my neighborhood pool without parents present – before 12 with a lifeguard, after 12 no lifeguard.
10. Jumped out of trees from way up high.
11. Biked without a helmet – not just in my neighborhood either. I used to sneak out and ride on the rural highway.
12. Tied a bunch of bikes and wagons together to make a parade.
13. Climbed on my friend’s roof (second story).
14. Played street football and baseball.
15. Jumped on a trampoline.
16. Sat in my friend’s hot tub sans adults.
17. Picked up stray cats.
18. Did cartwheels off a pool diving board.
19. Jumped off a pool diving board while sitting in a patio chair.
20. Got inside a pillowcase or old box and went stair sledding.
21. Played hide and seek at night.
22. Walked around a big city, shopping, looking, etc. with young friends.
23. Explored my neighborhood and other places.
24. Jumped in the rain and in puddles.
25. Went hiking, got lost. Got found.
26. Dangled into a sewer to get my Barbie doll who fell in.
27. Played monster – a tag game where the “IT” kid had to hit other kids with a plastic bat.
28. Rolled around in pink insulation in the outdoor playhouse my friend’s dad was building.
29. Did somersaults on concrete.
30. Rode tire swings with way too many friends.
31. Stayed outside too long in snowy weather.
32. Stayed outside too long in hot weather – didn’t drink water.
33. Went downtown on the bus to go to a music concert.
34. Cooked over a campfire.
35. Went to visit neighbor friends, starting at the age of four, who lived houses and houses away.
36. Climbed rocks.
37. Threw rocks and had some thrown at me.
38. Ran off alone at city parks, sometimes with friends, sometimes not.
39. Ran near the ocean.
40. Rode horses.
41. Got in fights and roughed it up with other kids.
42. Went swimming in rivers and lakes.
43. Picked and ate berries off of neighborhood bushes.
44. Played on splintery old playground equipment.
45. Slept outside with other kids, no adults. Suburban camping!
46. Slipped on a Slip & Slide.
47. Rode public transportation alone, no parents. Often at night.
48. Went on long night walks.
49. Had snowball fights.
50. Walked to and from school alone – I lived about 10 blocks away.

Do I recommend your kid jump into a pool while sitting on a patio chair, throw rocks or dangle into sewers? No, these are stupid things to do. I could have been really, seriously hurt. Yet, I wasn’t.

Keep in mind:

I didn’t always live in safe neighborhoods as a kid. Sometimes we lived in pretty sketchy areas. I never, not once in my childhood, required doctor’s care due to an accident from playing outside. I’ve never had a broken bone, or even stitches. Even so, if I had experienced accidents, I’d still be glad I had all that outdoor time. Kids need to make mistakes and sometimes fall down. That’s life.

The new depressing version of childhood

It’s incredibly depressing to me to think about all the kids in this generation who will look back on their childhood as a time when they sat and sat and sat, safe and secure in front of computers and the TV. These are kids who won’t get the chance to learn how to be alone or how to be free to explore their world. Plus, a sedentary childhood can lead to all kinds of health and mental problems. It’s very depressing.

If you’re having trouble wrapping your head around this issue, I highly suggest you read Free-Range Kids, How to Raise Safe, Self-Reliant Children (Without Going Nuts with Worry). This is one of my favorite books and can really help if you’re too worried to let your child be an explorer.

What did you do as a kid that didn’t kill you? What are you allowing your kid to do now, alone, outside that also won’t likely kill him? Share in the comments.

Yesterday I posted the top ten most popular green family posts of 2011. However, in order to have room at the top, some posts do have to hit rock bottom (sad). It always surprises me to see what my readers don’t find interesting.

Still, if you want to be a rebel, and go against popular consensus, you may want to check these posts out. Sure they weren’t the most popular, but in part, that’s because some were new (as in December new). Plus, unpopular or not, maybe you’ll still learn something.

