When it comes to lunch gear for kids, I’ve got you covered! Get your kids excited for school with these cute and practical back-to-school lunch gear essentials. From lunch boxes to reusable snack bags and water bottles, these items will keep their meals fresh and organized while adding a touch of joy to their lunchtime routine. Plus, I’ve added some backpacks too because I just can’t get enough of back-to-school gear in general!
I often receive questions about my preferred products for packing school lunches, so I’m excited to share some of my favorite lunch gear for kids. As any parent knows, the presentation and packing of a school lunch can significantly impact whether it gets devoured or returned untouched! There’s nothing more disheartening than discovering your child’s lunch box still full of the food you lovingly prepared.
With this lunch gear, packing school lunches becomes a breeze and even an enjoyable experience. Not only are these items eco-friendly, but they also offer adorable and customizable options, from the lunch box itself to the delightful treats inside! Say goodbye (not literally!) to those single-use plastic ziplock bags and hop aboard the reusable lunch gear train! I guarantee you won’t regret making the switch.
Lunch Boxes and Lunch Bags
- PlanetBox Rover Stainless Steel Lunch Box – These bento-style lunch boxes at PlanetBox have been my go-to for years when packing my kids lunch. The different compartments make it easy to add tons of variety. Plus, they last forever, are dishwasher safe and come with magnets to customize the front and increase the cute factor!
- Bentology Bento Lunch Box – Another great bento-style lunch box that I’ve tested over the years. Super durable and they’re whole store has tons of options for making lunchtime fun (and cute!).
- Fulton Bag Co. Upright Lunchbox – This lunch box/bag is a great option for bigger kids who maybe need a little more space than what a bento-style lunch box may provide. Plus, it’s a hard shell so won’t get crushed and insulated to help keep food at the right temperature.
- Bentology Insulated Lunch Box Sleeve – Another great insulated lunch bag that you can add whatever you want. It also fits the Bentology bento-style lunch box. They have tons of options for designs but Chloe always loved this cute kitty cat one!
- Flower Garden Insulated Kids Lunch Box – I love this insulated lunch box because it’s super duper cute, comes with a side pocket for a water bottle and you can get it customized with your kid’s name or initials.
- Lunchbots Stainless Steel Lunch Container – Another stainless steel lunch box that I really like. This size is great for a sandwich and two sides.
- Bentgo Bento Box – This one has slightly larger compartments and is great for kids that are a little older. Around 7 and older!
- Minted Lunch Bag – Another one that’s great for any age, but especially kids that are a little older. It’s big enough to hold their lunch box, water bottle and an ice pack.
Lunch Box Accessories for Kids
- Wean Green Glass Storage Containers – These containers are the best. They come in every size you could ever want with air tight lids. Plus, not only are they perfect for packing school lunch but they’re wonderful for food storage and meal prepping in general.
- Mira Food Jar Thermos – I love sending warm soup in this thermos with my kids, especially during the cold months. It keeps food hot for about 5 hours and cold for about 10 hours. Great for kids who don’t have access to a microwave or refrigerator for their lunches.
- Stasher Reusable Silicone Food Bag – I prefer to use these reusable silicone bags instead of disposable plastic bags when I’m packing lunch. They’re dishwasher and microwave safe, and again, come in tons of different sizes depending on what you’re wanting to pack.
- Silicone Lunch Box Dividers – These reusable dividers are another great tool to have when packing lunch if you want to divide the bento box compartments up even more. This kit comes with adorable animal food picks too for some extra fun!
- Bentgo Buddies Reusable Ice Packs – Even ice packs can be fun! These are absolutely adorable and have tons of fun shapes like unicorns, dinosaurs and mermaids. Plus, their slim design makes them perfect for adding to lunch bags to keep everything cool.
- Kids Stainless Steel Cutlery Set – This cutlery set is perfectly made for kids. It comes with a stainless steel fork and spoon plus a slim storage case so it easily fits in a lunch bag.
