What's the Best Kids' Lunch Box? These 7 Are Kid-Tested, Mom-Approved
Read the original article on Purewow.
Growing up, choosing a lunch box meant picking out your favorite cartoon character amid the sea of plastic containers. It was just a container for whatever Mom tossed inside; if your sandwich was mangled or your Cheez-Its resembled dust by the time you got to the cafeteria, that was life. At least you could stare at Garfield or the Muppets as you sipped water from the lid of your coordinating Thermos.
These days, lunch boxes have gotten far more sophisticated—there are collapsible ones, freezable ones, even electrically heated ones—all at a range of price points. So, which ones are actually worth your money? What won't contribute to a meltdown in the carpool lane? I needed answers—and since you're here, I'm guessing you do, too.
The Best Kids' Lunch Boxes at a Glance
How I Chose the Best Kids' Lunch Boxes
Candace Davison
As PureWow editors poll parents and vet products for the Happy Kid Awards each year, determining the best lunch box is always hotly debated. Our team combines market research and reviews with parent recommendations to form a short list of top contenders, and from there, lunch boxes are distributed to parents, as we ask them to review the containers based on the following criteria:
Size and overall portability — Are they too bulky for a backpack? Can kids tote them easily? How much food do they actually hold, and is it enough?
Ease of use — Can kids open and close them without dumping dino nuggets everywhere, or needing a teacher's help? How easy are they to clean and care for?
Durability — What happens if they're dropped? Do they crack, tear or scuff easily? Do the latches seem sturdy or flimsy? Could this last a school year or longer?
Value — How much does it cost, and what do you get for that price?
75 Simple, Delicious School Lunch Ideas
The Best Kids' Lunch Boxes of 2025, Tested & Reviewed
1. Omiebox Bento Box for Kids
Omie/Alexia Dellner
Bento box styles have been a parent and kid favorite for the past few years, but they can often be pretty bulky—a challenge when backpacks are already pretty crammed. Omiebox's smart, lightweight design made it immediately stand out from the crowd: It's relatively slim, and yet it can hold a surprisingly hearty lunch.
But that's far from all: "I really love the option to include a hot meal (which we do at least once I week—I add boiling water to the container while I microwave pasta leftovers, then pour the water out when I'm ready to assemble. I mean, who knows what really happens at lunch time, but my son says that the food is still hot when he opens it up and it always comes back empty)," says executive editor Alexia Dellner. "Oh, and the dividers are great—because nobody wants strawberry juice on their meat sticks. (My son...loves meat sticks.)"
$50 at Amazon
2. Packit Freezable Playtime Lunch Box
packit
Why bother with ice packs when your whole lunch box can be one? PackIt's latest design features freezable gel walls, keeping foods chilled all day, and when it's empty, it smooshes flat, taking up less backpack space. (My toddler has used this bag every day for a full year, and it looks brand new—spills easily wipe away, and it's survived being dropped, stomped on and trampled by a dog without issues.)
When I had other kids test and review the bag, they mentioned that they loved the fun designs, and that the zippers were easy to use. Plus, you can easily pop in a bento box, and the handle features a buckle clasp, so you can tether it to a backpack or messenger bag, if your kid's bag is already crammed full.
$30 AT Amazon
$30 at Target
3. Bentgo Lunch Container
rachel bowie/bentgo
In every poll, Bentgo comes up as PureWow parents' most-recommended lunch box. And it's not just hype—it's consistently won over editors in product testing, winning a Happy Kid Award not once but twice. Why? It's just that reliable—and affordable.
'I like the simplicity of Bentgo's kid's lunchbox," explains Rachel Bowie, senior director of royals and special projects (and has tested countless lunch boxes as she oversees the back-to-school edition of the Happy Kid Awards). "It feels like there's a spot for all my son's favorites—a half sandwich, a fig bar, even a cookie or two. I put Cheerios in the small circle, though you could also include a dip. Still, it's that compartment size flexibility that really makes it a fail-safe for us. The seal keeps everything separate, but most important of all, the tabs are easy to pop open. Best of all, it's dishwasher-safe, which is so helpful on busier school days.'
Plus, with 33 designs to choose from, there's a style that's bound to suit your kid's taste, whether they're into llamas, unicorns, construction trucks or, ahem, quiet luxury neutrals.
