We Put the Best Bento Boxes for Kids to the Test Before School Starts

Best Overall

Bentgo Kids

$30 at Amazon $30 at Target $40 $33 at Kohls.com

If you’re looking for the best bento box for kids, there are a few extra things to consider. First of all, you want a more durable product that can stand to take a few tumbles if it slips out of their little hands. Second, it’s important that the box is easy to open and close; otherwise, you might find yourself cleaning up spilled lunches.

The Bentgo Kids Lunch Box meets all these criteria, making it an ideal lunch box for children ages three to seven. The BPA-free plastic bento box has five compartments and can be used safely in the microwave and dishwasher. It boasts a tight seal to keep the various sections from leaking, and you open and shut the box with two secure, kid-friendly latches.

As a bonus, the edges of the box are lined with rubber to minimize impact in case of drops, making it perfect for young children. But just because it is made for toddlers doesn't mean big kids and adults can't use it as well. During our tests, we noted that the extra protection of the lunchbox made it a touch heavier than others, but it was easily manageable and worth the security. It was also easy to clean by hand since there are no small crevices on the smooth surface of the box. Even after using it for a week straight, nothing leaked.

Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.5 x 2 inches | Weight: 1.4 pounds | Material: BPA-free plastic and rubber

Best Budget

Bentgo Kids Tray

$10 at Amazon

Certain bento boxes can be pretty pricey, but you don’t have to shell out a ton of cash to get a quality kids’ bento box. The Bentgo Kids Tray is a great budget solution for young children, as it’s designed to be the perfect size for kids’ portions.

This bento box is recommended for kids ages three to seven, and comes in three cute colors. Each box has five built-in compartments. Although these compartments are largely satisfactory, some are on the small side, which can limit your selection. The super small circle, for example, is really only adequate for a small treat—a few M&Ms or gummy bears, for example.

We love these budget-conscious bento boxes because they’re the perfect size for creating little snack packs for your kids, and they're easy to transport. During our tests, everything stayed nicely in place, and it allowed us to include plenty of variety.

The product is made from BPA-free plastic, and it’s both dishwasher- and freezer-safe. The transparent plastic cover snaps on tightly to keep food fresh, but it’s important to note that the lid isn’t leakproof, especially if you put liquids in the tray. It’s not a deal-breaker, though, especially since we found this bento box to be a convenient and fun option for at-home lunches, too.

Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.1 x 1.5 inches | Weight: 8.8 ounces | Material: BPA-free plastic

Best Stainless Steel

LunchBots Protein Packer Toddler Bento Box

$18 at Amazon

If you're looking for a compact bento box to hold your child's daily snacks, the LunchBots Small Bento Box is a perfect choice. This simple lunch box is made from extremely durable 18/8 food-grade stainless steel, so it will hold up just fine even if it gets banged around. However, keep in mind that it's truly small—measuring just 5.5 x 4 x 1.5 inches—which means it's perfect for snacks, not full meals (during testing, we thought it was much too small for kids' lunches for children). Even snack choices are limited, as you can’t fit larger items like potato chips in the various sections available.

This lunch box has four inner compartments: two with a 2-ounce capacity and two with a 1-ounce capacity. It's perfect for transporting finger foods, nuts, fruit, and veggies, but not liquids as it isn't leakproof. The petite size is also great for transporting since it takes up very little space in a diaper bag or backpack. Also convenient: The whole container can be popped into the dishwasher at the end of the day for hands-off cleaning.

Dimensions: 5.5 x 4 x 1.5 inches | Weight: 7.4 ounces | Material: Stainless steel

Most Versatile

PackIt Mod Lunch Bento Food Storage Container

$20 at Amazon $20 at Target View on Vitamin Shoppe

The PackIt Mod Lunch Bento Container is ideal for anyone who’s ever struggled to fit food into too-small bento box compartments. Unlike other lunch boxes, which have fixed inner compartments, this food storage container allows you to remove and adjust the dividers for more space. 

