All Our Favorite Kids’ Lunch Gear

PlanetBox’s stainless-steel bento-style Rover lunch box has long held a top spot on ourbest-of list, recommended over the years by many parents, including five on our own staff. It has an easy-to-open latch system and durable hinge and can be used with or without a variety ofpatterned magnet decals, one of which has space to write your kid’s name. Senior editorWinnie Yang’s now 10-year-old daughter has been using the Rover for over six years, and despite experiencing regular wear and tear — being stuffed in a backpack, dropped on the ground, moved around, and cleaned day after day — it still looks as good as new.

Despite PlanetBox’s long-reigning top status and many recommendations, senior writerLiza Corsillorecently found anew favoriteshe actually likes even more. It is cheaper than her Rover, holds a bit less (ideal for what she packs for her 3-year-old son at this stage), and is easier for him to open on his own.

Bentgo is another company we like for lunch boxes and containers — and this one is completely leakproof, thanks to an inner silicone lining on the bottom of the lid that secures each compartment individually when closed. Corsillo, who tested the model and says it does work well, also warns that it’s a bit higher maintenance than the choices above, since the silicone-lined lid should be hand-washed to protect the seal.

Senior editorJen Troliois a fan of this Bentgo lunch box. “I know I know, it’s plastic,” she says, “but it’s just been the right combination for us in terms of the number and size of compartments, and I like how the ice pack is built in and not floating around the bag.” Her kids are 8 and 11 and each have used one for the last few years (she has thelarger modelon deck for her oldest but hasn’t pulled it out yet). She mostly hand-washes, though she sometimes puts the inner tray in the dishwasher, and says she’s had no trouble with lingering smells.

Ro admits that the OmieBox is on the larger and heavier side, which means sometimes she has trouble filling every compartment. But if you want an all-in-one, it’s great, she says. Instead of having to pack a separate thermos for hot food and single containers for snacks, you can fit everything. It’s easy enough to wash by hand, and though she doesn’t put especially wet foods in any part other than the jar, it doesn’t leak from items like cut fruit.

In addition to using the Rover, Yang likes the U-Konserve divided containers. She says they’re a good size for toddler lunches or for a large snack for an older kid. The bigger compartment can hold a regular-size sandwich (on pullman-loaf bread), and the smaller compartment can hold half a sandwich (or a handful of pretzels, vegetables, or whatever else.). The silicone lid fits snugly but has a tab at one corner for easy removal, even by little fingers still working on fine motor skills. Yang puts it through the dishwasher but says it’d be easy to wash by hand if needed because it has rounded corners.

Pottery Barn Kids makes our favorite lunch bag. It is called the Mackenzie and comes in various designs (florals, solar system, dinosaurs, hearts, and more) so you can cater to what your kid likes. And you can add their name or initials for an extra $17. The Mackenzie comes in two sizes: classic, which measures 7.5 by 4 by 8.5 inches, and “cold pack,” which measures 9.25 by 3.75 by 7.75 inches and includes an ice pack that functions as a removable divider — so just be sure you’re getting the right one for whatever gear you want to put inside. There are nice finishing details, too, like a removable, adjustable shoulder strap with high-quality hardware, an outer flat zipper pocket, an easy-to-clean interior, and a stretchy mesh side pocket that can hold a small water bottle.

Trolio’s daughter loves her State lunch box, which comes in a bunch of fun colors and patterns (there is a core collection that’s always available, along with seasonal options and collaborations). She admits that the appeal is largely aesthetic, but there are still some real upsides. The metallic version she has wipes down especially well, and it fits the Bentgos her kids use, as well as stand-alone containers, nicely. “And I actually prefer no mesh water-bottle pocket on the outside,” she says. “They often don’t fit the water bottles we use and are just a thing to get caught on other stuff.”

At some point, certain kids are likely to want a larger and more simply designed lunch bag. This one features a zip all the way around, plus an interior pouch that can hold utensils or other small items. There are two handles — one on the top and one on the side. And the abrasion- and water-resistant fabric is durable and easy to clean.

Hydro Flask may be best known for its water bottles, but it makes a great thermos too. It keeps food cold or hot for hours, fits easily into most tote bags or backpacks, is dishwasher-safe, and has a protective silicone bumper on the bottom to keep it from getting dented if bumped or dropped. To boost its insulating powers, fill it with hot water and let it sit for a few minutes before packing it with warm food, or pop it in the freezer for a spell if you want it to stay cold longer.

For little kids, Corsillo recommends Bentgo’s cheaper version, which she says keeps food hot and cold just as well and also has a silicone bumper — but is easier to open and close and comes in fun prints.

Deputy editorSimone Kitchensdid lots of research to find a thermos that contains a lead-free solder (a small metal piece at the bottom of the vessel that creates the insulation during manufacturing) — and this one says it’s free of exactly that. Her 4-year-old can open and close it on her own, and Kitchens says it keeps food plenty hot.

Yang’s favorite thermos is this 12-ounce wide-mouthed version, which is a good size for kids in elementary school. “The wide opening make it possible to get your spoon horizontal before you remove it from the container — especially important if the contents are soup so you can get an actual spoonful to your mouth,” she says.

[Editor’s note: This thermos is currently low in stock. There’s alarger 16-ounce sizethat Yang says is a bit big for lunch but is more readily available.]

When it comes towater bottles, Trolio likes the Owala FreeSip Sway, which is a version of the original FreeSip that comes with a handle for carrying and a lock tab for ensuring that the opening is truly leakproof when closed. It has a narrower base, too, which means it slips into the side pocket of backpacks. She has the 30-ounce but posits that the newer 18-ounce size would be even better across an average school day where kids can refill as needed.

For years, Trolio’s older child used the Thermos Funtainer, and her younger one still does. “She’s probably aging out of it a bit, but it’s so nice and compact that we keep using it,” Trolio says. “She has it in a plain color so there aren’t cartoony designs on it or anything that could be construed as babyish.” (However, you can find these in many fun colors and prints — both licensed, like Pokémon, and generic, like a rainbow design — if that’s something that appeals to your kid.) While Funtainers aren’t as insulated as the Owala, they are non-sweating, and keep water cold for at least a few hours.

Ro finds that other kid-size utensils are often too small or short — but these are just right. “I like how they stay protected in the holder and keep everything else from getting dirty after they’ve been used,” she says. Deals writerMartha Tuberalso has the set, and her 5-year-old is obsessed with it. “The fork and spoon don’t look like our regular utensils, so they belong toherand her alone. She sometimes requests them at dinner,” she says.

Ro also has this lightweight six-pieceflatware set. It’s so inexpensive, “I’d never feel bad about sending them in a lunch box and not getting them back,” she says.

“Bess Kalbsaid the shark version of these got her kids to eat veggies, so I figured I try it,” Tuber says. Indeed, it really worked. “She has thetoucan, and its mouth opens and closes along with the sticks, so that’s fun.”

PlanetBox’s ColdKit is a lightweight and slim ice pack that is meant to slip into an interior pocket of certain lunch bag models, like theAdventurer(this is the system Tuber uses). Still, it can be used inside any style the brand makes, as well as any others you have, just like generic ice packs. Kitchens puts hers in her daughter’smini Kånken. “We’ve used plain-old ice packs — like the ones that come in deliveries — and all this condensation forms,” she says. “The ColdKit never gets sweaty.”

If you want something standard and cheaper, these are the other ice packs Tuber packs, which she says are totally serviceable (at the end of the day, all you really need them to be).