Water Bottles for Kids
- Klean Canteen Kids – I like that this water bottle has a sports cap for kids that are maybe working on their fine motor skills and helps prevent spills.
- Pura Sport Mini Water Bottle – This is another great water bottle for kids because it’s the perfect diameter for little hands to be able to hold.
- LifeFactory Water Bottle – I love that this water bottle is glass but comes with a silicone cover to protect it from breaking when dropped. The flip cap is perfect for kids too!
- BKR Glass Water Bottle – This is another water bottle that’s glass with a silicone cover. It comes it tons of colors and designs. I would give this one to a kid that’s a little bit older since it has a screw top.
- Owala Kids Flip Top Water Bottle – The flip top on this water bottle is great for kids since they can open it using one hand. It’s also leak proof and insulated to keep water cold for up to 24 hours.
- Bentgo Kids Water Bottle – Any kid would be stoked to have one of these super cute water bottles. They comes in so many kid-friendly designs like rainbows and butterflies, dinosaurs and spaceships!
- koodee Water Bottle – I have this water bottle for myself, but it’s a great one for kids and even teens too.
Backpacks for Kids
- State Bags Backpack – I’ve loved these backpacks for a while now. They’re super durable, and with over 50 colors to choose from there’s something for everyone!
- Lavender Heart Tie-Dye Backpack – This backpack is absolutely adorable and can be customized with your kids name.
- Hello Kitty Backpack – Because who wouldn’t love to have a little Hello Kitty glow in the dark backpack for school this year? Love this one!
- PBTeen NFL Backpack – For the kids who love sports and want to be a team player! This backpack is very durable as well and so much fun!
- L.L.Bean Original Book Pak – These have been a tried and true for many families for as long as I can remember. They really are so strong and can be used for years!
- JanSport SuperBreak Backpack – JanSport backpacks are as classic as you can get! I love them because they come in tons of different colors and designs.
- Minted Personalized Backpack – This backpack comes in a ton of fun designs and can be personalized with your kid’s name. Plus it’s super lightweight.
If you’re looking for school lunch inspiration, check out all the school lunch ideas I have on Weelicious. Plus, you can get my Weelicious Lunches Cookbook filled with innovative solutions for quick, delicious, easy-to-make, kid-friendly lunch box meals that little ones (and their older siblings alike) will love.
What lunch gear is your favorite for back-to-school? Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments and tag me on social media so I can see your back-to-school lunches!
We are on year ten for many wean green containers have never had one break at school or camp or preschool ever. I broke one, once, when Imkmocked it out of the refrigerator and it hit the floor. They are so great for small hands and as my parents have aged, handy for them as well.
What do you like about planet box vs bentology and vice versa?
We have been in love with Planetbox for years. We also have used most of those water bottles and love the kleenkanteen most. I am excited to get your recommended thermos! We do so many soups and he has been asking for one. Love your site, love your recipes and love you on Food Network! My fav judge on GGG.
Woo hoo! Anything stainless and/or bento style makes packing and eating lunch so much easier!
What a testament to Lunch Bots! I agree they’re awesome and truly dishwasher safe!
Thank you for introducing PlanetBox to me. Going on 7 years with ours now & both my kids still love them & they’re still in great condition. The bento style of eating a variety of things totally suits us & your ideas have helped us throughout the years. Middle schooler & 5th grader I now have. Started reading your site when they were in Pre-K. TY!
The Lunch Bots line of gear is my favorite for packing my kids’ lunches and my own. I like that the bento-style boxes are stainless steel. Their stainless steel water bottles are excellent, keep water very cold all day, and best of all, the bottle and lid can both go in the dishwasher. I have been using the same Lunch Bots bento boxes since my daughter was young (maybe 2nd grade?) and she will be starting 8th grade in two weeks and they are still in perfect condition, and go through the dishwasher all the time.