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1. A leak-proof, dishwasher-safe bento lunch box because this is the ONLY lunchbox I will ever use for my kids (and I've tried many brands). The compartments make it easy to pack perfectly portioned lunches. Did I mention it has taken a beating from my preschooler and is still going strong?
Promising review: "I bought three of these so that I could easily pack my kids’ school lunches and WOW, I love them so much! The serving sizes are perfect, they are relatively easy to clean (the removable tray is dishwasher safe for the top rack), and I swear my kids are eating more well-balanced meals just because of the fun presentation. If you need an extra compartment, just put in a cupcake liner and make your own (see photo). I also love that I am no longer washing multiple little Tupperware containers nor am I going through boxes of small sandwich bags. These are environmentally friendly, super cute, and so functional! I LOVE them!"—Kayla
Get it from Amazon for $27.99 (originally $39.99; available in five colors).
2. And a spacious insulated lunch bag to perfectly fit Bento-style lunchboxes or tupperware containers with room to spare for extra snacks and even a small thermos. It also has a water bottle holder so your little student isn't left fumbling around with a gazillion small containers at lunch.
Promising review: "This lunch bag is exactly what I have been searching for! I needed a bag for my 5-year-old that would fit his Bentgo box plus his water bottle but at the same time not to big and bulky. This bag met my packing needs perfectly with even a little extra room to spare for an extra snack as well as an outside pocket. I love that there are also multiple ways to carry this lunch bag." —Keith Gonzalez
Get it from Amazon for $24.99 (originally $39.99; available in 16 prints).
3. A four-pack of slim ice packs that'll keep your kiddo's meals ❄️chilled❄️ without weighing their lunch bag down. Win-win.
Promising review: "These have worked great for my kid's school lunches. Works well in an insulated lunch bag to keep food chilled. The coolers are still cold to the touch when I take them out of my daughter's lunch box after she returns home from school. The thin size is perfect for not taking up too much space. I've had them for a few months, have sent one in school lunches everyday, and I have not had any problems with leaking." —abh17
Get them from Amazon for $9.10+ (originally $9.99+; available in two sizes and in two styles).
4. An ingenious sandwich sealer so you can make your own Smuckers Uncrustables copycats at home without spending nearly $10 for a box. Prepare for your life to be *utterly butterly* changed.
Promising review: "These have been a GAME CHANGER in this house!! My son has always begged me for Uncrustables but my wallet didn’t agree with them. I LOVE being able to make them at home and customize them to exactly what they would like them filled with! I make two weeks' worth of sandwiches at a time and store them in sandwich bags in the freezer so in the morning during the school year we can just grab and go! Love them!" —Katherine Smaczniak
Get it from Amazon for $15.96
5. A pack of monster-themed condiment squeeze bottles that'll make you say "Ex-squeeze me? Why are you so cute?" These boast a wide opening that makes it easy to pour in salad dressings, sauces, and condiments, ~and~ a flip cap with a no-drip valve to prevent leaky messes all over.
6. A two-pack of truly spill-proof Contigo Trekker Autoseal water bottles if you're fed up of dripping wet backpacks because the kiddos don't properly close water bottles. This bottle (aka the answer to every parent's prayers!) boasts an ingenious one-touch lid that automatically seals between sips so you can say goodbye to leaks and spills!
Promising review: "These are great cups, we now have five of these for the kids lunches and I've never had one leak. They are easy for the kids to use and are the perfect size for their lunch bags." —burnem79
Promising review: "I love these water bottles. My kid has been through so many water bottles with the same problem: either they were difficult for her to open or close, or they leaked and wet her backpack. These though are perfect: after drinking, she doesn’t have to worry about making sure the lid is tight enough since it closes by itself. Perfect size as they fit in her lunch box and bottle holder well. Highly recommend to any parent whose kid might not be the most careful with closing their water bottles." —SW
Get them from Amazon for $12.91+ (originally $13.99+; available in five color varieties, two sizes, and two styles).
7. A vacuum-insulated stainless-steel food thermos because you're tired of your kids complaining about cold lunches. Now you can spice up their school day with minestrone soup or lasagna. Mamma mia!
Promising review: "I tried other thermos containers for our kids to send them hot lunches and they NEVER kept good hot past an hour. I decided to give the Mira food jar a try after reading good reviews. The day I got it, I put it to work. I put very hot water in the container for about 15 minutes. Then I put in hot oatmeal. After five hours, the oatmeal's temperature was still over 100 degrees! This is far better than the thermos containers I have. I ordered another one." —K. Campbell
Get it from Amazon for $15.95+ (available in several colors and in two pack options).
8. A pack of reusable silicone baking cups to corral itsy bitsy portions of fruit, veggies and snacks — and to ensure those yummy cookies don't get soggy from the mac 'n' cheese.
