10 of the best school lunch boxes, lunch bags and bento boxes for kids

What to look for when choosing a lunch box

What food are you storing? – Will you need lots of compartments for snacks? Or a leakproof design for liquids?

Is it insulated? – If you need to keep your child's food hot or cold, check their lunch box or bag comes with insulation so it stays fresh throughout the day.

Is it easy to clean? – We all know that kids aren't the tidiest of eaters, so look for something that's easy to clean at the end of the school day so it's ready for the next day's lunch. We've included a range of dishwasher safe and wipe clean options in our selection below.

Here's our pick of the best school lunch boxes:

1. Munchkin Bento Lunch Box, £21.50

– Best Bento box

Size: 21.8cm x 21cm x 7cm | Dishwasher safe: Yes

With its 5 separate compartments, Munchkin's Bento box offers a great way to pack your child a balanced lunch without the need for extra wrapping or sandwich bags. It's also particularly handy if your child doesn't like their food to touch.

It even comes with its own set of stainless steel cutlery that easily snaps into the lid for easy transportation. Just keep in mind some customers found it wasn't leakproof, so it's a lunch box that's best for dry foods.

Available from: Kidly and Amazon

2. Contingo Food Jar, £21.99

– Best for keeping food fresh

Size: 9.3cm x 9.3cm x 13cm | Dishwasher safe: Yes

For a single serving of lunch, for example soup or pasta, we love Contigo's food jars that keeps food hot for up to 6 hours or cold for up to 7 according to the reusable drinkware brand.

The lid has been designed so it's easy for children to open independently, plus the grip on the bottom stops it from tipping over on the table during lunch time.

Available from: Amazon

3. Children's Personalised Insulated Owlet Lunch Bag, £19.95

– Best personalised lunch bag

Size: 23cm x 20cm x 8cm

With your child's name printed on the front, there's less of a chance their lunch bag will get mixed up with anyone else's if you go for a personalised option.

Cute as well as practical, this lunch bag comes with a carry handle on top and is insulated with a thermal lining so their food can stay chilled throughout the day.

Available from: Not On The High Street

4. Rex London Dolly Llama Lunch Bag, £3.95

– Best value lunch bag

Size: 21cm x 16cm x 12cm | Dishwasher safe: No, wipe clean

At under £5 for an insulated lunch bag, you can't go wrong with the Rex London range. The zipped bag is a great size for storing wrapped food, plus once your child is done with lunch it folds flat so can be easily stored away in their school bag.

Kids will love the colourful llama design, but there's also lots of others fun patterns to choose from including sloths, dinosaurs, space, zoo animals and more.

Available from: Rex London and Amazon

5. We Might be Tiny Bear Snackie, £18

– Best snack box

Size: 11.5cm x 18cm | Dishwasher safe: Yes

Made with non-toxic food grade silicone and secured with a flexible silicone strap, this is a great box for keeping snacks secure in your child's school bag.

You can choose from multiple cute pastel colours and it's dishwasher-proof so is easy to keep clean. As it's also microwave and oven safe, you can even use it to heat up food (or make a bear-shaped cake!).

Available from: Amazon and Coco Banana

6. Bobble Kids Large Lunchbox, £13.99

– Best for storing an ice pack

Size: 20.2cm x 15.2cm x 8.4cm | Dishwasher safe: Yes

How cool is this bit of lunch box kit?! As well as an ice pack in the lid to keep your lunch cool for approximately 2 hours, this plastic has a removable divider shelf, so you can keep your sandwich, fruit and other snacks separate.

Available from: Amazon

7. Liewood Arthur Lunchbox, £26

– Best stainless steel lunch box

Size: 17cm x 13.5cm x 5.5cm | Dishwasher safe: Yes

If you're looking for a lunch box that will last, we'd recommend going for a stainless steel option such as this one from Scandi brand Liewood. The stainless steel design means the inner compartments shouldn't stain or retain smells.

The flexible silicone lid is also easy for kids to grip, but remember not to store any liquids inside it as it's not leakproof.

Available from: Scandiborn, Kidly and Selfridges

8. LEGO lunchbox, £16.94

– Best for a novelty design

Size: 17.3cm x 16.5cm x 11.6cm | Dishwasher safe: Yes

Let's be honest, this one's more about the novelty than the lunchbox quality. But it's certainly roomy enough to store your child's packed lunch.

The hard plastic casing makes this a durable lunch box, plus it's easy to wipe clean at the end of the school day.

Available from: Amazon

9. Skip Hop Zoo Lunchie Fox, £14

– best first lunch bag

Size: 22cm x 8.2cm x 19cm | Dishwasher safe: No, wipe clean

As well as being super-cute, this polyester bag is insulated, has a wipe-clean roomy interior and a mesh pocket for an ice pack to keep sandwiches cool and fresh.

There are also a number of cute animal designs to choose from, including a unicorn, an elephant and a zebra.

Available from: Uber Kids and Amazon

10. Fluf Zipper Lunch Bag, £25.96

– best for older kids

You can't mistake what this bag is for! This eco lunch bag has a cotton outer, and a food-safe polyester liner with a pouch inside for securing drinks.

Older kids may prefer the muted design but there are other less minimal design options for younger kids, too – from sharks to unicorns, lollies and rainbows.

Available from: Skin & Bliss

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