Are you looking for the best lunch box for your kids? A lunch box that little fingers can open, yet doesn’t burst in a schoolbag by mid-morning? It’s not easy to find a balance between a practical lunch box that will hold the essentials, and one that won’t take up all the space in a school bag.

The lunch boxes below were the top-rated from our parent audience. We have put links to where you can buy these, NB we get a small commission if you buy through our Amazon links.

These stylish, colourful lunch boxes from Sistema come in a range of sizes with multi compartment options to keep food and snacks separated – something to suit everyone’s lunch needs and perfect if you would like to try these 13 Brilliant Bento Box ideas for Kids.

Key Features

• BPA and phthalate free
• Dishwasher, microwave, fridge and freezer safe
• Separate compartments keep food fresh and protected

“I bought Sistema ones in Home Store + More. They are easy to get into but the lid won’t come off on its own. The water bottles are great as they don’t leak.” – Lisa

Available from Amazon.co.uk & Amazon.com and from other retailers.

Smash lunch boxes and insulated bags and bottles come in a range of colours and designs, including this cute Owl lunch box/bag and bottle.

Key Features

• PVC free with a PEVA food safe lining that can be wiped clean
• Thermal insulation to keep food warm or cool
• Padded carry handle
• Panel on back to personalise

“We got a Smash one last year in Tesco and it lasted the whole year. Easy to clean as you can put it in the washing machine.” – Rachel

“Smash are great and BPA free” – Lynda

“Smash are amazing – we used them last year and have got new ones for this year. My sons have no problem opening them either.” – Samantha

“Our boy & girl both love Smash…funky and brilliant value” – Sandra

Smash lunch boxes are available from Amazon.co.uk, & other retailers.

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The dilemma of keeping food cold through the day is solved with these lunch boxes and bags from Packit. Just fold it up and put it in the freezer, no ice packs are needed to keep food chilled.

Key Features

• BPA free
• Foldable and freezable to act like a fridge on the go
• Keeps food and drink cold on the go
• Available in different sizes and styles

Available from Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com and other retailers.

The Polar Gear ranger has Dual Compartment Lunch Coolers offering an ideal storage solution for both lunch and snacks, providing an insulated storage solution that is able to keep food and drinks cool. And Minions fans might enjoy this Minion-themed Polar Gear lunch cooler.

Key Features

• Dual compartment to keep foods separate
• Durable easy clean fabric
• Thick insulation for better cooling and protection
• Easy cleaning reflective lining
• Distinctive colour suitable for kids and adults
• Cooling effect for up to 3 hours

“I have the Polar Gear Little Ones lunch bag for my son. I got it when I went back to work – it took all his food and bottles for the day back then and we still use it now.” – Claire

“I like the Polar Gear cool bags as they have plenty of space. I bought the Sistema ones last year, but found the compartments very shallow so couldn’t fit the likes of an apple or yoghurt pot in them.” – Tara

Available in different colours and themes from Amazon.co.uk and other retailers.

Go green and pack a Yumbox for school, play and work for mess-free lunches every time. You can pack yoghurt or hummus next to crackers with no worries – Yumbox’s unique single lid seals all food wells individually. Food won’t touch or leak outside of the box. No plastic bags or tin foil! No cling film! No lost lids! No mess!

Key Features:

• Leak-proof single lid
• Portion control
• Green design
• Dishwasher and food safe
• Child friendly and easy to open
• BPA-free and phthalates-free

“It’s super ideal for kids who like choice as the little compartments allows for different food options without having to fuss about with different boxes and lids. It also lightweight, leak proof, airtight and most importantly dishwasher safe. We have six kids and all six of them have one, even the baby for days out and running errands.” – Kellie

Available from Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, Earthmother.ie and other retailers.

Bentgo Kids’ Lunch Boxes come in bright colours and are designed with kids in mind,  with compartments that are perfectly sized for kids. They also have drop-proof rubber-coated edges.

Key features:

• Leak-proof technology to avoid messy lunches
• 5 practical compartments portioned perfectly for a child’s appetite (recommended for ages 3-7).
• Durable, drop-proof and sturdy design
• 2 kid-friendly latches that are easy for small hands to open and close.

Available from Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com and other retailers.

One final suggestion! One of our parents made a great suggestion of re-using their plastic takeaway boxes. We all have them lying around, but have you ever used them for lunches?

“My kids have cute lunch bags – Hello Kitty, Angry Birds, etc – but the actual lunch boxes are the boxes our Chinese takeaways come in! They are the perfect size, easy to open, dishwasher safe, and FREE!” – Lynda

Ready in just 30 minutes, this salmon recipe uses McCormack Family Farms Energise Super Mix along with potatoes, hot smoked salmon fillets, onions and cheese.

It can be cooked as directed or done from scratch in the air fryer. Add a soft boiled or poached egg to each portion for extra richness.

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This fibre-rich homemade falafel recipe is perfect for a family meal or an alternative school/work lunch. It takes just 40 minutes, including 25 minutes cooking time and is packed full of goodness.

The kids will enjoy helping to make this one too as you get them moulding the falafel mix ready for the oven.

