I'm slowly transitioning away from plastic. Our plastic bags have been replaced by Envirosax Bags (to read all about my love for them, click here), plastic sippy cups never stood a chance against my Sigg bottles (despite the recall, I'm still a fan) and at long last, I've found a solution that makes those annoying little plastic baggies obsolete: Lunch Skins.
Lunch Skins are the creation of Three Green Moms, who wanted to come up with an answer to your "plastic baggie blues". Three Green Moms were concerned with amount of landfill waste the modern family was contributing, and knew they could come up with a product that was safe, affordable and cute. Working with patisseries and bakeries in Europe, they created Lunch Skins out of a thick cotton fabric coated with a food-safe polyurethane lining (read: no plastic-leaching worries) that could also withstand high heat: Voila! An environmentally friendly, dish-washer safe, and very cool alternative to the plastic baggie.
NOTE: They have been certified as lead, Bisphenol-A (BPA) and phthalate-free. The very thin layer of polyurethane has also been tested and found not to migrate into food or leave a “plastic” odor behind, and meets EU requirements for food contact (typically stricter than US laws).
I've filled these baggies with popcorn, chips, pretzels, cut fruit, cheese, sandwiches, peanut butter crackers, and, in a pinch, a rolled-up clean diaper and wipes when I needed to downsize my diaper bag to better match an outfit. My husband regularly steals them for his own lunch, and I've been known to swipe some for toiletries while traveling.
Lunch Skins now come in three sizes – a smaller size, shown in the pic of Raines happily snacking, a larger sandwich size bag, and a "sub bag". Best of all, they come in some pretty cool fabric choices (see below for pics).
Local gals can find Lunch Skins at Real Baby in Denver or Boulder, or you can always order them online from Three Green Moms.
xo,
S
Great post about reusable lunch/snack bags! I made my daughter these and she loves using them! There are quite a few Etsy sellers who made these bags too. Like RosyUndPosy http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=39419343.
Rachel — Thanks for the Etsy tip!! Love them!
xo,
S
Great bags! I love your blog since I discovered it a couple of months ago! I hesitate to say anything, but I feel like I need to point-out that the carseat straps on your son in the picture are waaay too loose. Maybe the picture was taken at a time the car wasn’t moving, but the rule of thumb is that the straps should be tight enough to where you can’t pinch any slack between your fingers, certainly not loose enough to be falling down the shoulders. If a crash occurred, the carseat wouldn’t serve its purpose, and his torso would be thrown forward or even his whole body ejected from the seat. I hope this doesn’t come across the wrong way, I certainly don’t mean it as a criticism of you, I’m sure it was just one of those wiggly toddler accidents. But I am kind of a carseat safety nut, and since it is a public picture I wanted to point-out the safety standards for those who didn’t know. Hope that doesn’t come across badly! =) Love the blog, thanks for all your hard work!
Emily – thanks for the carseat advice! I have been fighting a battle with the carseat straps for some time now, and apparently I’m losing. I find that they always feel tight, and I can’t seem to keep them on his shoulders. Sigh. I may have to pull the darn thing out and re-thread. In any case, thank you for the reminder and your kind words!
xo,
S