6 Best Kids' Lunch Boxes
From durable stainless steel to insulated lunch boxes that keep food warm or cold, we've got something for every kid.
Tested by Nicole PapantoniouKitchen Appliances Lab Director
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Your school kid's lunch box takes a beating with near-daily use, so you'll want a durable one. But a kiddo's lunch box should also be easy for them to use, and cute, too. Above all, you want a lunch box to keep the healthy lunch you made intact, keeping the food either warm or cold, depending on what it is.
Our experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab have tested dozens of lunch boxes and bags in the past eight years. The top performers in our tests keep sandwiches, snacks and fruits chilled throughout the morning and often feature extras like Thermoses for soup or built-in ice packs. We evaluate style, weight, size, seal and other additional features to find options suitable for all needs and budgets.
Pros
- Freezable gel liner keeps food cold for hours
- No extra ice pack needed
- Folds flat for storage
- Several kid-friendly designs
Cons
- Heavier than some other soft lunch box styles
✔️ BEST FOR: Keeping lunch food cold. In our Lab test, the PackIt was the only lunch bag to keep its contents below 40˚F (a safety benchmark for perishables) for 5.5 hours.
✔️ WHAT TO KNOW: Who needs an ice pack when you have an insulated lunch box? PackIt's freezable gel liner eliminates the need to jam a separate ice pack alongside all that food: Simply pop the whole bag into the freezer overnight, and it will keep food chilled throughout the school morning.
✔️ TESTING NOTES: While the gel liner makes it heavier than a standard lunch box with an ice pack — one of our Lab directors felt it added too much weight to her kid's backpack — it's still lighter than the stainless steel options on our list.
The lunch box folds flat, making it easy to fit in your freezer while it gets cold for the next day. Your kid can also easily pack it back into their backpack to bring home. When unfolded, we found it to be spacious enough for packing a good amount of food, too.
We love the rainbow design, but there's also an astronaut, shark, dinosaur and a cupcake design. PackIt's original Freezable Lunch Bag has a more adult design, but it could also be suitable for teens.
Capacity: 2.5 liters/2.6 quarts | Dimensions: 8" x 10" x 4" when open | Weight: 13.3 oz
RELATED: We Tested 24 Food Storage Containers to Find the Best
Pros
- Keeps foods separated and contained
- Lightweight
- Low price
- Freezer-, dishwasher- and microwave-safe
Cons
- Drink has to be packed separately
✔️ BEST FOR: Separating foods, bento-box style, on the cheap.
✔️ WHAT TO KNOW: Two removable trays nestle in to form this compact, lightweight bento box. The round container includes a screw-on lid to keep up to five ounces of foods like yogurt, hummus or fruit salad contained. Every piece can be popped in the freezer or used in the microwave (without a lid). It can also be cleaned in the dishwasher.
✔️ TESTING NOTES: Our Lab pros especially appreciate the Sistema clamp, which forms a tight seal on the outer box to help prevent spills. We think the price, at about $10, is a great deal.
On Amazon, you can buy a two-pack, ensuring one is always available while the other is being washed. Note that this box does not come with a drink compartment, so kids will need to store drinks separately.
Capacity: 1.65 liters/1.74 quarts | Dimensions: 8.6" x 7.3" x 3" | Weight: 11.04 oz
RELATED: The Best Kids' Water Bottles
Pros
- Exterior and interior pockets
- Lightweight and holds a lot
- Holds up to dishwasher cleaning and a lot of use
Cons
- Drink must ride inside or separately
✔️ BEST FOR: Anyone looking for a traditional lunch box that can handle lots of use and washing.
✔️ WHAT TO KNOW: There's a zip pocket on the exterior for stashing cash or a lunch card if your child buys a drink each day or something from the vending machine after school. Inside, there's a mesh pocket that can hold a snack separate from everything else or an ice pack to keep food chilled.
✔️ TESTING NOTES: The lightweight, durable nylon lunch box is a longtime favorite amongst GH staffers. It can hold up to 4.6 quarts, and we found the smooth plastic interior easy to clean, even when grape juice was left in it overnight. Online reviews praise this lunch box as a "workhorse."
