Every morning, I pack my son's lunch for school (or day camp during the summer). For a while, I bought him those coolers in fun shapes like soccer balls and so forth. But after he lost three or four of them, I gave up on the concept. I also tried using a strong plastic baggie and freezing a thin layer of water in it. I didn't care if those got lost, but my son certainly cared when the baggies got a hole and spilled thawed water all over the rest of his lunch.

The best solution I've found is using edible ice packs. Take a look at your child's lunch and see what could be frozen. The frozen foods will keep your child's lunch cold and, by lunchtime, they should be thawed and ready to eat. Some perfect items for freezing include:

• Yogurt tubes
• Cans of fruit (individual serving sizes)
• Pudding cups
• Grapes
  
• Juice box
• Homemade cookies or muffins.