The container comes with three leak-resistant dividers that you snap into the various channels to separate food, and the leak-free lid snaps on to prevent spills inside the lunch box. Rearranging the box was a breeze. The versatility of these bento boxes is also great—we used the container to send lunch to school but also to pack snacks for a trip to the playground. Safe for the microwave, freezer, and top rack of the dishwasher, this container is the perfect size to fit into the popular PackIt lunch bags, too.

Just note: The compartments themselves are not leakproof, so you can’t pack a liquid in one section without risking it seeping into the other foods.

Dimensions: 7.2 x 2.8 x 5 inches | Weight: 9.52 ounces | Material: BPA-free plastic

Best Design

Yumbox Original Leakproof Bento Lunch Box

View on Amazon View on Yumboxlunch.com

For a bento box that’s aesthetically pleasing and designed with little kids in mind, the Yumbox Original has some seriously well-thought-out features. This leakproof bento box is designed especially for kids, and careful attention was given to every detail, from the cute colors and illustrations to the easy-open latch.

The Yumbox is made for toddlers and young children and is more expensive than many other options, but it makes up for the cost with great functionality. There are six unique containers in the lunch box, each labeled with a food group to help kids learn and help parents figure out what to pack. You can include foods like applesauce without worrying about them spilling out, thanks to the leakproof silicone seal. Plus, the inner shell is top-rack dishwasher-safe. This box also has a small dip container to fill with sauces like hummus or salad dressing. 

We never experienced any leaks or spills, even when turning this container on its side. We also liked that this bento box is durable and that its compartments are perfect for a wide variety of snacks. The surface does show some wear and tear the more you use it, so you may want to hand wash the box to increase its longevity.

Dimensions: 8.5 x 6 x 1.8 inches | Weight: 1.09 pounds | Material: ABS, BPA-free plastic, and silicone

Best Colorful

Munchkin Toddler Lunch Box

$21 $17 at Amazon $23 at Walmart $17 at Target

If brighter is better in your kid's mind, then they'll love the Munchkin Lunch Bento Box, which has an extremely bold tricolor design—there's no way you'll lose this lunch box in your cupboard.

In addition to its kid-friendly appearance, this bento box excels in the performance department. It has five inner compartments that are deep and spacious, accommodating larger items like sandwiches, as well as smaller items like sliced fruit or a sweet treat. It even comes with stainless steel utensils that store right in the lid—a bonus that’s surprisingly hard to come by. In addition to the fun colors, this bento box is very easy to carry thanks to its handle, which is great since it is quite heavy.

The Munchkin Bento Box has a silicone seal that helps to keep its compartments from leaking into each other, and the whole thing is BPA-free and dishwasher-safe (which you may want to take advantage of since we found the deep sections tricky to clean by hand).

Dimensions: 9.25 x 8.9 x 3.25 inches | Weight: 1.3 pounds | Material: BPA-free plastic and stainless steel utensils

Best for Warm Foods

Omie Bento Box

$46 at Amazon $46 at Walmart $46 at Wayfair

If you have a picky eater, you might benefit from a bento box that can keep food warm, and OmieLife's OmieBox is one of your best options. This unique bento box is more expensive, but it's worth the investment, thanks to its vacuum-insulated thermos, which includes an easy screw-off top and holds up to 8.5 ounces (or just over 1 cup) of warm food. The thermos can also be used to keep food cold—we used it to pack applesauce and yogurt. It does require some forethought, as you have to fill the thermos with warm or hot water (depending on what you’re using it for) and let it sit for 10 minutes prior to filling it with the food item.

The OmieBox allows you to pack both hot and cold foods together, allowing for more variety in the kids' lunches. The box features four compartments, including the large main section, which is big enough to hold a sandwich when the thermos insert is removed. The long compartment is designed to accommodate any brand of box drinks, like juice or milk cartons. Also nice: It features a removable insert, so you can divide the compartment in half if you want even more division. 

The lunch box is BPA-free and made of impact-resistant materials for durability. It is rather bulky, though, which we found a bit cumbersome in terms of storage, particularly if you have multiple children and more than one box for each. It's also hand-wash only.

Dimensions: 8.5 x 7.5 x 3 inches | Weight: 1.7 pounds | Material: Stainless steel, BPA-free plastic, and silicone