One of our contributors reports that she ran her child's L.L.Bean lunch box through the dishwasher every Friday at the end of the school week. It only needed about a day to dry on a dish rack afterward.
The box is large enough to fit both a Hydroflask insulated food jar and a stainless steel water bottle on the inside. But the drink can take up a lot of room, so your kid may want to carry their drink separately.
Capacity: 4.4 liters/4.6 quarts | Dimensions: 9.5" x 7" x 3.25" | Weight: 6 oz
Pottery Barn Kids Mackenzie Cold Pack Lunch Box
Pros
- Many patterns that appeal to kids
- Add a name or monogram
- Highest capacity on our list
- Holds a drink on the side
Cons
- No user reviews on the PBK site
✔️ BEST FOR: Kids who want their lunch box to look cool. The Mackenzie comes in a bunch of kid-bait patterns including Bluey, Glow-in-the-Dark Minecraft, Glow-in-the-Dark Spider-Man and a Disney Princess Adaptive Lunch Box that can snap onto a wheelchair or walker.
✔️ WHAT TO KNOW: Personalize your child's lunchbox with this spacious option from Pottery Barn Kids, which allows you to add a name or monogram to the front. It'll make it easy for your child to spot (or for you to retrieve from lost and found!).
A water bottle or drink can fit neatly in the mesh side pouch. There's a wipeable interior and rigid walls that keep delicate foods from getting crushed.
✔️ TESTING NOTES: While the Classic version is a bit less expensive, we like the Cold Pack option too because it features two insulated compartments inside as well as a larger interior mesh pocket for a matching ice pack. In our Lab tests, we confirmed that the main double zipper won't come open if the bag is shaken or dropped.
Pottery Barn Kids also sells matching backpacks. We just wish — as parents and as analysts — that the PBK site allowed shoppers to post their own reviews.
Capacity: 7 liters/7.3 quarts | Dimensions: 9.25" x 7.75" x 3.75" | Weight: 1 lb
Pros
- Plastic-free option
- Easy to clean and extra durable
- Leak-resistant, per the brand
Cons
- Small capacity, best for preschool and Kindergarten
✔️ BEST FOR: Folks who want a plastic-free option. Stainless steel is easy-to-clean and extra durable, but is heavier than nylon or plastic. This is a small bento box, made for preschoolers and Kindergarteners.
✔️ WHAT TO KNOW: It's got three compartments, with the option to add silicone containers, sold separately, for further separation. It opens and closes with two latches that the brand says are leak-resistant.
✔️ TESTING NOTES: It doesn't hold a lot — it's got the smallest capacity of all the boxes on our list. That said, it's specifically designed for the littlest school kids who generally don't eat a lot, in our experience!
For $10 more you can get this stainless steel bento box in one of four prints. And if you like the bento box idea but aren't as sold on stainless steel. Bentgo still sells their popular, less expensive plastic bento box as well.
Capacity: 1.18 liters/1.25 quarts | Dimensions: 9.8" x 7.6" x 2.2" | Weight: 1.8 lb
RELATED: Easy, Healthy Snacks for Kids
Pros
- Removable Thermos-like container
- Moveable dividers to change up compartment size
- Box features a tight rubber seal to help prevent leaks
Cons
- Reinstalling the seal after cleaning is a little tricky
✔️ BEST FOR: Packing a hot lunch. This insulated bento box–style comes with a removable, Thermos-like container meant to hold hot (or cold) foods. It's perfect for toting last night's reheated leftovers or some warm mac and cheese for a picky eater.
✔️ WHAT TO KNOW: The screw-on lid for the Omiebox's hot food container is designed for a child to be able to open on their own at lunchtime, thanks to a handle that pops up. If you aren't packing the stainless steel container, its square compartment can be used for a sandwich instead. The rectangular compartment has a movable divider that allows you to adjust the size to fit your foods.
✔️ TESTING NOTES: When packed with the food container, this box becomes one of the heaviest lunch boxes on our list. For cleaning, the brand recommends removing the box's leakproof rubber seal and washing it along with all the other parts. While we found it a bit tricky to reinstall the seal, we appreciate that this feature helps prevent spills.