Promising review: "I specifically bought these to use in bento boxes for my kids for their lunches. Four of them fit perfectly into the large compartment of the lunch box containers which is perfect for portioning fruit, veggies, and helpings of whatever their main meal is for the day. My kids love them, and so do their teachers. Have gotten many compliments on their lunches using this combo. I rinse them out and throw them in the top rack of my dishwasher and have been using the same set for almost FOUR years now! No smell, no bad taste."—Amazon Customer
Get a pack of 12 from Amazon for $7.99+ (also available in a 24-pack).
9. A TikTok-famous grape cutter because is there anything more ridiculously time consuming than quartering grapes every day for your little one? This cool device will do it at lightning speed and help reduce the risk of choking at mealtimes — whether at home or at school.
Promising review: "Who buys a grape cutter? Well, a working mom with a toddler! This makes lunch prep so quick and easy!! I recommend to every mom I meet!! 🤗" —Danielle
Promising review: "A mama’s best friend!! This makes my life so much easier, eases my mind sending grapes in my kids’ lunch, and saves me so much time!!" —Kaitlin
Get it from Amazon for $11.95.
10. And an apple corer and cutter that'll pop out 16 snackable slices with just a push of a button and spare your tired hands. Easy peasy apple squeezy!
Promising review: "Good for anyone who cares for children! I love this thing! Makes preparing lunches and snacks so much faster! It was hard to find this size, but my kids prefer the smaller apple slices and this works great. Just center over the apple and push down, when it gets close to the bottom flip the gray part under it, set it on the counter and push down. Perfect apple slices pop out easily! " —mom of 3 busy kids
Get it from Amazon for $13.99+ (available in four colors).
11. A pack of funny joke cards to slip into your munchkin's lunchbox. The cute punny jokes are guaranteed provide the perfect pick-me-up when they're having a rough day.
Promising review: "My kids love these and I purposefully don't read the cards before putting them in the lunch boxes so that they can come home and tell me the jokes. The cards are sturdy and the perfect lunch box size! They are bright, colorful, and in age-appropriate wording and themes." —IHeartAmazonPrime
Get a pack of 150 from Amazon for $17.99.
12. Or a set of scratch-off lunchbox notes that'll make any child's day. Write a sweet note, cover it with the scratch-off sticker and slip it into their box. They'll be SO excited to discover your hidden message!
Inklings Paperie is a small biz based in Plymouth, Michigan founded by a mom of two that makes whimsical paper creations and modern keepsakes.
The set includes 24 assorted cards (four each of six designs), 24 stickers and instructions and idea-starters all packaged in a mini hand-stamped muslin drawstring bag.
Promising review: "My daughter LOVES these and said all her friends are jealous that she gets these super cool notes on her lunch! I will definitely be ordering more!!!"—Kati
Get it from Inklings Paperie on Etsy for $20.
13. A set of mini reusable skewers so you can create appealing and colorful fruit kabobs. I mean, what kiddo can resist gobbling up food on a stick? (Pro tip: Avoid using fruits prone to browning).
Promising review: "Elevate packing lunches! My kids and I both love these food picks!! I use them in place of packing utensils for lunches. They are long enough to layer foods as a skewer (we regularly use them for cheese and salami with crackers on the side, fruit skewers, and noodle, olive, cherry tomato skewers). They also work great to pack in place of a tooth pick. They are not super sharp, but pointy enough to easily puncture food. To clean, I simply place with silverware in the dishwasher. So easy! I highly recommend!" —Jenna Caldwell
Get a pack of 12 skewers from Amazon for $7.50.
14. Or a pack of animal-shaped food picks that'll turn everyday food into hors d'oeuvres to make an otherwise monotonous lunch ~wildly exciting~. Do they make adult versions?
15. A set of reusable cloth napkins made with super soft cotton flannel designed to be gentle on your kids' faces and kind to our planet 🌍. Not to mention the prints will fill lunch time with *cuteness overload.*
Mamamade is a small biz based in Castle Rock, Colorado, founded by a mama who is raising three boys while running her Etsy shop that specializes in eco-friendly goods for the home and family.
Promising review: "Exactly what I was looking for! Perfect size, fun prints and effective (absorbent) for my daughters' lunches at school. Great customer service as well. <3"—Lori Bean
Get a set of six from Mamamade on Etsy for $9.99+ (available in four set sizes).
16. A cutter set so you can turn fruits, veggies, and sandwiches into enticing shapes to jazz up lunch and ensure that even the pickiest eaters don't come home with an untouched lunchbox.
The sandwich cutter set comes with four large sandwich cutters and seven small vegetable cutters. The four sandwich cutters are a dinosaur-shaped sandwich cutter, a Mickey-shaped sandwich cutter, a heart-shaped sandwich cutter, and a star-shaped sandwich cutter. The small vegetable cutters are shaped like flowers, dinosaur, star, and heart.
Promising review: "Perfect for bento lunches!!! Love these! I make bento lunches for my little one and she loves that her sandwiches and fruit are fun and bite size!" —Michael Grimaud
Get a set of from Amazon for $12.99 (originally $14.99).
