Branded Lunch Boxes

• Does your child have a favorite television show, cartoon character, athlete or sports team? Odds are you can find a lunch box sporting the particular branding of, say, SpongeBob SquarePants or the Detroit Tigers. While some of the more expensive lunchboxes like these are made of aluminum or come with accessories such as a thermos or branded spork, most of these lunchboxes are made of plastic.
  
  

Compartmentalized Lunch Boxes

• Some health-oriented plastic lunch boxes -- such as the "Food for Thought" lunch box from Concentrate in the United Kingdom -- are designed to keep each food item separate and designate spaces for fruits, vegetables and other assortments. Some of these lunch boxes come with thermometers on the back that change color to signal if the food inside is hot or cold.
  
  

Lunch Box Systems

• A "lunch box system" is a modern take on the lunch box and often comes in two parts. The first is a basic plastic box that you can store your food in. The second part is a Velcro carrying bag that, when the Velcro is pulled apart, becomes a dining mat. This will allow your kids to eat their lunch just about anywhere while minimizing the risk of leaving a mess or having their food contaminated when they place it down to grab a drink. Just ensure the system is thoroughly cleaned daily.
  
  

Lunch Pails

• Lunch pails -- a throwback to the first lunchboxes kids took to school -- comprise a pail with a handle. Many modern lunch pails carry the old-fashioned design and have a plastic or leather handle; some pails include a rope handle. These lunch pails can be made at home using a drill, string or thin rope and a coffee can -- meaning your kid can say that (with help from their parents, of course) they made their lunchbox themselves.