Looking for the best lunch boxes for kids? Look no further. Keep reading for everything you need to select the best lunch box for your unique kid. 

In this post, you’ll find a comparison of Bentgo Kids, Bentology Classic 6-Piece, Fit Strong & Healthy, LunchBots Cinco, PlanetBox Rover, Pottery Barn Recycled Bento Box, Yumbox Original, and Ziploc.

I also compared how these lunch boxes fit in popular insulated lunch bags – L.L. Bean Classic, Packit Freezable Classic, Pottery Barn Fairfax Classic, and Pottery Barn Mackenzie Cold Pack. 

Why I Wrote This Post

When my twin daughters entered kindergarten, I put $25 into their school lunch accounts. Today, as they enter second grade, they each still have $25. My children (by their choice) have always requested a lunch from home. I wanted the most efficient way to get something healthy, filling, and a tiny bit fun packed for my kids every day. Packing lunches isn’t my favorite task but I like that it saves money, reduces waste, and insures I can offer them the fruits and vegetables I know they’ll eat. 

It all starts with choosing the right lunch box. To solve the riddle, I polled Facebook, Instagram, and reached out to friends. I heard from almost 100 people with kids ages 1 to 13. They had lots of opinions (all of which I incorporated into my recommendations below)!

Based on parents’ feedback, I narrowed the review down to the 8 most popular lunch boxes and 4 most popular insulated lunch bags. I purchased all of them and used them to pack lunches for my three kids for several months. Below is what I found!

Comparison of 8 Best Lunch Boxes

Note: These are the hard-sided containers that hold food. Scroll down to the bottom of the post to see how these fit inside popular soft-sided lunch bags.

Bentgo Kids

• Pros – Lots of bright colors; easiest for young kids to open; stays firmly shut and keeps food in each section separate even when stored on its side; comes apart easily for washing
• Cons – Doesn’t hold a lot of food, so may not work for older kids (or kids with bigger appetites); several parents told me that the latches on their Bentgo Kids boxes broke within the first year of use (in all cases, the company replaced the broken latches for free)

Bentology Classic 6-Piece

• Pros – Offers many ways to customize; stays firmly shut and keeps food in each section separate even when stored on its side; has a space for utensils
• Cons – Small pieces can be hard to keep track of and wash; internal containers are challenging for young kids to open

Fit Strong & Healthy 3-Compartment Bento

• Pros – Simple design that would work for kids and adults; snaps firmly shut; removable compartments for easy customization and washing; affordable
• Cons – Only 3 divided spaces that are deep but not wide; spaces for food are not sealed, so moisture can leak between spaces

LunchBots Large Cinco

• Pros – Stainless steel construction feels like it will last forever; top and bottom come fully apart, so it easily fits in the dishwasher
• Cons – Difficult for young kids to open; doesn’t latch tightly; spaces for food are not sealed, so moisture can leak between spaces

PlanetBox Rover

• Pros – Stainless steel construction feels like it will last forever; can hold a lot of food
• Cons – Heavy; top and bottom are attached, so it takes up a lot of space in the dishwasher and is slightly unwieldy to use at the lunch table; spaces for food are not sealed, so moisture can leak between spaces

Pottery Barn Recycled Bento Box

• Pros – Lightweight; simple design; can hold a lot of food
• Cons – The top and bottom are attached, so it takes up a lot of space in the dishwasher and is slightly unwieldy at the lunch table; spaces for food are not sealed, so moisture can leak between spaces

Yumbox Original

• Pros – Lots of bright designs; easy for young kids to open; stays firmly shut and keeps food in each section separate even when stored on its side; comes easily apart for washing
• Cons – The top and bottom are attached, so it takes up a lot of space in the dishwasher; lots of nooks and crannies to wash and dry

Ziploc Lunch Containers

• Pros – Simple and very lightweight design; most affordable of all the options reviewed; comes easily apart for washing; latch feels tight when sealed
• Cons – Less sturdy than other options so will need to be replaced from time-to time; spaces for food are not sealed, so moisture can leak between spaces

My Take on the “Best” Lunch Box

The winners in my book were the Ziploc and the Yumbox Original. My style of packing lunches is usually bento or snack-style, and I like that Yumbox has many compartments, allowing for the most variety. I frequently pack dips, and I love that it keeps dips separate without every spilling into other compartments. The Yumbox is very well made. We have been using the original two I purchased for three years and they show very little wear and tear. Since this post was first published, I purchased the Yumbox Tapas for myself and have been packing my lunches in it on days when we’re at the park or on the go. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I loved Ziploc lunch containers which are widely available and super affordable. I love having these around! The nestle nicely so take up very little space and are perfect for any lunches that don’t have wet ingredients or dips – like the “classic” sandwich-based lunch shown below. 

Worth mentioning is that I also really like the Bentgo Kids for the same reasons as the Yumbox. The Yumbox only beat it out because it holds a bit more food and feels more solid. Several parents I polled told me that the latches that connect the lower and upper sections on their Bentgo Kids broke in the first year of use. (Note: In call cases Bentgo replaced those latches for free.)

Curious what my kids think?

