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20 Jan, 2011

Hello Goodbyn

Posted by andrea tomkins in: Oh! Things!

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).

Hello GoodbynHere’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.


12 Responses to "Hello Goodbyn"

1 | Hellcat13

January 20th, 2011 at 11:29 am

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I always love this type of thing in theory, but not so much in practice (for us, at least). I tend to batch cook over an entire weekend and stock the freezer with soups, chilis, and curries for our lunches, so this type of container doesn’t really work for us.

Doesn’t mean I covet it any less, though. All the little compartments appeal mightily to my slightly OCD heart. Plus, our dishwasher is constantly full of tupperware – we each take at least 3 pieces a day, sometimes four. Yogurt, fruit, granola, soup – it adds up. One piece would be nice. I need something similar that has a removable compartment that can be heated.

2 | andrea

January 20th, 2011 at 11:39 am

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The Goodbyn won’t work for every family, that’s true. I wonder if you had found the right-sized small container maybe it would nest nicely in the larger space at the bottom of the picture? Not sure.

3 | melissa

January 20th, 2011 at 12:13 pm

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We’ve had the goodbyn for over a year now. A green one and an orange one. There are ups and downs. We also don’t use the drink containers. And we end up putting yogurt and apple sauce into the smallest tupperwares we have and then in the byn b/c the main problem is that the kids have a hard time with the lids and getting them closed properly. So we’ve had a few spills.

But overall – we like them and I particularly like how easy they are to clean. Hellcat13 – I agree with Andrea, maybe you could find a container that would fit in the bin. But because the bin is all rounded, and it’s not very deep, I suspect it will be a challenge.

4 | Stefania (Ingredients for Life)

January 20th, 2011 at 12:58 pm

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I’ve been eyeing these for a while. I haven’t bought one because some teachers like morning and afternoon snacks to be separate from lunch food. Also, we’ve had a couple of incidents were The Pea’s lunch spilled all over the cafeteria floor along with the snacks. So I usually put snacks and lunch food in separate containers, which helps. Maybe next year…

5 | FireMom

January 20th, 2011 at 2:19 pm

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I’m trying to decide what will work best for my oldest son come fall. I don’t know the answer just yet, but I’ve bookmarked your review for further inspection later on!

6 | Michelle

January 20th, 2011 at 3:41 pm

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We have been using the bento box for the last year with my son with great success. It is quite similar. He has not difficulty with opening the lids in the parts with containers. However, we have had issues with the drinking bottle but will be trying out their new version which is a metal one. He actually eats better at lunch then any other time and I think in large part it’s because he loves and is so proud of his lunch box. Just another option for people to consider. :-)

7 | Scatteredmom

January 20th, 2011 at 5:55 pm

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I’m so glad you and Sarah like the Goodbyn! I’ve often thought that if I had little kids I’d like to try them. They seem like a really good idea.

It’s also nice to win something useful, and I love hearing that you’re both enjoying it. :)

8 | Valerie

January 20th, 2011 at 6:06 pm

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do the individual places seal well enough to carry yoghurt or something similar? My Sarah doesn’t like sandwiches, either, but loves using a thermos for hot leftovers (mac & cheese, chicken stew).

9 | Anna

January 20th, 2011 at 8:49 pm

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Wouldn’t work for us at all. Child wants “real” food, i.e. cooked warm food. So we’re big fans of thermoses that get filled with soups, chilies, pasta and stir-fries.

Guess it is a good fit for someone who is a nibbler, and for kids that don’t want their food to touch

10 | Karinny Cezar

January 22nd, 2011 at 8:49 pm

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It is the same idea of a bento box! I love bento lunches, you can find great inspiration on flickr too. And bento boxes also work for adults. For the salad sauce look for refillable plastic soy sauce containers on ebay and japanese stores, they are cute and practical. Too bad we don’t have a good japanese store in Ottawa, I only find bento boxes online.

11 | Chantal

January 22nd, 2011 at 10:22 pm

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I won a Goodbyn from Raspberry kids too! My 9yo only eats hot lunches (thermos boy) so I haven’t used it yet. My 5yo starts full days in September and he is already looking forward to using it. My only worry is that he won’t be able to put the lid back on properly. We will have to see how it goes.

12 | Roshan

January 26th, 2011 at 10:27 am

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Almost makes me wanna relive my kiddie years and take this to school.

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