10 Best Bento Boxes for Kids

This is the most popular bento box for many reasons. First, it's dishwasher-safe so you can give it a good cleaning. It's also big enough for a full-sized lunch but not so big that it won't easily slip inside a standard backpack or lunchbox. It latches tightly, which means it's great for preventing spills, but may also be more difficult for younger children to open on their own.

This little bento box is awesome for snacking on the go. Small but mighty, our analysts found that this bento holds more than it looks like it does, and also shut securely, snapping closed on each side. This box is better for older children unless there's an adult to help, as our tester found that a three-year-old wasn't able to open it on their own.

Our experts noted that this box's bottom compartment has a nice depth, ensuring that your sandwich won't get squished. This box doesn't seal as tightly as some of the other models that were tested, so best not to pack anything with liquid if you're worried about it leaking out into a backpack in this one. Another plus is that it's made from BPA-free recycled plastic.

This very cute bento box boasts a compact size and removable silicone containers. The small size and lighter weight works well for smaller children and toddlers. One could add or subtract whatever containers are needed since they are fully removable (which also makes them easy to clean).

This sleek box will keep a good-sized lunch organized, which makes it perfect for older kids or even adults. It comes in several cool colors, and even includes a set of washable, reusable cutlery. The testers of this product did note that while you can clean this box in the dishwasher, the lid did become slightly warped after repeated washes. It's also quite big, which means you'd have to carry this box separately, as it likely won't fit inside a standard lunchbox.

This metal box contains five compartments and includes two round containers perfect for dips, soups, or salad dressing. The coolest part about this bento is that its design is customizable — your kid can choose from 42 different magnetic designs from dinosaurs to unicorns to make their box their own. It's more expensive than the other options listed here, but the stainless steel is also likely to hold up well over time.

This futuristic-looking box is super cool because it has an insulated, removable container that keeps food like pasta, mac and cheese or chili hot, giving you more lunch options than just a cold sandwich. Although this is a great feature, our testers noticed that it did make this bento box heavy, which doesn't make it ideal for younger children toting their own bags or backpacks.

This simple box is on the smaller side, so probably not ideal for a high school sophomore's midday meal, but for a toddler, this cute little container is perfect for trips to the playground. The three layer design is ideal for keeping fruit away from dry food like pretzels and crackers, and our tester's toddler loved the cute jungle animal design. It's also made of lightweight plastic, so it can easily be tossed into mom's diaper bag or park backpack without weighing her down.

If you want a bigger meal one day, and a smaller meal the next — this box is for you! This is the most versatile bento we found, able be stacked as a one, two, or three layer lunch box. As a bonus, it comes with reusable utensils and a cute, matching lunch bag to carry it in.

Several of our picks come with washable forks and spoons, but this bento box is the only one with a separate, sealed compartment for utensils. With five compartments, it also holds plenty. These boxes only come in solid colors, so may not be as exciting for kids as some fancier-designed models.