Least popular green family posts of 2011 – from most to least popular

1. What does being a green parent mean to you?
2. Choose Your Green Shade of Grocery Shopping
3. Alternatives to conventional schooling – even for single parents
4. Tips for a less consumer-minded holiday season
5. Signs your child may be overweight
6. Food industry wants to keep BPA in food – big surprise
7. Make the most of shopping at the local farmers’ market
8. Homemade Memory Game Craft Project
9. Why U.S. parents are in denial about childhood weight issues
10. Where to find an organic Halloween pumpkin

Interesting mix. No one wants an organic pumpkin?

I’m running a bit short on time today. Cedar and I got immersed in some Zelda paper crafts, then I had to write a huge debate post for a client. Time got away from me. In any case, instead of something new today, how about something popular to fall back on? One thing is clear, you people REALLY love ice pops, play kitchens and sunscreen.

The most popular green family posts of 2011 (most popular at the top)

1. 50 Amazing Homemade Organic Popsicle Recipes & Ideas
2. Non-Toxic Popsicle Molds for Homemade Popsicles
3. DIY Green Toy – Nine Affordable Play Kitchen Sets
4. Ten cool BPA-free reusable water bottles for kids
5. Stainless Steel Non-toxic Popsicle Molds
6. Only 8% of sunscreen safe – find your best eco-friendly summer sun protection
7. Ultimate Eco-Friendly Play Kitchen Guide
8. DIY Green Project: Make a reusable waste-free lunch kit!
9. Best non-toxic sunscreen for 2011 – safe sunscreen choices for kids and adults
10. How To Build a Solar Cooker

Enjoy!

If you’re scrounging for last-minute holiday gifts, a good book can’t be beat and is easy to find, even last-minute, so long as you have a local bookstore in town. I’ve reviewed many books, and below are some of my favorites – all are perfect for growing green families too!

• Celebrate Green!
• Eco-nomical Baby Guide
• Green Guide Families: The Complete Reference for Eco-Friendly Parents
• HAPPYBABY The Organic Guide to Baby’s First 24 Months
• How to Be an Explorer of the World: Portable Life Museum
• How to Plant a Tree: A Simple Celebration of Trees and Tree-Planting Ceremonies
• Ice Pop Joy
• I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas
• Organically Raised: Conscious Cooking for Babies and Toddlers

If you’re looking for some books for a family that loves to prepare food together, check out my list of green and healthy cookbooks. There are also some books around that I haven’t reviewed yet, but I have read and recommend, that will also make great gifts, such as:

• The Organic Family Cookbook
• The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture
• Easy Green Living: The Ultimate Guide to Simple, Eco-Friendly Choices for You and Your Home
• Gorgeously Green: 8 Simple Steps to an Earth-Friendly Life
• How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 House Plants that Purify Your Home or Office

Some green-minded books for the kiddos:

• The New 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth
• Green Start Book Towers: Little Animal Books: 10 Chunky Books Made from 98% Recycled Materials
• Recycled Crafts Box
• The New 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth
• EcoArt!: Earth-Friendly Art and Craft Experiences for 3-To 9-Year-Olds (Williamson Kids Can!)
• Good Earth Art: Environmental Art for Kids (Bright Ideas for Learning)
• To Market, to Market
• Green Crafts for Children: 35 Step-by-Step Projects Using Natural, Recycled, And Found Materials
• New Treehouses of the World

If an eco-friendly play kitchen is on your child’s wish list this holiday season, then you’ll need some play food to go with it. Felt play food is inexpensive, safe, soft and comes in an array of fresh colors, making it a great choice. If you want to learn more about eco-friendly felt vs. conventional, read this post.

This summer, Cedar and I started trying to make some homemade felt food for a friend’s holiday gift – more on this later. We did okay for beginners, but it’s a lot of work. The good folks at Etsy have us beat in the design category for sure, so if you’re looking for some unique and wonderful felt play food sets, I’d check Etsy first.

IMPORTANT – felt food takes time to make. If you’re ordering for the holidays or for a time-specific gift, contact the stores below and place your order well before you need it!

