12 Practical Gifts The Whole Family Can Enjoy
Looking for practical gifts the whole family can enjoy that are good for the environment and your health? I have you covered! Here is a list of my favorite products I use and love with my family. Please note that the links shared are my Amazon affiliate links.
LunchBot lunchboxes win the prize as being my favorite product for making school lunches and snacks a breeze. I bought my first LunchBot when Ayla was in preschool, probably 6 years ago. LunchBots are made out of stainless steel which I love for environmental and health reasons. We have been using ours almost everyday for 6 years and they still look as good as new. They are easy to wash and make packing food on the go simple. They come in several different sizes and have different number of compartments. We have built up a collection over time, as they are an investment. Our favorite for packing lunches are the 5 compartment ones, which allow for a sandwhich, fruit, veggies, and a little something extra. I like the smaller version for snacks with 4 compartments, perfect for a fruit, veggie, protein, and fat.
I send the girls to school with a LunchBot thermos once a week for mac and cheese. It works great and the girls report that their mac and cheese is still warm when lunch rolls around. The thermos is also made out of stainless steel and well insulated. It is especially important to use stainless steel when using hot foods as opposed to plastic even if it is BPA free. Oftentimes, BPA is replaced with BPS or BPF, which also have endocrine disrupting effects. See link for more details.
For snack, the LunchBot, 4 oz, stainless steel containers are great for yogurt. My girls love plan yogurt and frozen, wild organic blueberries, with granola for added crunch, which I pack separately in a reusable cloth bag.
Mini stainless steel cups are great for dips and dressings, a fun way to encourage more veggie eating at school . The lids are made out of silicone. My youngest does have a hard time putting the lids back on herself but my oldest is able to do it fine, so fair warning the lids may take a little practice. The size is perfect and fits great inside one of the squares in the LunchBot containers.
Ayla loves a good salad for lunch so we use and love Ello, 4 cup, stainless steel container with an easy and secure lid to ensure no mess.
For water bottles, I love Hydro Cell. They are stainless steel and insulated which is great for hot days at school or the beach. Fill them up with ice and your water will still be cold at the end of the day. I love the straw cap, making it easy to sip on water throughout the day. We make sure never to leave home without our trusty water bottles.
If your family likes straws, I highly recommend stainless steel straws. There are a couple different sizes to choose from as well as if you prefer bent or straight. Some also come with a silicone tip if you prefer that feel on your teeth.
If you are looking for ways to making eating veggies more fun, these cute little cookie cutters are great. We use them for cutting veggies, fruit, cheese, deli meats etc. Great for food art and exploration for young kids.
If you are looking to ditch your candles (because most aren’t great to breath) I love these essential oils and diffuser. See this link if you want to learn more about candles. I love this kit since it offers 12 different scents to experiment with and it comes with a great little booklet with reccomendations of different scent combinations. When looking for high quality essential oils make sure they are 100 % pure essential oils, as many you will find in the store have added ingredients. There are a wide variety of diffusers to choose from, it depends what your needs and wants are. A few things to think about when picking the perfect diffuser fro you. Do you want plastic, wood colored, or porcelain? What size do you want? How long do you want to diffuse for before it automatically turns off? I went with a white porcelain one, mainly for appearance, but it works great and leaves my kitchen smelling amazing. This one comes in two different sizes. I got the smaller one which diffuses for three hours before turning off.
If you are interested in making your own hand soap or all-purpose cleaning spray, I like these empty bottles for hand soap and these for glass spray bottles. I was using a reusable plastic spray bottle for a while which worked just as well but wanted to upgraded to glass for esthetic purposes only.
I love to find ways to reuse what I already have. The mayo I buy comes in glass jars, making perfect drinking glasses. I take string and beads to create charms for each glass, as an easy way for us to identify our own glass. These festive charms also work great when friends come over. They are always a hit!
Hopefully you found this list helpful. Feel free to tuck it away for the future if you are already done with your holiday shopping this year. I know I was a bit late to the game. Wishing you and your family a safe, happy, and healthy holiday season!
