Bento Boxes for Lunches
Keeping kids fed and happy is just one small part of life with children. However, it seems like one of the most challenging chores for many parents. Learning to put together well balanced meals that are toddler friendly and your kid will actually eat is important. It will make your day go more smoothly, and make feeding time less stressful!
Children often like small bites and lots of variety. They like foods that are sized just right, and colorful foods! To make that happen, at meals, offer 2-4 small choices for your children, usually a grain/carb, fruit, vegetable, and protein. One popular way to present these choices is with Bento meals, and the Bento Box is the perfect tool to help you make this happen!
Bento Boxes originated in Japanese culture as a way to transport lunches. Traditionally they were made of wood, and had various small compartments to carry rice, meat, and pickled vegetables. Japanese restaurants popularized this concept through offering Bento lunches which consisted of serving delicious lunches in compartmentalized trays.
Of course, as all great ideas, the Bento Box became a favorite among moms as an option to offer several small portions in a divided box. (Some kids really don’t like their foods to touch, so this is a great option!) Little eaters can survey their lunch, easily in a Bento Box, and enjoy eating all the little things!
Bento Box eating has morphed far beyond rice, meat, and pickled vegetables. That is one idea for packing your Bento Box, but there are so many more. Most Bento Boxes have one larger compartment that is well sized for a sandwich, bagel, pasta salad, or other main dish. The other compartments are well sized for fruits, veggies, or other crackers. Depending on the type of box you purchase, you may want to add silicone muffin liners to your repertoire. They are great for dividing larger sections, if you wanted to do ham, cheese, and crackers for example.
Another great tool to use with your Bento Boxes is toothpicks. These adorable Animal Food Picks for example make stabbing little bits of cheese or fruit just that much more fun for your kiddos, and helps them work on that pincer grip!
Bento Style lunch boxes are all the rage with young kids these days, and there are a lot of options to choose from. We’ve evaluated several Bento Boxes for kids, and would like to share with you our favorites!
The Bentgo Kids Leakproof Box
One of the most popular Bento Box for Kids is the Bentgo Kids Leakproof Box. This box is available on Amazon, as well as Groupon, and other sources for a good value (around $25/box). These boxes have 5 compartments and are ideal for ages 3-7.
The Bentgo Box is made of two parts, the food tray, and the outer shell. The Outer Shell has rubber around the outside, and has a rubber seal for each compartment, making it leak proof and helping it hold up to falls! That does make the outer shell hand-wash only, but the food tray can go right in the dishwasher! The inner tray is microwave safe, so if you pack a warm lunch, you can just throw that in the microwave for a quick zap!
The six compartments are perfectly suited to various lunch options for your kiddo. The compartments are on the small size, so we recommend this lunch box for kids under 8, or with small appetites. The clips that hold the box closed are easy to use for even little ones, so even your toddler can eat independently!
Planet Box
Planet Box has several different lunchbox sizes to choose from, but we’ll focus on the Rover. This box is a bit more expensive, coming in at around $55, It is available at Amazon as well as the Planet Box website. The box has 5 compartments and is well suited for children 3+, even adults with smaller appetites.
This box holds more volume than the Bentgo Box, and is completely dishwasher safe, however, since it is stainless steel, it is not microwave safe. It also is not leak proof, but does come with some optional “dipper” containers that fit inside the box for foods that may leak.
It’s not likely to fit in a regular lunch box, but Planet Box has bags and magnets that let you personalize this great lunch box.
YumBox
The Yumbox is another great option. It is very similar to the Bentgo Box, however it does come in different sizes and configurations to suit your little eater. It comes in around $30 and can be bought at Amazon. The Yumbox Original is well suited to little eaters, ages 3-8. It has 6 compartments.
Due to the design of the box, it is comparably sized to the Bentgo Box, but has a bit more internal space. It is dishwasher safe, however the outer shell does contain rubber, so if exposed to the heat cycle of a dishwasher, it could start leaking, so hand washing is recommended.
It’s easy to open for little hands, easily slips in a lunch box, and makes for a great and fun lunch experience! It is not microwave safe, so it’s best for room temperature or cold lunches!
OmieBox
Another great lunchbox choice is the OmieBox. The OmieBox is right around $25 and comes with an insulated compartments for hot foods! The OmieBox has 4 compartments, one of which has a movable separator, allowing for a bit more versatility. It’s great for the 3-8year old crowd, and will fit in most lunchboxes, but does have it’s own handle so it doesn’t need to be put into a bag!
The unique feature of the OmieBox is its thermos. The little thermos fits right into the box in a special container and is great for kids who love soups and pastas for lunch! When you don’t want to use the thermos, that insert pops right out to make room for a sandwich, bagel, or other yummy lunch item!
The rubber seal on this lunch box is removable for very thorough cleaning. It’s dishwasher safe and makes clean-up a breeze!
Kinsho Bento Box
Finally, this Kinsho Bento Box is a great option for those with slightly larger appetites. Although it’s great for the 3-8 crowd, this lunch box could suit your children into Middle School. The box retails for about $18 on Amazon. It has 5 compartments and a utensil compartment as well.
This box has a removable lid instead of hinged like the others. This makes it a little more difficult for children to pop the lid back on, but most children can figure it out without too much challenge.
It is a little larger of a box, but should fit into most lunch boxes. The top is clear silicone, so it is easy to see what’s in the box.
The Kinsho Bento Box comes with silicone cups and a vegetable cutter, along with Bento toothpicks to make some really fun lunches for your child!
Conclusion
Bento Box lunches are popular these days for a reason! They make packing lunches fun and eating lunches enjoyable. They encourage variety and challenge taste buds. Picking the right Bento Box for you may be a little trial and error, but we think these 5 lunchboxes are outstanding! We know you’ll be able to find the best Bento Box for your kids!
We’d love to help you with all your parenting needs! If you’re wondering what to pack in those Bento Boxes, check out our 20+ Toddler Lunch Ideas or our Healthy Snacks for Kindergarteners!