• Clara (8 years old) – She loves the Fit Strong & Healthy. Clara would happily eat the same thing for lunch each day, and she likes seeing exactly what she’s getting before she opens it. 
• Molly (8 years old) – Molly loves variety and her favorite box is the Pottery Barn Recycled Bento. She loves the extra divided space that holds a “surprise”. (I think she believes I’ll always pack treats in this “surprise” space which probably gives it a leg up.)
• June (4 years old) – June loves the Bentgo Kids. She is always thrilled when she spots this bright, easy-to-open lunch box in the fridge. The spaces are just the right size for little hands to navigate.

Comparison of 4 Insulated Lunch Bags

One of the things I wanted to include in this post is an illustration of which lunch boxes fit in which lunch bags. Before my daughters started school I purchased the Pottery Barn Mackenzie Classic Lunch Box for the Yumbox Original. Online the dimensions seemed to indicate that it would fit, but in reality, the hard-sided interior of the Mackenzie Classic meant that these two did NOT work together. I ended up returning the Mackenzie Classic and buying the Mackenzie Cold Pack (shown below). I really wanted to save you that headache. See below for confirmation of which lunch boxes fit in which lunch bags.

What Fits Inside – Classic Lunches (with a sandwich)

Here’s what each of these lunch boxes look like when packed with the following “classic” lunch:

• Whole PBJ sandwich
• Grapes
• Baby Carrots (with Ranch Dressing only in lunch boxes that provide a no-spill spice for dip)
• Animal Crackers

What Fits Inside – Bento / Snack-style Lunches 

Here’s what each of these lunch boxes look like when packed with the following Bento or “snack-style” lunch:

• Whole Grain Crackers with a Laughing Cow Cheese
• Strawberries
• Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers
• Salad with chopped cucumbers and tomatoes
• Cashews
• Jelly Beans

Best for kids who like variety

If you or your kids like to pack a variety of items, the best options are the ones with the most divided spaces like the Yumbox Original (with 6 compartments) or the Bentgo Kids, Bentology, LunchBots Large Cinco, PlanetBox Rover, or Pottery Barn Recycled Bento Box (all with 5 compartments). 

Best for packing a whole sandwich

The best options for packing a whole sandwich are the Bentology 6-piece Bento Box, PlanetBox Rover, and Ziploc Lunch Container. A sandwich sliced into quarters can also easily fit in the Fit Strong & Healthy 3-compartment Bento or Pottery Barn Recycled Bento.

Best for hot foods

None of the lunch boxes reviewed are designed to keep hot food hot, but if you’re looking to pack a hot item, the OmieBox Bento Box with Leakproof Thermos is a good option. Several kids in my daughters’ class use this lunch box, and it seems to hold the food at a warm temperature. No five-year-old I’ve met could open the thermos section without adult help, so keep that in mind, or do a few practice runs before sending your kids off with this option. The LunchBots 8oz Thermos is a solid thermos that takes up very little space and is a good option for packing a side of warm or chilled food outside of the lunchbox.

Best for kids with big appetites

If you need to pack a big lunch, it’s hard to beat the Pottery Barn Recycled Bento. This thing holds SO. MUCH. FOOD. It has over 7 cups of volume, which is far more than any other lunch box I tested. The compartments in this lunch box are deep and it makes efficient use of them. 

Best for packing multiple meals at once / meal prep

If you are looking to pack multiple lunches at once, the more affordable, minimalist lunch box options are great for this. The Fit Strong & Healthy 3-compartment Bento and the Ziploc Lunch Containers come in packs with multiple lunch boxes and can easily be stacked in the fridge. When I polled parents, two parents also use these Meal Prep Containers from Amazon which are similar in size to the Ziploc containers and come in a pack of 10. All three of these options seal firmly, stack easily, and are easy to wash. 

Best budget lunch box 

If you have a kid who often leaves their lunch box at school or might accidentally throw it out, it’s hard to beat the Ziploc Lunch Containers. They sell these at the grocery store and they’re super affordable, so it’s no big deal to replace them. 

Best for packing dips

Many kids love dipping! A little space for peanut butter, Ranch dressing, hummus, or Nutella can make lunch a bit more fun. Bentgo Kids and Yumbox Original come with built-in spaces for dips. Bentology comes with a small sealed removable container for dips. The LunchBots Large Cinco and PlanetBox Rover have optional inserts for dips (that can be purchased separately) and come with tight-fitting lids.

Best for kids 5 and under

Bentgo Kids, Yumbox Original, and Pottery Barn Recycled Bento are so easy to open and offer lots of finger food flexibility so they make great options for young kids. LunchBots Large Cinco and PlanetBox Rover are also finger-food friendly but they are slightly more difficult to open and both are quite heavy.

Best for customizing

The removable compartments of the Bentology 6-piece Bento make it super easy to customize. You can use the lunch box with no containers, some containers, or all of the containers and they can each be removed and rearranged. 

Best of luck if you’re shopping for a lunch box! If you use any of these or another lunch box, I’d love to hear about it in the comments. (Or, if you have questions, ask them in the comments, and I’ll add them to the post.)

Need Inspiration? Check out these lunch packing Instagram accounts:

• Dictator Lunches  
• School LunchBox  
• Kid Lunch Box 
• Lunches + Littles  
• Pretty Practical Mom
• Goody Goody Lunch Box 

*I was not compensated for writing this post. It does include affiliate links.*