# LaLa Lunchbox — Meal planning for school lunch > Kid-involved school lunch planning and grocery list generation app. (iPhone/iPad app by LaLa Lunchbox, LLC.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lala-lunchbox/id519037961 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [LaLa Lunchbox, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/519037964) - Category: Food & Drink, Productivity - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 4.30/5 from 28 App Store ratings · 84 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 11.3 · 45 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2012-05-01 - Data updated: 2026-08-17 - Monetization: free with in-app purchases - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lala-lunchbox/id519037961/reviews.md ## What is LaLa Lunchbox? Featured in The New York Times, Parents, The Washington Post and Mashable! If packing school lunch is a chore, LaLa Lunchbox is the solution! LaLa Lunchbox is the best-selling meal planning app for families and the only one that involves kids in the process of choosing their foods. The app makes lunch planning and packing easier and helps families save time and money. Kids set up virtual lunchboxes and select meals for the week ahead by feeding a hungry monster from a completely customizable Food Library of healthy options. Kids' choices become a handy grocery list for parents. No more "what's for lunch" arguments in the morning or uneaten, wasted food at the end of the day. The app teaches children and their families about packing a better lunch, helps kids get out of a picky eating rut, and syncs with multiple devices. Add or remove foods at any time to control what is available for kids to choose. Our new dietary specific food bundles (nut free, gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian and kosher) are curated by a dietitian and designed to provide lunch packing inspiration for a variety of lifestyles and eating habits. ------------------------------- Use LaLa Lunchbox to ------------------------------- EMPOWER KIDS - They'll love picking their own lunch. SAVE MONEY - No more wasted, unwanted food. SAVE TIME - Make grocery shopping a breeze. ----------------------------- Key Features ----------------------------- 1. Monsters and lunchboxes can be customized by kids. 2. Extensive, completely customizable library of fruits, veggies, proteins and snacks. 3. Always updated, easy-to-use grocery shopping list. 4. One click sync between multiple iOS devices. 5. Complete parental control over available food choices and number of allowable items in lunchboxes. 6. Foods curated by dietitian available in dietary-specific bundles designed to fit a variety of lifestyles and be allergy friendly. 7. Easily save any meal to a library of favorites for quick access. 8. Easily share favorite meals with friends via Twitter, Facebook and email. 9. No third-party advertising ---------------------------- What Others Are Saying ---------------------------- "A slick, fun little app that helps parents and children plan meals together." - The New York Times "LaLa Lunchbox can be just what your picky eater needs to develop a healthy lifestyle." - Parents.com "With this handy app your kids get involved in their lunch and may even get excited about eating healthier." - The Washington Post "You'll love the lunch-packing organization that LaLa Lunchbox provides." - Parenting.com "With LaLa Lunchbox, you can take a deep breath and know that help is an app away." - Mashable "This super handy resource helps you come up with ideas and keep track of lunch-packing for your brood." - Cool Mom Tech --------------------------- LaLa Lunchbox was created by an MBA mom who was looking for a solution that would make planning lunches for her school-aged daughter easier. It teaches children about smart food choices and helps picky eaters broaden their horizons. Join us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/lalalunchbox Find more lunch inspiration on Instagram: http://instagram.com/lalalunchbox Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/lalalunchbox Important Message For Parents: This app is free to use with a robust library of food items to choose from but dietary-specific food bundles and blogger food bundles require payment. You may restrict in-app purchases by disabling them on your device. By downloading this app you agree to LaLa Lunchbox's Privacy Policy and Terms of Service at http://lalalunchbox.com/privacy and http://lalalunchbox.com/terms-of-service/. ## Key features - Kid-friendly meal selection with virtual lunchboxes - Customizable food library - Automatic grocery list generation - Dietary-specific food bundles - Syncs across multiple devices - Parental controls for food choices ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | Gluten Free | $2.99 | one-time | | Vegetarian | $2.99 | one-time | | Dairy Free | $2.99 | one-time | | Nut Free | $2.99 | one-time | | Kosher by Ronnie Fein | $2.99 | one-time | | Aviva Wittenberg | $1.99 | one-time | | Gina Kirk | $1.99 | one-time | | Sylina Lunches | $1.99 | one-time | | Top 8 Free Allergy Friendly | $4.99 | one-time | | Egg Ideas & Recipes | $4.99 | one-time | ## What do users think of LaLa Lunchbox? Overall sentiment: mixed **Pros** - 👍 Easy to use interface - 💡 Involves kids in planning - 📝 Helpful grocery list feature - 🍎 Encourages healthy choices - 🎨 Fun and engaging design - ⏰ Saves time in the morning - 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Great for family planning - 💬 Responsive customer support - 🖼️ Allows custom food items - 🔄 Syncs across devices (mentioned by some) **Cons** - 🐛 App crashes frequently - ❌ Limited food options - 🚫 Inability to edit custom items - 🗂️ Incorrect food categorization - 📱 Not available on Android - 📏 Item limit in lunchbox - 🖼️ Custom photos disappear - 🛒 Ads for specific brands - 🧩 Can be restrictive - 🤔 Some features not intuitive **Commonly reported bugs** - App closes when name is picked - App won't open/crashes on home screen - Buttons don't work (DONE button) - Crashing and not working for months - Photos for added foods disappear - Monster covers last 2 categories on iPhone 4s - Cannot delete or edit lunchboxes - Items deleted keep reappearing - Grocery list check-off not working - App not saving meals after iOS8 update - Custom items cannot be edited - Cannot change category after choosing a pic - Saved in wrong category automatically - Cannot add photo to item later - Displaying only 10 characters in lunchbox - Only shows pic, not label, after selection - App not syncing between devices **Most requested features** - Add a drink section - Increase item limit per lunchbox - Allow editing of custom items - Add more food items/categories - Customize food categories - Combine fruit and vegetable sections - Add a notes section - Add a sandwich builder - Allow adding photos from the internet - Email/print completed lunchboxes - Swipe to switch between kids/days - Add more animations/awards - Allow permanent deletion of added items - Sync food databases across apps - Add a carbohydrates section - Optimize for specific devices (e.g., iPhone X) - Allow adding items to multiple categories - Add a snack box option for half-days - View all lunchbox items at once - Label food items clearly in lunchbox view ## Recent user reviews (10 of 84) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lala-lunchbox/id519037961/reviews.md ### 3/5 — Good app but wrong category label bugs me *2024-03-03, version 3.16* For some reason, all carbohydrates are under the “protein” category. Pasta is not a protein. There should be at least be an option to customize the labels. ### 3/5 — Needs to be on android *2021-11-04, version 3.16* This app is great but not on android ### 5/5 — FANTASTIC! *2021-08-13, version 3.16* Hi! I LOVELOVELOVE THIS APP! It's so helpful and it let's people all be in control of their own lunch. However, I do wish that you could add a drink or a few with your lunch and make a higher limit for how many food items you can add. Thanks! ### 4/5 — Awesome for all ages. Needs a drink section *2021-08-02, version 3.16* I am 19 years old and I found this app recently. I have been wanting to meal plan and this app has helped. I found it last week. I also used the La La Breakfast app. I think the sections of protein vegetable, fruit and snack are great. The only thing I can think of to add to the app is a drinks section. I like the little monsters and colors that can be made for each child, or activity. I have one lunchbox labeled my name, and one lunchbox titled Pool Snacks. I like that I can add my own food items with pictures. I used it to plan my breakfasts for the next week. I wish I had found it sooner for myself. I use this app for myself only and I am not a parent. Sincerely Mina Cheetah ### 5/5 — Love this app!! *2020-12-15, version 3.16* If I could give this app 10 stars, I would. First of all, the idea behind this app is genius. It’s so easy to use, and the grocery list feature is super helpful. My kids love their lunches now that they help choose what goes in them. I follow her on Instagram and her lunches constantly blow me away. This app is awesome. Totally recommend!! ### 5/5 — Works like a charm! *2020-12-15, version 3.16* Love this app! Downloaded it during quarantine even though the kids weren’t going to school. They love being part of picking lunches and they’re actually happy to eat now. It made my life easier, I can’t believe I hadn’t heard of this before this year! ### 5/5 — Makes lunchtime quick and easy! *2020-09-20, version 3.10* We love the app! We can add our own choices for the kids to pick from. The grocery list makes it easy to make sure we have everything we need for the week. The customer service is so quick to respond! ### 5/5 — Great app for moms and kids *2020-07-20, version 3.9.0* This app is so simple and brilliant. My daughter loves picking out her lunches in a fun way. ### 5/5 — Making dreaded lunch planning easy *2019-08-20, version 