Below I’ve posted some of my favorite felt food shops on Etsy along with three notable felt food creations from each shop…

• Felt Food Baking Ingredients Wool Play Set

   

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• Felt Play Food Soup Can with Interactive Opening Lid Meat and Vegetables

   

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• Felt Food Waffle with Bananas Syrup and Whipped Cream

   

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• Felt Food Cookie Baking Set

   

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• Felt Food Baked Potato with Butter and Sour Cream with Chives

   

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• Felt Food Hot Chocolate with Mini Marshmallows

   

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• Apple Dippers with Caramel Sauce Eco Felt Play Food

   

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• Watermelon Fruit Basket Felt Play Food Apple Orange Kiwi Pineapple Banana

   

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• Ants on a Log Celery Sticks Peanut Butter and Raisins Felt Play Food Snack

   

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• Sack of 'Taters

   

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• Popsicle with wrapper

   

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• Broccoli with Cheese Sauce

   

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• Felt Food Avocado Set

   

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• Felt Food Popcorn Set

   

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• Felt Food Ice Cream Waffle Cone Set

   

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• Felt play Christmas Cookies

   

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• Pretend Play Felt Bags Of Fruit And Vegetables

   

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• Gingerbread cookie dough

   

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• Play Food Felt Pie Slice Set

   

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• Felt Lemon Bars

   

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• Gourmet Chocolate Felt Teacakes

   

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• Felt Food Interactive Peanut Butter Jar

   

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• Indian Corn with removable husk

   

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• Felt Food Refrigerated Set- Gallon of Milk, Butter and Eggs

   

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Bug Bites Play Food

• Felt Food Baking Ingredients Wool Play Set
• Felt Play Food Soup Can with Interactive Opening Lid Meat and Vegetables
• Felt Food Waffle with Bananas Syrup and Whipped Cream

ThePixiePalace

• Felt Food Cookie Baking Set
• Felt Food Baked Potato with Butter and Sour Cream with Chives
• Felt Food Hot Chocolate with Mini Marshmallows

Royal Rugrats

• Apple Dippers with Caramel Sauce Eco Felt Play Food
• Watermelon Fruit Basket Felt Play Food Apple Orange Kiwi Pineapple Banana
• Ants on a Log Celery Sticks Peanut Butter and Raisins Felt Play Food Snack

Seven Feathers Tribe

• Sack of ‘Taters
• Popsicle with wrapper
• Broccoli with Cheese Sauce

CreationByM

• Felt Food Avocado Set
• Felt Food Popcorn Set
• Felt Food Ice Cream Waffle Cone Set

It’s the Small Things

• Felt play Christmas Cookies Set Of 5
• Pretend Play Felt Bags Of Fruit And Vegetables
• Gingerbread cookie dough

The Fakery Bakery

• Play Food Felt Pie Slice Set
• Felt Lemon Bars
• Gourmet Chocolate Felt Teacakes

The Felted Pear

• Felt Food Interactive Peanut Butter Jar
• Indian Corn with removable husk
• Felt Food Refrigerated Set- Gallon of Milk, Butter and Eggs

Somehow, it entirely skipped my mind that Green Sprouts Festival is happening tomorrow. What the… ?

In any case, I go every year, and if you’re in PDX, you should attend as well. Green Sprouts celebrates and promotes the nurturing of life through nature, with a heaping dose of green goods and services, plus activities for the entire family. Parents can learn about and explore eco-friendly, community-involved, natural, and healthy options to raising their families, while kiddos can enjoy the special events tailored just to them.

