Food and Daycare

What a pain. I'd choose another daycare. I've provided care for 25 years and don't understand why anyone would want to deal with all the kids bringing different foods. Kids should be eating home-cooked and well planned meals at this age.

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I would look for a lunch box for each of them or you might be able to get a small soft sided cooler in the sporting goods section of Wal mart or Target and use for all 3. Plastic containers work good as do plastic baggies. Just depends on what you are sending and how much dishwashing you want to do :) I would get each a Thermos. They are great for soups, cassaroles, etc. You can get the short / squatty ones that are easy to eat out of. Drinks - I would use some no-spill cups and put the drinks in there. If you want to send juice boxes / Capri Suns you can freeze those and they will defrost by lunch. That's all I can think of right now. If I think of something else, I'll send it to you. Hope your kids enjoy the time at their new school !

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If it is something that needs to be heated up in the microwave, I put it in glass containers (either small jar or small pyrex container). Otherwise, I use simple plastic containers (I do not remember the brand name). I actually use a cooler for 6-pack soda cans as the lunch box! :-) It is pretty roomy and my son loves the bright green color.

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I'd get a large good quality thermos for soup, pasta, etc. I'd also buy 3 of some kind of plastic or tin lunch box with compartments for each food item.
Something like this: http://www.laptoplunches.com/
or this: http://www.containerstore.com/shop/kitchen/foodontheGo/fo...
or this: http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/spencer-bento-box...
There are many different brands. This kind of lunch container is what our son uses at school each day.

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I am a fan of the Goodbyn lunch box - it has separated compartments, so you can put everything in the lunch box as is (no extra containers) and nothing will get mixed up. They are also dishwasher safe and when you are totally done with them, they can be recycled. Plus they come with a whole bunch of stickers so each child can customize the outside however they want!

We use the 'Fridge in a Bag' and really like it. It has a flat ice pack and keeps food cold until lunch time (they have some actual data on this and it was the only thing the local health inspector would allow at our daycare). We use small plastic containers that we got in a big set as Costco (sorry don't remember the brand). Milk we send in chugs and it goes in the fridge there.