Capacity: 1.39 liters/1.47 quarts| Dimensions: 7.5" x 8.5" x 3" | Weight: 1.8 lbs
Kids can carry their Bentgo box — or any bento box, like the Omie — inside the Bentgo Lunch Tote, an insulated tote designed to keep food warm or cool for up to four hours.
More kids' lunch boxes we tested and recommend
✔️ Planetbox Launch stainless steel bento box (shown) comes with a carry case and magnets for decorating. The Planetbox brand was one of the first to introduce both stainless steel and bento-style compartments to the lunch-box crowd, with the idea that parents can use the same, durable box year after year.
✔️Thermos Dual Lunch Box (Pokemon version) is a well-made favorite with separate, zippered top and bottom containers. Thermos also makes rectangular lunch boxes with popular licensed characters like Super Mario Brothers.
✔️Munchkin Bento Box for Kids is great for toddlers in nursery school or daycare. It comes with a spoon and kid-safe fork.
How we test lunch boxes
We test all kinds of food storage options at the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab. The picks in this guide are based on data from testing over 50 lunch boxes and bags over the last eight years. When testing, we consider:
✔️ Ease of use: We ask adults — as well as a 6-year-old and a 5-year-old — to open and close the bags and boxes to ensure they're easy to open and close. (The 5-year-old found zippered, soft-sided bags easier to handle than latched, rigid boxes.) We also experiment with packing various amounts of food in each box.
✔️ Durability: We drop each lunch box to check if it stays closed. We also test for staining. All of the lunch boxes in this story can be cleaned, but we found that those with a smooth plastic or metal interior are easiest.
✔️ Performance: Our testers add an apple, a juice box, a sandwich and an ice pack to each lunch bag before performing a temperature-evaluation test (pictured) to determine how long each can maintain a safe temperature over a six-hour period. (Our best overall pick performed the best in this test.) We also add two tablespoons of apple juice to each lunch box to determine if it is leak-resistant.
✔️ Real-world experience: Our Lab pros survey real-life consumers, scour online reviews and evaluate lunch boxes with the kids in their own lives to make sure we aren't missing anything.
What to consider when buying the best kids' lunch box
✔️ Your child's age: The fewer steps required to open a lunch box, the quicker a small child can start eating. A bento box that has all the food ready and accessible is appealing for this reason. Have your child practice opening and closing the lunch box at home before sending it with them to school.
✔️ Weight and size: Consider whether the lunch box fits in your child's backpack or if you'll need a separate tote. If it goes in a backpack, choose something compact and lightweight that can hold its shape to avoid being crushed. If your child has a short walk or is driven to school, weight may be less of a concern for you.
✔️ Materials: Stainless steel is durable, plastic-free and easy to clean in the sink or dishwasher, though it is the heaviest lunch box material. A rigid plastic bento box is lighter and usually dishwasher-safe.
Nylon and other fabric bags are lightweight, open with a zipper and pack flat when empty. They are often the easiest for kids to open and usually come with insulation. However, you may need to fill them with food containers, which means kids will have some unpacking to do.
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
The Good Housekeeping Institute has been testing consumer products for over 100 years, and our experts specialize in everything families need for the back-to-school season.
Lead reviewer Nicole Papantoniou directs the Kitchen Appliances Lab, overseeing all testing related to cooking products, including lunch boxes. She has been testing cooking tools, gadgets, gear and appliances since 2019, often involving her family members. Trained in classic culinary arts, Papantoniou is also a professional recipe developer.
This guide was written by Jessica Hartshorn, a mom of two and a former editor at Parents magazine. A contributing writer for GH, she brings decades of experience evaluating products for babies and children, including back-to-school gear.
Jessica (she/her) is a freelance writer with several decades of experience writing lifestyle content and evaluating home and parenting products. A mom of two teens and two cats, her previous work can be seen in American Baby and Parents.
Nicole (she/her) is the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute's Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, where she has overseen content and testing related to kitchen and cooking appliances, tools and gear since 2019. She’s an experienced product tester and recipe creator, trained in classic culinary arts and culinary nutrition. She has worked in test kitchens for small kitchen appliance brands and national magazines, including Family Circle and Ladies’ Home Journal.
