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Feb 22, 2025

11 Best Lunch Boxes for Toddlers, According to Real Parents 2024 | Glamour

All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission. Having the best lunch box for toddlers on hand is key to making the morning rush

All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Having the best lunch box for toddlers on hand is key to making the morning rush easier. For my four children, I need to have four lunch boxes and eight water bottles (seriously!) packed before 8:30 a.m.—while also making sure everyone gets up, gets dressed, and eats breakfast.

Here’s the thing: Little kids want options, so parents need enough room to actually include a well-rounded meal. That’s why I (and most of my friends) often reach for bento-style lunch boxes that are leakproof. Nothing will scare a toddler away more than chips or crackers soaked in the juice of their strawberries. My top overall pick is the OmieBox, thanks to its clever and adjustable design that includes a thermos to keep hot or cold food at the proper temperature until lunchtime.

To find other great lunch boxes for toddlers, I leaned on my six years of experience, plus consulted parents to find out what they use and love. Then, I put more than a dozen to the test, evaluating each for design, convenience features (dishwasher-safe, please!), and overall value.

Amazon

My kids have been using this lunch box for almost four years now, and I recommend it to all of my mom friends. Although it’s on the bulkier side, it’s one of the only lunch boxes I’ve found to be truly leakproof, thanks to the removable thermos. I’ve successfully sent cold foods like smoothies and hot foods like ramen to school with my kids. This allows so much more flexibility when it comes to packing lunch, which makes it easier to switch things up and keep the kids interested in eating. I also like the removable divider, since I can take it out and pack something longer, like a granola bar or Amazon snacks, or I can pop the divider in and offer two different types of dry snacks like Goldfish and dried fruit. The brand does encourage hand-washing, but I always pop ours in the dishwasher—and it’s still going strong four years later.

Amazon

It’s hard not to get sticker shock when you look at most lunch boxes (especially when you have multiple kids to pack for!). Munchkin’s fair price point was one of the biggest draws for me, but it turned out to be a fantastic option all around. The kids like the fun colors; I like the way it’s compartmentalized. Similar to our top overall pick, this lunch box has compartments that are large enough to pack a true lunch, not just a bunch of small snacks. The large compartment fits an entire sandwich, while the others are great for fruit, dry snacks, cheese, and more. Another huge bonus? This lunch box is one of the few we evaluated that comes with utensils that snap right into the lid. It’s also dishwasher-safe. On the downside though, I found this lunch box didn’t last as long as some others I’ve used over the years—eventually the lid snapped off of the base. I did, however, end up getting another because I like it so much and think it offers such a great overall value.

Walmart

Williams Sonoma

This 2023 launch is one of the most innovative lunch boxes I’ve ever seen, and is a great way to motivate picky eaters. The lunch box includes a “snack spinner” that works by pushing a button to rotate through the five snack compartments. I don’t know a single child who wouldn’t be excited about hitting the spinner to move on to the next item in their lunch. Importantly for me, there’s still room for a full sandwich in the attached compartment, so I’m still able to pack a fairly well-rounded lunch. It’s a little harder to clean than some others, simply because you have to basically disassemble it before popping it on the top rack of the dishwasher, but my kids like this lunch box so much that they request to use it for breakfast and dinner too.

Amazon

Though this lunch box is on the smaller side, I appreciate the overall functionality. The larger compartment is big enough for half of a sandwich, which should be sufficient for most toddlers, especially when paired with two other food items in the two smaller compartments. I love the convenience factor of this lunch box too. It not only comes with a spoon and a fork built into the lid, but the entire thing is also microwave- and dishwasher-safe. And because it’s on the smaller side, you can wash more than one without instantly filling up your dishwasher. It’s also less than one pound, so it won’t weigh down your little one’s backpack (or your diaper bag) the way some of the heftier options do.

Amazon

I don’t normally reach for a freezable lunch box—sometimes my kids say they make the non-cold items inside of their lunch too firm. But it’s admittedly a great option for summer camp. This year, when my six-year-old was in an outdoor program, this lunch box saved his lunch from becoming hot and steamy (not in a good way) on many 90-degree days. The insulated container would also be a great option for daycare to keep milk and snacks like fruit cold until the end of the day. I found food items remained chilled for at least four hours. It’s easy to use, since it has a built-in ice pack. You simply pop the entire lunch container in the freezer overnight, then place food inside the next morning, and then send your kiddo off to school or camp. Just keep in mind the interior is one big, open space, so you’ll have to use your own reusable food containers or sandwich bag to keep food items separate and secure. The bag also needs to be hand-washed.