Special events and types of exhibitors this year:

• The Alma Midwifery Education & Movement Workshops
• Acupuncture
• Aromatherapy
• Breastfeeding
• Childbirth & Related Services
• Birthing Services
• Body care products
• Doula Services
• Energy Work & Healing
• Family wellness
• Holistic Practitioners
• Homeopathy
• Belly Casting
• Lactation Services
• Massage & Bodywork
• Children’s Activities, Events & Parties
• Early Education
• Environmental Education
• Yoga for Pregnancy and Parents
• Environmental Organizations
• Financial services
• Green Parenting
• All sorts of home energy and green home goods
• Alternative Transportation
• Car pooling
• Transportation Alternatives
• Sign Language
• Socially Responsible Investing
• Sustainability – Education
• Natural birthing options
• Wellness
• Cooking
• Grocers – Organic & Natural
• Organic and Natural Food Delivery
• Organic Foods
• Vegan & Vegetarian Goods & Services
• Women’s Health
• Outdoor Recreation
• Arts and Crafts
• Kids Activities
• Ecotravel Activities & Education
• Baby Carriers & Slings
• Bamboo Clothing
• Children’s Apparel
• Diapers: Cloth & Alternatives
• Eco Baby Gear
• Hemp Products
• Belly Dance Bliss for Pregnancy and Beyond
• Recycled Clothing and Products
• Toys: Handmade, Plastic-Free
• AND MUCH MORE!

Other cool stuff going on this year includes Portland Parks & Recreation Ladybug Nature Walks, Josiah Hill III Clinic Lead Testing, Arciform “Get Home Schooled” creative reuse bus, Carmen Phoenix Photography “Parents of Portland Photo Series” Clothing Swap, The Bug Chicks “Insect petting Zoo”, Village Free School (my son’s school) “Thinking Caps Crafts”.

WHEN: Tomorrow, Sunday, September 25, 2011, 10 AM to 5 PM.

WHERE: Peninsula Park

COSTS: Admission is free!

Review summary: Bento box or laptop style lunches for waste-free lunches are popular, but used to freak me out a bit, because I worried about spills. However, when Cedar and I got the chance to review PlanetBox last year we found out that overall PlanetBox is a handy and fun way to pack a waste-free lunch, without the dreaded spills and few cons.

Product: PlanetBox Complete from PlanetBox

Use: All-in-one reusable lunch kit. Helps eliminates the massive waste caused by school lunches.

Cost: It depends on what you buy. The complete PlanetBox kit is $59.95. If you only need a PlanetBox, without the bag and extra containers, it’ll run you $34.95. Extra sets of magnets are just $3.95. I suggest the Complete set though, if you need an entire lunch system. See all current pricing at PlanetBox.

What’s included:

The PlanetBox Complete comes with…

• A stainless steel PlanetBox
• 1 set of PVC-free magnets
• 1 big and 1 little dipper made with stainless steel
• Insulated Oeko-Tex standard carrying bag made with 100% recycled material

PlanetBox Complete pros:

• This lunch kit eliminates school lunch waste.

• The bulk of the kit is made with food-safe stainless steel that won’t leach toxic chemicals.

• PlanetBox products are also free from lead, vinyl/PVC, phthalates, bisphenol-A (BPA) and other harmful or toxic substances.

• Cedar’s been using his PlanetBox on and off, interchanged with his Citizenpip kit, for almost a year, and everything, including the containers and bag are in great shape.

• When your child is done with your PlanetBox it can be recycled at your local recycling program or you can send it back to the company, and they’ll recycle it for you.

• PlanetBox comes in three color choices (shown above).

• The main lunch box and extra containers are dishwasher friendly and the bag is easy to wipe down.

• The latch on the PlanetBox lunchbox is designed for 3 year old hands and older to close and open by themselves. Cedar also didn’t have any trouble opening and closing the Big and Little Dipper containers

• PlanetBox holds a surprisingly large amount of food. Cedar is ten, very active and always, “Starved to death.” I tend to send him enough food to school to cover lunchtime and two small snacks. Using the PlanetBox and carrying bag, I’m usually able to get all that food in there. Although once in a while I send an extra bag along for oddly shaped items, like a container of yogurt.

• I was worried about food merging from one compartment to the next. However, food placed in PlanetBox compartments stays put on almost all occasions.

• I like not having to hunt down a million lids when I’m packing Cedar’s lunch. You fill the main lunch box and close the lid. This is a big time saver.