3.8.1* It’s the only app like it. You can plan with the kids, in a fun environment, what to pack them for lunch. figuring out what to make is always the most annoying part of making their school meals, and this app not only gets the kids involved (as we all know is vital to the success of the meal actually being consumed) but is a great planner that helps with checking what we already have and making that grocery list. With my child having a morning snack, a lunch and an afternoon snack that needs to be organized as such at this age, I originally found it restricting to organize. I sent an email to the support team to see if they could make it a little more customizable and not only did they respond within a few hours they also gave me a great idea on how to make the app work for me. Instead of using one monster for each child, we can use three monsters for each child. I label each monster ‘KidName Snack #1’, ‘KidName Lunch’ and ‘KidName Snack #2’ - that way the kids can choose an apple and granola bar for their morning snack, and cheese and celery sticks for their afternoon snack and I am clear on how to pack the bag. It’s a great idea and super helpful. Thanks for creating! ### 4/5 — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ *2019-08-18, version 3.8.1* I wish they had more items that you could choose from or add. But other than that it’s an great app. ## Frequently asked questions about LaLa Lunchbox ### What does LaLa Lunchbox do? LaLa Lunchbox is a meal planning app designed to make packing school lunches easier for families. It involves children in the process by allowing them to select meals from a customizable food library, which then automatically generates a grocery list for parents. The app aims to save time and money while encouraging healthier eating habits. ### How does LaLa Lunchbox involve kids in meal planning? Kids can set up virtual lunchboxes and choose their meals for the week by feeding a hungry monster from a customizable food library. This interactive approach empowers them to make their own lunch choices, reducing morning arguments and uneaten food. ### What are the key features of LaLa Lunchbox? Key features include customizable monsters and lunchboxes, an extensive and customizable food library, an easy-to-use grocery shopping list, multi-device syncing, parental controls over food choices, and dietitian-curated dietary-specific food bundles for various lifestyles and allergies. ### Is LaLa Lunchbox free to use? The app is free to download and use, with in-app purchases available for features like dietary-specific food bundles. This allows users to access core functionality for free while offering optional enhancements. ### What are the benefits of using LaLa Lunchbox for families? LaLa Lunchbox helps families save time and money by streamlining the lunch planning and grocery shopping process. It also encourages children to eat healthier, helps them get out of picky eating ruts, and reduces food waste by ensuring lunches are packed with foods they actually want to eat. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 3.16 — 2020-11-02 Regular app checkup. Stability and bug fixes. ### 3.10 — 2020-08-12 Application maintenance and bugfixes. Apple Sign In added. ### 3.9.0 — 2019-09-03 - bug fixes and stability improvements - copyright date - removed login with Twitter option ### 3.8.1 — 2018-10-11 • Minor bug fixes ### 3.8 — 2018-10-04 • Minor bug fixes • Added iPhone X support • iOS 12 optimization ## Apps similar to LaLa Lunchbox | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [KptnCook: Cook & Meal Planner](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kptncook-cook-and-meal-planner/id795495986) | 4.6 (465) | Free | Food & Drink | | [Mealime Meal Plans & Recipes](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mealime-meal-plans-and-recipes/id1079999103) | 4.8 (53,803) | Free | Food & Drink | | [MealMasterPlan: Meal Planner](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mealmasterplan-meal-planner/id6443649573) | 4.6 (20) | Free | Food & Drink | | [Meal Planner & Grocery List](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/meal-planner-and-grocery-list/id1619509620) | 4.6 (600) | Free | Food & Drink | | [iCook: Meal Prep・Menu Planner](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/icook-meal-prepmenu-planner/id1434244144) | 4.5 (65) | Free | Food & Drink | | [Little Lunches: Kids Meals](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/little-lunches-kids-meals/id1572670746) | 4.7 (368) | Free | Food & Drink | ## More apps by LaLa Lunchbox, LLC - [LaLa Breakfast](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lala-breakfast/id650830467) All apps by LaLa Lunchbox, LLC: https://appshunter.io/developer/519037964 ## Related topics [web menus](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/web-menus) · [my school menus](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/my-school-menus) --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-17.*