Best Lunch Boxes for Toddlers – super cute and FUNCTIONAL

Sending your toddler to school or daycare for the first time is exciting, and your parenting skills are probably going into overdrive. You’ll be doing everything you can to make sure that your little one will have the best first day ever, including a brand-new, super cute, but also extremely functional lunch box for toddlers.

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If you’re packing your toddler’s lunches for daycare or preschool, check out some of my favorite toddler lunch boxes that you and your child will both love!

Bentgo Kids Lunch Box

We love the Bentgo Box for picnics, taking snacks to siblings’ extracurricular activities or anytime we’re on the go! Compartment lunch boxes cut down on plastic waste while also having a smaller sized lunch box for little eaters. The Bentgo Kids Lunch Box is far superior to your average compartment lunch box because each compartment is sized for perfect portions for children.

The Bentgo lunch box is designed specifically for kids 3-7 years old and even has drop-proof, rubber-coated edges for durability. Your toddler’s food will stay fresh and mess-free even on bumpy bus rides when you use the Bentgo Lunch box. One of the best things about this lunch box, however, is the removable trays that allow you to pop the food into the microwave easily to reheat if you desire. The trays are also dishwasher safe and clean up easily by hand as well.

Pros:

• Easy-open latches
• Compartments for easy food portioning
• Reduces plastic waste for baggies
• Removable trays
• Slim design
• Durable
• Dishwasher and microwave safe
• Comes in three fun colors—purple, blue and green
• Leakproof
• BPA-free materials
• 2-year warranty and customer support through Bentgo

Cons:

• The Bentgo Box doesn’t keep food hot or cold. You’ll need to pack the Bento Box in an additional thermal lunch box if you need to keep food at a specific temperature

The Bentgo Kids Lunch Box is an excellent choice for parents who are focusing on portions and meeting all five food groups during their lunch meals. The Bentgo Box is not thermal however so if your child’s lunch needs to be kept cold, this option may not be the best for you.

Skip Hop Zoo Insulated Lunch Box

Kids love animals, and parents love the Skip Hop Zoo Insulated Lunch Box. You can choose from a cute red fox, adorable puppy, or a precious raccoon among all sorts of other creatures. These lunch boxes have friendly faces, and that are bright and colorful, and matching zipper-pulls too for ease of use.

These insulated lunch boxes are sized perfectly for kids or moms carrying snacks for toddlers on the go. The bag is soft sided and has a roomy compartment that can hold sandwiches, drinks, and snacks, and even has a mesh interior pocket for an icepack, utensils, or lunch money.

Pros:

• Cute fun designs that are gender-neutral
• Wipe clean interior
• Insulated to keep food and drinks cold
• Top handle that can clip onto a backpack and is adjustable
• BPA and Phthalate free
• Mesh interior pocket
• Large roomy compartment
• Interior name tag
• More than 20 animal options to choose from
• Matching bags, cups, and other accessories

Cons:

• Only one compartment so food can get smooshed if not packed in hard sized containers

We love the Skip Hop Zoo insulated lunch boxes because they’re very well made, super cute, and come in lots of gender-neutral designs that will make you want to collect them all! These lunch boxes are also part of a much larger line of zoo animal accessories for kids, including backpacks that your children will love. The Bentgo Box mentioned above also fits easily into this lunch box if you want to use both together to minimize food being smashed.

PackIt Freezable Lunch Bag

The PackIt lunch boxes are made from patented technology that includes freezing gel built into the walls of the bag to ensure that your toddler’s food stays fresh and safe to eat. You’ll never need a separate icepack to keep this lunch box cool which leaves plenty of space for sandwiches, snacks, and even a thermos.

The PackIt lunch box folds down flat so you can stick it into the freezer the night before and the zip-top closure locks in the cold so that your child’s food tastes great and stays cool. There’s also an adjustable buckle handle that clips onto bookbags, strollers, or totes. You’ll never have to worry about toxins either since the PackIt brand only uses nontoxic poly canvas and a food-safe lining that’s also water-resistant.

Pros:

• Made from 100% nontoxic materials
• Freezable gel permanently built into the bag for ultimate cooling
• Food safe interior
• Foldable design to lay flat in the freezer
• Zip-top closure
• Wipe clean interior
• Dozens of color and design options
• Buckle handle
• Roomy interior
• Zip pocket on the front for lunch money, utensils

Cons:

• Only one interior compartment so if you don’t back the lunch box well you risk smashing the food inside
• Not useful for keeping food hot

PackIt is a great brand and the original inventor of the freezable lunch box. These bags are designed in California, and PackIt makes more than just toddler lunch boxes. There are freezable traveler lunch boxes, soft-sided coolers, and even totes with the patented freezing technology. We love that Packit offers an enormous variety of colors and style options for their toddler lunch boxes.

Amersun Kids Lunch Bag

If you’ve been looking for a soft-sided lunch box with more than one compartment that is padded and durable enough to withstand your toddler, the Amersun Kids Lunch Bag is the perfect choice. The is a mesh compartment on the inside of the lip, a zipper compartment on the outside, a large interior compartment, as well as a mesh drink holder on the side. The handle is firm, adjustable, rip-proof and can buckle onto book bags or strollers with ease.

Pros:

• Multiple compartments
• Not too big or bulky, but has outside pockets for an extra snack or a drink
• Water-resistant and dirt-proof oxford fabric material
• Easy to clean interior and exterior
• Stays warm or cool
• Dual zipper with wide open-top design
• Strong, nylon handles
• Weighs only 8.8 ounces

Cons

• Not Leak Proof

The Amersun Kids Lunch Bag is perfect for traveling with toddlers who need lots of snacks or sending your little one off to school with for the first time. You’ll never have to worry about the durability of this lunch box for toddlers, but be careful, because this lunch box is not leakproof. Any spills that may happen inside the lunch box are not guaranteed to stay inside.

No matter what your needs are for your toddler’s lunch box, one of these are sure to be the perfect fit. You can also use a few of them for yourself if needed. They are also all affordable, practical, functional, and cute!

More Lunch Packing Supplies for Toddlers:

• Our picks for the best toddler Bento boxes
• Best On-the-go Snack Containers for Toddlers