Back to School: Lunching in Style

I cannot get over the fact that summer is nearly over! It feels like we were just finishing up the school year and happily gearing up for summer. I have to admit that although I’m a little sad to see summer come to an end, a part of me is thankful that the first day of school is fast approaching. This means my family’s daily schedule will return to normalcy, with its regimen of steady drop-offs and pick ups, after school activities and, of course, lots of lunches to pack.

I’ve already tossed the old, beat up lunch bags, and I’ve started to replace them with new ones for the 2011-12 school year. And now that I’ve got a first grader in the house (yikes—homework!), I’ll need to find a great backpack, too. Here are a few of my favorite lunch bags and backpacks the kids will love and parents can also appreciate.

BUILT NY has been making lunch totes and snack bags cool for several years. I like the sturdy construction and flexible shapes. They have added some new adorable animals to their collection like the Big Apple Buddies.

I like to have a square-shaped lunchbox on hand to easily fit a thermos and water bottle. Stephen Joseph has a ton of lunch bags and backpacks for both boys and girls. The Monster Lunchbox is perfect for my four-year-old son, and the Owl Go-Go Bag will tote all the supplies my daughter needs for 1st grade. Both are spacious without being bulky, and the Go-Go bag’s wipe-clean surface will help keep it looking good longer.

If you want to follow the celebrity trend in tater tot lunching, you’ll love Beatrix NYC lunch boxes. Celeb moms like Halle Berry, Jennifer Garner and Ashley Simpson have been seen toting these cute lunch boxes. A little more spendy but they have been “kid-tested” for durability, are machine washable and come with a name tag on the backside of the bag.

Have a favorite of your own? Tell us by commenting on this post.