Amazon

As inspiring as some of those bento box lunch ideas on social can be, sometimes I stare at my child’s lunch box blankly, unsure of what to give them that will strike the perfect balance of nutritional and palatable to a toddler. Yumbox helps solve that problem by labeling each compartment: dairy, fruit, grains, protein, veggies, and snack (this one’s not labeled, but that’s what I use the small, circular compartment for). The compartments aren’t quite big enough for a sandwich (or even half of a sandwich), but I often fill the protein section with turkey roll-ups. The brand says the lunch box is fully leakproof, though I wouldn’t recommend putting true liquids inside. You can, however, count on it to keep things like strawberries from leaking onto dry snacks like crackers.

Amazon

My kids love it when I pack an apple with their school lunch—not sliced apples, but whole apples that won’t oxidize by lunchtime. Unfortunately, most apples are way too big to fit in standard lunch boxes (same goes for oranges), but B.Box solves this dilemma with a uniquely designed lid that includes a silicone piece that stretches to accommodate the extra bulk of a full piece of fruit. Of course, there’s also room for other food items, thanks to two additional compartments, one of which is leakproof (for cut fruit, yogurt, and more) and another that’s larger and can be divided into two for a total of four compartments in the lunch box. I also like how lightweight this BPA-free plastic container is. Though roomy enough for a full lunch, it only weighs about three-quarters of a pound.

Amazon

Bentgo’s bento box is the OG bento box for kids and remains one of the most popular lunch boxes for toddlers today. Parents and kids alike appreciate the leakproof, five-compartment design that allows for a lunch with more choices, upping the chances a picky toddler actually eats their lunch. Still, there’s room for something more filling—like a wrap or half-sandwich—in the larger compartment. My family has used this lunch box on and off throughout the past six years, and I particularly like its durability. The two we’ve owned for all six years are still going strong, despite many, many trips to daycare and school, countless drops on hard floors, and just as many spins through the dishwasher.

Amazon

For very young toddlers who don’t need a lot of food, this stainless steel lunch box fits the bill. Though it has four compartments, I found it much too small for my five- and six-year-old’s lunches; it’s better suited for one- and two-year-olds. Alternatively, it would also be a good option to tote a midmorning playground snack. The compartments aren’t fully leakproof, so you can’t put something like yogurt inside, but I had no trouble packing cut-up strawberries in one section and crackers or chips in the next. I also like how sturdy yet lightweight the stainless steel is—perfect for tiny backpacks. The container is also conveniently dishwasher-safe.

Amazon

Planetbox

For older kids and even adults, the PlanetBox Rover is one of the more popular stainless steel options out there, but I liked the brand’s Shuttle model for my toddlers. The smaller version of the beloved lunch box has two roomy compartments for a fuss-free lunch—say a sandwich, a wrap, or pasta and a snack. I love that it comes with a leakproof dip container too. It’s perfect for kids who won’t eat anything without a little ketchup, but it’s also a great way to pack a small serving of yogurt or a smoothie. Everything is dishwasher-safe for your convenience. But what the kids really like? The magnetic designs that pop right on and off to spruce up the otherwise plain steel lunch box.

Pottery Barn Kids

My kids have had Pottery Barn’s personalized insulated lunch box for years, but I didn’t often reach for it because the interior compartment was hard to organize. I had to use my own containers or use snack packs, so it was usually easier to simply reach for another lunch box that already had compartments. But when I recently discovered Pottery Barn made a bento box insert for their insulated lunch bag, it changed everything. This five-compartment insert fits snugly inside and boasts plenty of room for a well-sized lunch with a variety of foods—comparable to that of our top overall pick. I love the fact that the lunch box also has a mesh pocket for a water bottle to keep everything securely together. Of course, my little ones like all the fun, kid-friendly colors and patterns, plus the fact that I had each one personalized with our last name.