Back to school: Top lunch boxes for kids
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Back-to-school season is almost here, which means you may want to start stocking up on supplies and learning essentials to help your child succeed throughout the year. Though many schools don’t send out supply lists until later in the summer, one thing you can buy now to pair with your child’s backpack is a lunch box, which can help keep their food at a safe temperature and make it easy for them to transport everything. Below, we rounded up some top-rated kids lunch boxes, bento boxes and food containers across popular and Select reader-favorite brands.
Top-rated kids lunch boxes and bags
To help you narrow down your options, we rounded up some highly rated lunch boxes and bags for kids that feature child-friendly designs and insulation that can keep food and drinks cold for hours (most recommend using ice packs, which are typically sold separately).
Hydro Flask Kids Insulated Lunch Box
With two layers of insulation and a 3.5-liter capacity, this lunch box from Hydro Flask is designed to keep food cold for hours, according to the brand. It has an interior band designed to hold utensils and an ice pack, and it comes in kid-friendly colors like Iris (a shade of purple), Grasshopper (a bright green) and Geranium (a bright red). On Hydro Flask’s website, the lunch box boasts a 4.8-star average rate from over 200 reviews.
Hydro Flask Kids Insulated Lunch Box
Hydro Flask Kids Insulated Lunch Box $ at Hydro Flask
Hydro Flask Kids Insulated Lunch Box $ at DICK'S Sporting Goods
L.L.Bean Lunch Box
This soft-sided lunch box from L.L.Bean, which makes some of our favorite backpacks for kids, has a spacious interior with a 5-liter capacity. The brand says the lunch box’s internal mesh pocket can hold an ice pack to keep your child’s food cold throughout the day. It comes in a variety of colors, including green, neon pink and teal, and for an additional charge, you can also add a monogram to the front of the lunch box to ensure your child knows which pack is theirs. It has a 4.4-star average rating from more than 800 reviews on L.L.Bean’s website.
L.L.Bean Lunch Box
L.L.Bean Lunch Box $ at L.L.Bean
Simple Modern Kids Lunch Bag
With a 4-liter capacity, the rectangular bag can hold sandwiches, snacks and more, and the brand says it’s triple-insulated to keep food fresh. Depending on your child’s preferences, there are dozens of patterns to choose from, including a fun unicorn pattern and a dinosaur theme. This patterned lunch bag has a 4.8-star average rating from more than 1,300 reviews on Amazon.
Simple Modern Kids Lunch Bag
Simple Modern Kids Lunch Bag $ at Amazon
Simple Modern Kids Lunch Bag $ at Simple Modern
Simple Modern Kids Lunch Bag $ at Walmart
PackIt Freezable Classic Lunch Box
This PackIt lunch box can be flattened and placed inside the freezer overnight to help the walls — which equip non-toxic cooling gel — stay cold enough to help keep food and drinks cold for hours, according to the brand. In addition to a soft-sided zip interior that can hold a kid’s bento box and a 12-ounce drink, the lunch box sports a slim exterior zip pocket that can hold ID cards, napkins, wipes and more, and its buckle handle lets your child clip it onto their backpack, PackIt says. Available in over a dozen kid-friendly patterns, the lunch bag has a 4.7-star average rating from more than 11,200 reviews on Amazon.
PackIt Freezable Classic Lunch Box
Thermos Kids’ Dual Compartment Lunch Box
A fun option for astronauts in training, this lunch box features an out-of-this-world galaxy pattern. According to the brand, the PVC-free lining is easy to clean, and the closed-cell foam insulation is designed to keep food cold. This lunch box also has two separate zippered compartments stacked on top of one another so snacks and drinks can stay separate from fruits, vegetables and sandwiches.
Thermos Kids’ Dual Compartment Lunch Box
Thermos Kids’ Dual Compartment Lunch Box $ at Target
YETI Daytrip Lunch Bag
If you’re looking for a splurge option, this lunch bag from YETI uses the same rubber foam insulation as many of its soft-sided coolers to keep food cold (though ice packs are sold separately). It’s equipped with a magnetic Thermo Snap closure to ensure a consistent temperature, and the size of the bag can be adjusted using its hook-and-loop grid, according to the brand. Available in five colors, the bag has a 4.4-star average rating from nearly 1,500 reviews on YETI’s website.
YETI Daytrip Lunch Bag
Top-rated bento boxes and lunch containers for kids
Bento boxes and containers can keep your child’s food compartmentalized and prevent a giant mess when they’re at school. Both bento boxes and containers can be used on their own or inside a lunch box — since most are not insulated, it’s better to put them inside a lunch bag.
Bentgo Kids Prints Bento-Style Lunch Box
Bentgo makes some of our favorite bento boxes for adults, and its Bentgo Kids line can be a great option for your little one. This highly rated bento box, which boasts a 4.7-star average rating from over 36,700 reviews on Amazon, has five compartments with ideal serving sizes for kids ages 3 to 7, the brand says. The tray is both microwave-safe and dishwasher-safe, according to Bentgo, and you can choose from more than a dozen designs, including Safari, Unicorns and Space Rockets.
Bentgo Kids Prints Bento-Style Lunch Box
Bentgo Kids Prints Bento-Style Lunch Box $ at Amazon
Bentgo Kids Prints Bento-Style Lunch Box $ at Bentgo
Bentgo Kids Prints Bento-Style Lunch Box $ at Target
Simple Modern Bento Lunch Box for Kids
To match its lunch boxes, Simple Modern offers a variety of kid-friendly bento boxes with fun patterns and characters ranging from princesses to dinosaurs. The box is dishwasher-safe and has five divided compartments that are removable for easy cleaning, according to the brand. This box has a 4.5-star average rating from over 200 reviews on Amazon.
Simple Modern Bento Lunch Box for Kids
Simple Modern Bento Lunch Box for Kids $ at Amazon
3 Sprouts Lion Bento Box
The 3 Sprouts bento box has three compartments designed to hold kid-sized food portions. According to the brand, it’s leakproof and both dishwasher- and freezer-safe, plus microwave-safe without the lid. If you want to create a matching set for your child, 3 Sprouts also makes a Lion Lunch Bag, Lion Sandwich Bags and Lion Snack Bags.
3 Sprouts Lion Bento Box
Youngever 7-Pack Bento Lunch Box Containers
If you prefer to meal prep at the beginning of the week, this bento box set comes with seven reusable containers, each of which has three compartments for snacks, sandwiches and more. The plastic containers are microwave-, freezer- and dishwasher-safe, though the brand says they’re not entirely leakproof, so it’s better to use them for solid foods that won’t spill. On Amazon, the Youngever Bento Lunch Boxes have a 4.7-star average rating from more than 1,100 reviews.
Youngever 7-Pack Bento Lunch Box Containers
Youngever 7-Pack Bento Lunch Box Containers $ at Amazon
Youngever 7-Pack Bento Lunch Box Containers $ at Walmart
Pottery Barn Kids All-in-One Bento Box
This more eco-friendly option from Pottery Barn Kids is made from BPA-free recycled plastic. It’s dishwasher-safe and equips five compartments to keep food organized and separate. It also comes in a range of bright colors, including Light Pink, Lavender and Gold Glitter.
Pottery Barn Kids All-in-One Bento Box
Pottery Barn Kids All-in-One Bento Box $ at Pottery Barn Kids
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