17. A rapid egg cooker if your kids request eggs for lunch literally every day!? This cool gadget will let you make perfect hard-boiled eggs each time quickly and easily. It's ~egg-ceptionally~ foolproof — just set it and forget it until the timer goes off.
Promising review: "I use this to quickly and perfectly boil eggs for my picky 9-year-old son who takes one in his school lunch every day. I haven’t used its other features, but if they work as well as this one, I’d have to say it is a pretty great product. The color is great too!" —Kimberlyn Glynn
Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in eight colors).
18. A set of reusable food pouches that'll make sugar-filled store-bought pouches a distant memory and let you pack homemade nutritious smoothies, applesauce or yogurt for your toddler, tween (or you!). I mean, who doesn't love squeezable goodness on the go?
These reusable pouches have an extra wide zipper opening at the bottom making them easy to fill.
Promising review: "These pouches are wonderful! I bought the large size and they work for all my kids ages 1–10 years. The little one gets his purees and the older ones use it in their lunch bags for anything from porridge to yogurts to smoothies. I love that they are reusable and are super easy to fill with a funnel. As for the cleaning, yes it can get all dried and caked on after several hours in a lunch bag but I just leave them to soak in hot water and soap and then clean with a brush. I leave them to dry semi open and there are usually no lingering smells but when needed, I will rinse in vinegar to get them perfectly fresh smelling. Great product!"—NT
Get a pack of six from Amazon for $11.29+ (originally $16.99+; available in three additional sizes and in ).
19. A reusable, eco-friendly sandwich wrap made with sustainably sourced beeswax, organic cotton, organic jojoba oil and tree resin that'll put those plastic wraps or plastic baggies to shame, and still keep your PB&J from going stale. (Simply use the heat of your hands to wrap and seal!)
Promising review: "Purchased for my kids for their lunches at school, to replace aluminum foil and plastic bags. Has been a great transition. We are doing our part, and the product holds up great! Looking forward to purchasing more for home use as well." —joe stokes
Get it from Amazon for $9.99.
20. An iridescently adorable stainless-steel silverware set that'll make them feel all grown up ~just like mommy and daddy~ and ensure their food doesn't end up on the classroom floor.
The set includes four forks, four spoons, and four knives.
Promising review: "I bought these to pack in my first grader's lunches. I love them, they’re a good size for kids’ hands and they wash well."—Janell Foltz
Get a set of 12 from Amazon for $18.95 (available in three colors).
21. A matching rainbow print personalized snack bag with a food-safe lining that's washable and reusable, making it perfect for toting sandwiches and snacks to school.
Tarrah At Home is a small biz based in Warman, Canada founded by a stay-at-home mom with four kids that offers handcrafted storage solutions for your home.
You can add one name, either first or family to this cheery bag. You can also choose your fave fonts and colors and add your notes in the personalization box when you place your order!
Promising review: "Product arrived on time. My daughter loves the bright colors. The snack bag fits perfectly into her lunch bag. I love that it's washable and reusable. A great purchase!!!"—Katherine
Get it from Tarrah At Home on Etsy for $8.45+ (available in multiple bag sizes/formats and with a personalization option).
22. A cute heart-shaped mini waffle maker for when you want to show your munchkin how much you love them. Pssst...slather some peanut butter and jelly between two waffles for an extra special lunchwich.
This little gadget weighs less than a pound, heats up quickly and also comes in handy for making hash browns, paninis and biscuits!
Promising review: "I bought this about a year and a half ago and completely forgot about it in the back of my pantry. Well, since we're all in quarantine, I've been doing some cleaning and I stumbled across my little waffle iron. I decided to finally give it a try and made a half dozen waffles, and I have to say, this thing worked great and cleaning wasn't difficult at all! Obvious tip: use the slightest bit of cooking oil spray (Pam) and the waffles come out perfect every time!" —Tom M.
Get it from Amazon for $11.99+ (originally $14.99; available in 23 colors and in a larger size).
23. A spiralizer so you can sneak veggies into your munchkin's lunches without them suspecting a thing. This tool magically transforms zucchini into noodles and carrots into curls in minutes.
Promising review: "Great way to make my kids eat their veggies! we have fun making the spirals and the kids absolutely love it. They ask me to pack 'twirls' for lunch."—Mother of Dragon Breath
Get it from Amazon for $22.97+ (originally $35.99)
24. Finally, if packing lunches on a daily basis is a *struggle*, try Yumble, a weekly subscription service that'll deliver ready-to-eat kids' meals made with regionally sourced fruits and veggies ~directly to your door~ — to take meal planning stress *off your plate.*
Yumble offers dairy-free, soy-free, egg-free, gluten-free and vegetarian meal options as well.
Promising review: "My son absolutely has loved all the meals and I feel good knowing he is not eating frozen food!! It's so great for a working busy mom of two with a new baby! Thank you!"—Lexi
Get four meals per week from Yumble starting at $39.96.
The reviews for this post have been edited for length and clarity.
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