Why does it seem to take the entire month of August to prepare for September? Each year we replace flip flops and bathing suits with uniforms or school clothes. Water toys and wagons give way to pencils and pads. Moms hit the malls and tap the keyboard to find the best back-to-school gear.

Over the next few weeks I’m going to be covering some back-to-school gear I like - mostly healthy for your child and the planet, fashionable if at all possible and kid friendly certainly. Let’s start by doing lunch!

I shudder to think about the hard metal lunch box I carried throughout elementary school. It was most certainly laced with lead and other harsh chemicals. Fortunately, that’s no longer an issue since lead free lunch boxes are now available.

This one, the BuiltNY Munchler Lunch Bag is both lead free and PVC free! Though there is a often a barrier between the lunch bag and the food, an apple or other unpackaged food could get contaminated by lead or phthalates in PVC (vinyl) lunch bags.

BuiltNY offers these cute lunch bags in several different designs…very cute for the younger set. They are on the small side so are probably best if your child also purchases part of his or her lunch at school (such as a drink) or is a light eater.