Aaaaaages ago I won a Goodbyn from Raspberry Kids. Sarah has been using it for a few months. Someone at school asked me about it recently and it reminded me that I meant to write about it here. I really like it and I think some of you would too.
The Goodbyn is basically a large plastic food storage container with separate compartments. It’s intended to replace the traditional lunch box (and lunch bag, come to think of it).
Here’s a quickie snap of an example of one lunch I packed in the Goodbyn. (There are some really inspired lunches in the Goodbyn Flickr group, do check it out!) Pictured here: a veggie/cheese wrap, grapes, sliced pear, cheese, mini pretzels. There should be a drink container where the grapes are located (it came with it), but I took out it out because it struck me as kind of cheap, and it wasn’t very useful since Sarah gets milk at school.
After a few months of use I have to say I really like the Goodbyn.
- It has totally eliminated the need for a lunch bag…
- … and separate lunch containers and their easy-to-lose lids, which are annoying to track and store.
- It’s easy to wash. You can put it in the dishwasher but I just handwash in hot soapy water, and there are no nooks or crannies or seams that harbour crumbs or smears of cream cheese.
- It has a handle on top (easy to carry!), and the lid (which is the size of the container) is easy to snap on and pull off.
- It might seem large, but she just sticks the whole thing in her messenger bag. Fits just fine.
When I started packing lunches in this thing I had to slightly realign the way I think about lunch and how I pack it. It’s not about one big sandwich anymore, but that’s ok… Sarah doesn’t actually like sandwiches very much. I have packed her salads in this thing, and just put the dressing in a tiny glass bottle (the school would probably frown on that, but I don’t care) and placing a tiny fork along where the grapes are.
I think she’s secretly proud of her Goodbyn. It’s totally litterless, and she always gets some variety in her lunch, parcelled out in smaller pieces, which I think she thinks is more fun to eat. But I have to say, I’d be happy if she’d just eat a sandwich once in awhile.