• For added fun, PlanetBox comes with fun designer magnets that can be used to decorate the box. These magnet sets are also interchangeable and available in many wonderful designs that kids will love. You can see some of the magnet design choices in the slideshow below the cons section.

PlanetBox Complete cons:

• The main food compartment in PlanetBox is pretty small. As you can see in the pictures I’ve posted above, the compartment fits a large bagel perfectly, but sandwiches made with normal sized bread is tricky. In our case it’s not a huge deal, because Cedar’s not a big sandwich fan, but most kids are. To make a sandwich fit, you’ll need to use small bread slices or cut the bread down (save the scraps for homemade croutons).

• This lunch kit does not include a reusable water bottle.

• There’s nowhere to put a container of yogurt or a whole pear, orange or apple. Because PlanetBox is flat, it’s hard to add round foods to your child’s lunch. For example, my store doesn’t always have bulk organic yogurt in stock, so we’ll buy small containers. They don’t fit well in this lunch kit. I have to send a second smaller, insulated lunch bag with Cedar if I pack him non-bulk yogurt.

• Along the lines of the above issue, ice packs of a normal size don’t fit in this lunch bag. You’ll need to invest in a few flat ice packs in order to maintain proper packed lunch temperatures.

• PlanetBox and the dipper containers are not insulated to keep food hot or cold. Also you CANNOT microwave them – it’s super dangerous to microwave metal. If you send hot foods or microwave-ready foods, you’ll need some additional microwave containers, such as EasyLunchboxes Bento Lunch Box Containers or glass food storage containers .

• Dipper containers cannot be used for broth/liquid based soups. If you send soup or excessively saucy items in your child’s lunch, you’ll need a decent leak-proof thermos.

• Cedar’s dad doesn’t like the flat style. He says it can make it hard to pack foods – but really, you just need to be a little creative and it’s fine. I don’t mind the shape at all, but, just as an FYI, some parents may not like the flat design.

• packed planetbox lunch

   

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• packed lunch with spoon + napkin

   

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• PlanetBox Sample Lunch Idea

   

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• PlanetBox Sample Lunch Idea

   

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• PlanetBox Sample Lunch Idea

   

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• Cedar Sample Lunch Idea

   

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• Cedar Sample Lunch Idea

   

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• RockStar Magnets

   

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• Paisley and Plaid Magnets

   

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• Fairies Magnets

   

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• Green Globe Magnets

   

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• Groovy Magnets

   

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• Wheelies Magnets

   

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No spills with this cool lunchbox:

My biggest worry with a laptop style lunch was spills. I had this image in my head of Cedar excitedly opening his lunch and then dumping all the food out. Thus far though, Cedar hasn’t spilled at all. He’s old enough to understand that you need to lay the lunchbox flat, then open the latch.

As for the design, Cedar LOVES it. He said, “Wow, it’s like my own laptop lunch!” Cedar thought the magnets were a fun idea, but he doesn’t actually use them much. I guess that’s a take-it-or-leave-it feature in my opinion, though I do think younger kids would like it. Plus, if you’ve got more than one child, the personalized magnets help tell lunches apart.

Cedar’s school friends also loved this lunchbox and gave it a thumbs up for being cool.

Overall score:

4 out of five little trees. I think PlanetBox makes it easy to pack a nice waste-free lunch. Cedar seriously loves the design and all his friends think the lunchbox is hyper cool, which helps when you’re sending a packed lunch. I do think the set is best suited to kids under the tween stage, but I know some adults like this box too, for lunch or snacks at work, so…

I almost took away another half point because this bag lacks the ability to hold more than one or two ice packs. I can fit two small ice packs in if I try, but overall, I wish the bag was a bit roomier so it could hold more ice packs or an apple. That said, if you’re interested in a good laptop style lunch kit, PlanetBox is a great one to try. It’ll last forever, cuts down on lid and container issues and is fun for kids besides.

How to buy:

Visit PlanetBox to see current pricing.

Learn more:

• PlanetBox website
• PlanetBox FAQ
• PlanetBox on Facebook

See my green product rating system and green product rating criteria or read more green product reviews.