$30 AT Amazon
$30 at pottery barn
4. Calpak Kids Lunch Bag
calpak
There are people who love the order of a bento-style lunch box, and there are those who like things a little more freeform (especially if your kid's the type who sees four compartments and demands all four compartments be filled, even if they'd be stuffed with a sunbutter and jelly and a banana). Calpak's lunch bag is remarkably lightweight yet durable, zips smoothly without snagging and the recycled polyester exterior is easy to wipe clean.
The crossbody straps and top handles made it easy for kids of all ages to grab and go, no matter how much they were hauling around, and the bag itself—at 4 inches wide and 10 inches long—is spacious enough to hold a full lunch and water bottle, no problem. (Some other soft bags we tested required you to carry the bottle separately.)
There's a name label on the back, yet you also have the option to personalize it, should your (er, your kid's) aesthetic skew more embroidered monogram than Sharpie.
$38 at calpak
5. B.Box Lunch Box
B.Box/candace davison
In a world where kids' lunch boxes can creep past $80 a pop (!), this $29 find stands out for its versatility, durability and value. The main compartment is large enough to fit a whole bagel or sandwich—with a removable ice pack included—and the hard case features a silicon bubble in one compartment, so you can easily stow a whole piece of fruit without bruising it. What really impressed me were its leakproof compartments, which were filled with marinara as the box was flipped, dropped and shaken—and didn't leak at all.
$29 AT Amazon
6. Munchkin Toddler Lunch Box
munchkin/candace davison
Designed for kids aged 18 months and up, this five-compartment wonder is a daycare must-have. The lunch box survived drop tests without popping open, yet small hands didn't have any difficulty opening the box themselves. Plus, it comes with stainless steel utensils that pop into the inside of the lid, though our tester said they occasionally pop off and into food if the container is sloshed around too much. That said, the silicone liner on the lid creates a great seal, so liquids didn't seep into other compartments, no matter how much it was jostled.
$17 at Walmart
$17 at Target
7. PlanetBox Rover Stainless Steel Lunch Box
planetbox/purewow
So many stainless steel lunch boxes are a hit with parents—but then kids can't open them. Or they're just not as fun as their friends' character-emblazoned bags. PlanetBox bridges the gap, with a slim, five-compartment container that parents can pop in the dishwasher, and yet kids can easily use and customize with exterior magnets (which come in 18 designs, from unicorns to galaxy prints). The set also comes with two leak-proof stainless steel containers with BPA-free silicone lids, so you don't need to pack your kid's yogurt separately.
$55; $47 at PlanetBox
What to Consider When Shopping for Kids' Lunch Boxes
original photo: candace davison
Budget and aesthetics aside, there are a few key things to look for:
Size — Both in terms of whether it can hold enough food for your child's lunch and snack needs, and how bulky it is. If it can't fit in your kid's backpack, is there a strap that can connect it to the bag?
Number of compartments and configurations — Do you want something bento-style, where you can store multiple foods without them touching (or needing to resort to resealable bags and other containers? Are the compartments adjustable and/or removable?
Ease of use — How easy is it for a kid to use? How easy is it to clean?
Durability — Do you intend to use this for more than a year? What do the reviews say about its longevity? Are the latches strong? Does it scuff or crack easily if dropped? (Stainless steel options have the best warranties—often five years, versus one or two with plastic lunch boxes—because they tend to be the most durable.)
Ability to keep foods cold — Is there an ice pack or freezable liner included? How insulated is it, or will you need to purchase something separately to get the job done?
Leak resistance — If it's a hardshell lunch box, are there silicone gaskets or other seals to make it less prone to leaks? Is it recommended for dry foods only?
What's the Best Overall Kids' Lunch Box?
Due to its overall capacity—yet slim design—ease of use and warm-food compartment, is PureWow's pick for best overall kids' lunch box of 2025.
However, if you'd prefer something that's stainless steel, I recommend taking a closer look at Planetbox, or something that can smoosh flat when lunch is over, opt for Calpak or Packit.
58 Toddler Lunch Ideas Even the Pickiest Eaters Will Love
Why You Should Trust Us
PureWow's editors and writers have spent more than a decade shopping online, digging through sales and putting our home goods, beauty finds, wellness picks and more through the wringer—all to help you determine which are actually worth your hard-earned cash. From our PureWow100 series (where we rank items on a 100-point scale) to our painstakingly curated lists of fashion, beauty, cooking, home and family picks, you can trust that our recommendations have been thoroughly vetted for function, aesthetics and innovation. Whether you're looking for travel-size hair dryers you can take on-the-go or women's walking shoes that won't hurt your feet, we've got you covered.
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