Best Insulated Lunch Bag for Daycare and Kindy in Australia: What to Look For
Quick answer: the best lunch bag for daycare or kindy in Australia is insulated, has room for an ice brick or frozen drink bottle, is small enough to fit inside your child's backpack, has a wipe-clean, waterproof lining, and is easy for little hands to open on their own. Add a name tag so it doesn't get mixed up with everyone else's.
Why does a daycare lunch bag need to be insulated?
Lunch is often packed at 7am and eaten around midday — and in an Australian summer, a bag on a hook or in a car can warm up fast. Food safety guidance in Australia is to keep cold food at 5°C or below; between 5°C and 60°C, bacteria can grow quickly. An insulated lunch bag with a cold source inside keeps foods like yoghurt, cheese, meat and rice in a safer range until lunchtime.
The Food Safety Information Council recommends packing an ice brick or a frozen drink bottle in an insulated lunch bag.
How do I keep my child's lunch cold until lunchtime?
- Use an insulated lunch bag, not a plain fabric one.
- Add a cold source — a slim ice brick or a frozen water bottle (it'll be thawed and drinkable by lunch).
- Pack it cold — make lunch the night before and keep it in the fridge, then add the ice brick in the morning.
- Keep the bag out of the sun and out of a hot car, and put it straight in the backpack.
- Check your centre's routine — some put lunch bags in a fridge, others leave them on hooks or in lockers.
What size lunch bag is best for kindy and daycare?
Big enough for a lunch box or a couple of containers plus an ice brick, but small enough to fit inside your child's backpack with their spare clothes. Measure your lunch box before you buy — a bag that's slightly too small means a squashed lid and a leaky lunch.
The Morgy + Wills kids lunch bag measures 28 cm x 21 cm x 10 cm and is designed to fit inside our kids backpacks.
Which lunch bag features matter for little kids?
- Insulation to help keep food cool.
- A waterproof, wipe-clean interior for spills, squeezy pouches and melted ice bricks.
- An inside pocket to hold the ice brick in place (and cutlery for older kids).
- A simple opening your child can manage themselves — educators look after a whole room at lunchtime.
- A sturdy carry handle for hooks and little hands.
- A name tag — there will be lots of lunch bags in the room.
- A print they love, so they're excited to open it.
Does my child even need to pack lunch at daycare?
It depends on the service. Many long day care centres in Australia provide meals, while many kindies and preschools ask families to pack morning tea and lunch. Even at centres that provide food, a small lunch bag is handy for bottles, special dietary items or snacks for the trip home. Check your centre's food policy too — many are nut-free or encourage “nude food” (no wrappers).
How do I clean a kids lunch bag?
Empty it every afternoon and wipe the inside with warm soapy water, then leave it open to air dry. Morgy + Wills lunch bags are wipe clean — don't machine wash, tumble dry or iron them.
The Morgy + Wills Kids Lunch Bag
Our insulated kids lunch bags are designed by an Australian family business for daycare, kindy and school:
- Insulated, with a waterproof interior
- Interior mesh pocket for ice packs and utensils
- Durable carry handle
- Interior name tag
- Easy to clean
- 28 cm x 21 cm x 10 cm, polyester
- Prints that match our backpacks, nap mats and sheet sets
Each lunch bag is $38.95, with free standard shipping on orders over $180 in Australia. Save with a matching Backpack and Lunch Bag Bundle ($97.90) or the Backpack, Lunch Bag and Wet Bag Bundle ($124.95).
Kids lunch bag FAQs
Do kids need an insulated lunch bag for daycare?
If they bring food from home, yes. Australian food safety advice is to keep cold food at 5°C or below, and an insulated bag with an ice brick or frozen drink bottle is the easiest way to do that until lunchtime.
Is an ice brick or a frozen water bottle better?
Both work. A frozen water bottle does double duty — it keeps lunch cold in the morning and is a cold drink by lunch. A slim ice brick takes up less space.
What size should a kindy lunch bag be?
Big enough for a lunch box plus an ice brick, and small enough to fit in their backpack. Ours is 28 x 21 x 10 cm.
How do I stop my child's lunch bag getting mixed up?
Choose a bright, recognisable print and fill in the name tag. Matching your child's backpack and lunch bag also helps educators return things to the right hook.
