August 2023 Amazon Picks: Top LEAD-FREE back-to-school choices to get you ready for the new school year!
For those new to this website:
Tamara Rubin is a multiple-Federal-award-winning independent advocate for childhood Lead poisoning prevention and consumer goods safety, and a documentary filmmaker. She is also a mother of Lead-poisoned children (two of her sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in 2005). Since 2009, Tamara has been using XRF technology (a scientific method used by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission) to test consumer goods for toxicants (specifically heavy metals — including Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Antimony, and Arsenic). All test results reported on this website are science-based, accurate, and replicable. Items are tested multiple times to confirm the test results for each component tested. Tamara’s work was featured in Consumer Reports Magazine in February of 2023 (March 2023 print edition).
Get ready now for the upcoming school year by starting a “detox” of your kiddos’ school supplies! Check out all of the LEAD-FREE choices below. Please read the full text of this post (scroll down). Thank you!
Affiliate links to the items in the image are below.
Thank you!
Lunch Box Supplies (Lead-free choices)
NOTE: All stainless water bottles should be rinsed out at the end of each day and have new water put in them daily. Don’t let water sit in your child’s stainless water bottle for multiple days.
- Choice #1) Water Bottle (for water only — any choice from this brand): https://amzn.to/3KG9IEL
- Choice #2) Water Bottle (for water only — any non-insulated choice from this brand): https://amzn.to/4491NqJ
- Choice #3) Water Bottle (for water only — any choice from this brand): https://amzn.to/45b50r9
- Choice #4) Water Bottle (for any beverage): https://amzn.to/45zoOE6
- Insulated Food Containers (any choice from this brand): https://amzn.to/3sg7mpU
- Non-Insulated (recycled plastic) reusable food containers (better than plastic baggies! I bought a couple dozen of these when my kids were little and put three or four in with different things for lunch): https://amzn.to/45oEHxg
- Food container (if your kid is allowed to bring glassware to school, this is a personal favorite of mine): https://amzn.to/3YFWEFd
- Washable Reusable Lunch Bag (these are small): https://amzn.to/3QIYhQM
- Washable Reusable Lunch Bag — Another Brand: https://amzn.to/3sg7GF8
- Insulated Lunch Bag: https://amzn.to/3Oxft96
- Adult-sized Lunch Box: https://amzn.to/3QJu5Vp
- Utensils — wood: https://amzn.to/3QJ0cov
- Utensils (recycled plastic) for small children: https://amzn.to/45b9ayV
- Utensil — metal: https://amzn.to/47ALGoy
- Utensil (spork — wood): https://amzn.to/3KMEtbf
- Cloth Napkins (I always put these in with my kids’ lunches) — I like something small like these: https://amzn.to/3QJ0RX1
- Bento Box Style Container — Large (avoid the ones with paint): https://amzn.to/45xt9aV
- Bento Box Style Container (smaller) https://amzn.to/3E1AaoU
School Work Supplies (Lead-free choices)
Many of these things will be cheaper at your local school supply/office supply store
- Crayons — choice #1): https://amzn.to/3QIu7Ni
- Crayons — choice #2): https://amzn.to/3E5FQxS
- Chalk: https://amzn.to/3QH0nR2
- Scissors (modern scissors by known brands should be Lead-free): https://amzn.to/3E0r5wr
- Our favorite pencils: https://amzn.to/3sbiT9T
- Some of our favorite colored pencils: https://amzn.to/3qzoczw
- Our favorite pencil sharpener (worth the expense and on sale today): https://amzn.to/3OYEJ9K
- Paper (all modern paper should be Lead-free): https://amzn.to/3skqH9G
- Spiral Notebooks (stick with known brands, avoid vinyl or painted spirals): https://amzn.to/3OYbO5F
- 3-Ring Binders (modern binders from known brands should all be Lead-free): https://amzn.to/3YGjRXX
- Markers for Older Kids (these are Lead-free but have other toxicant issues): https://amzn.to/3soeCjq
- Ruler (modern rulers by known brands should be Lead-free): https://amzn.to/3YC6Pe8
- Book Bag (I tested one of these and it was negative for toxicants): https://amzn.to/47yUCef
And finally… Are your kids getting a good night’s sleep?
- For good measure, here’s an affiliate link to Naturepedic (they are having a 15% off end-of-summer sale right now and they contribute 15% of what you spend back to Lead Safe Mama, LLC in support of our programs!): https://shrsl.com/46ipm
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Lead Safe Mama readers have asked me to share these links with the community. I am paying to promote this post on Facebook because Facebook has severely restricted the reach of Lead Safe Mama LLC’s posts if we do not pay to promote them. By paying to promote this post, I am hoping our advertising cost will be (more than) covered as — in response — many of you will remember to simply click on any one of our Amazon affiliate links (or other affiliate links) here (or in the header of our website) before you start ANY of your Amazon shopping. You don’t have to buy what we link to or share from Amazon for Lead Safe Mama, LLC to receive a percentage of what you spend on Amazon at no extra cost to you. You simply need to click one of our Amazon affiliate links and then go about your shopping as you normally would (no matter what you are about to buy)! Thank you for supporting this work in this simple (and free-to-you!) way. Isn’t it better for this small percentage to support our consumer goods safety advocacy work than for it to go toward’s buying new spoons (or whatever?) for Jeff B’s yacht? 
Thank you!
Thank you!All links are affiliate links (Amazon & Naturepedic). If you purchase something after clicking one of our affiliate links, we may receive a percentage of what you spend at no extra cost.
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Tamara, thank you so much for proving this list of safe items. By any chance did you test safe to use “Silver ware”? Also are there any safe glass pots to cook acidic food like tomato sauce? I have seen vision ware Pyrex , but they are pigmented with a brownish color. are those safe?
Thank you! I already received my orders from amazon, I am planning to make more! Thank you for all your hard work!
Why no insulated Klean Kanteen for only water? I just bought $100 worth!
I have never recommended the insulated Klean Kanteen as I expect they likely have Lead under the bottom cap (but have not done destructive testing to confirm.)
T
How do you feel about the Thermos brand of reusable water bottles? I’m specifically worried about the smaller insulated ones for kids. Thanks.
What about the wee sprout stainless steel lunch box??
Hi,
The link to the insulated lunch container does not work. could you please update it? I am guessing it is hydroflask ones from the pictures below, but just wanted to be sure. Thank you so much
My son needs headphones for kindergarten to be used with a laptop. I want to opt out of wireless headphones if possible, but want to know if I should be concerned with the wire for wired headphones. Do these wires typically contain lead?
Wired headphones would only contain lead in a non-rechargeable battery (in most cases).
T
Which are the bento boxes with paint that we are to avoid? And why?
I’m just wanting to double-check: is it true that Hydro flask doesn’t use a lead sealing dot for any of its insulated thermoses? Or is Hydroflask listed as a safe option here because it powder-coats overtop of any sealing dots so any lead is considered inaccessible? (I just bought a couple of Hydroflask thermoses that are different from the one pictured here and they definitely have an indent for a dot, but it’s powder-coated over.)
I tried to find images of Hydroflask thermoses (or insulated bottles) being tested but couldn’t find any… Thank you.
They do not use any lead.
T
Thank you!
What about Bentgo brand with painted lids?