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If like mine, your children are fans of Dr Seuss, then this recipe is for them! Combining eggs, cheese, pesto and spinach and ready in just 10 minutes.

It’s perfect for a high energy breakfast or a lunchtime treat. Add in some toast soldiers and you will set them up for the day!

If you have a time, you could make your own pesto. This delicious pesto recipe will keep in the fridge for up to a week and goes well with pasta for a meal in itself, so be sure to make extra!

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Warm chicken, brown rice, broccoli and fresh salad leaves are combined to make this tasty salad. Simply dressed with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon, it is sure to satisfy the whole family.

Miso paste is used to marinate the chicken and is a perfect introduction to Asian flavours for your little ones.

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This recipe combines the flavours of roasted aubergine and red pepper with spiced chickpeas and couscous. It’s topped off with sweet pomegranate seeds and a light tahini dressing and can be eaten hot or cold for lunch or dinner for a well balanced veggie meal.

This one might be more suited to slightly older kids as aubergine can be an acquired taste, but we promise you will be wowed when you try it!

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Packed full of fibre and protein with roasted sweet potatoes and pearl barley this nutritious salad is best served warm!

Pearl barley is a great alternative to rice or pasta in a salad, it is rich in fibre and calcium so do give it a try.

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Set the family up for the day ahead with an energiser smoothie. Simply whizz up a pack McCormack Family Farms Energise Super Mix, milk, oats, raspberries and yoghurt in a blender for the perfect start to the day. Packed with protein, fibre, iron, vitamins and 2 of your 5 a day.

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This is a firm favourite in my house so I decided to include it in our round up. We use wholewheat spaghetti but you can use whatever pasta your kids love.

Serves 4

Cooking time 20mins

Ingredients:

• 300g spaghetti
• 100g pack of Energise Super Mix (or for traditional pesto use 80g basil or 75g rocket)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 40g pine nuts toasted (or you could use walnuts, hazelnuts or almonds)
• Zest and juice of a small unwaxed lemon
• 80ml olive oil
• 100g soft goats cheese

Method

• Cook spaghetti according to instructions
• While it is cooking combine the leaves, nuts, garlic, lemon juice and 40g of goats cheese in a blender. Once blended, add oil and blend again until smooth.
• Drain spaghetti, retaining half a cup of the the cooking water
• Once drained, return spaghetti to pan and pour over the pesto. Stir to coat and add cooking water a tablespoon at a time if required.
• Taste and season with salt and pepper if required
• Serve topped with lemon zest and the remaining goats cheese crumbled over the top.

We hope we have inspired you with these nutritious family meals. Be sure to check out more amazing seasonal recipes on McCormack Family Farms and follow them on Facebook and Instagram for more tasty recipe ideas.

Breaks are short so children often prioritise getting out to play with their friends over eating! Or maybe somebody commented on what your child had in their lunchbox and they no longer want to eat it. Or maybe they simply don’t like what is in there!

Rather than ranting over the waste, take the time to talk to your child to understand what the barriers are to eating their lunch and together come up with a lunchbox plan that works for everyone. 

Now you have established what might work for your child, consider handing over the responsibility to them for creating their own lunch. Handing over responsibility doesn’t mean letting them have whatever they want!

Have a store of foods that work for you that you know they like and let them choose what to take each day.

For a well balanced diet, ideally a school lunch should consist of dairy, fruit and vegetables, protein and carbohydrate. Along with water for hydration.

• Yogurt is the perfect option for dairy. The Glenisk Organic Kids range comes in 4 great flavours, are 100% natural, have no added sugar or bits and taste great! The new paper pots and sleeves are certified climate neutral by Climate Partner. The protective layer that keeps the yogurt pot leak-proof, food safe and ideal for lunchboxes, is made from Green PE, which comes from tree resin instead of fossil fuels.
• Vary the choice of fruit and vegetables and keep them to seasonal varieties where possible. The ideal portion is one medium sized piece of fruit or 2 small sized pieces, a small salad or chopped up or grated vegetables. During the winter months, you could include a vegetable soup.
• Protein can be added to sandwiches or come in the form of a dip. Include up to 75g cooked meat or a large egg, small tin of fish such as tuna, mackerel or salmon or a small pot of hummus.
• Carbohydrates should be wholemeal when possible. Vary the options so your child doesn’t get bored, Some ideas apart from bread for sandwiches are rolls, bagels, pitta pocket, wraps, breadsticks or crackers, pasta, rice or couscous.

There are literally hundreds of different lunchboxes to choose from. The most important thing for any child, is that they can easily open and close it without help.

After that, it can be good to get a box with compartments so when your child comes to eat lunch, the choice is not too overwhelming. Different foods can be placed into the compartments to make choosing what to have at small break or big lunch quick and simple.

Glenisk Organic Kids Yogurts are the ideal size for popping into lunchbox compartments and with 4 tasty flavours, your child can have a different one each day!

Keep portions kid sized. Something your child can easily pick up and get through quickly. Usually lunchtimes are about getting through the food as quickly as possible so they can play with friends.

If you are worried they aren’t eating enough, bulk up breakfast or their after school snack to compensate.

Glenisk Organic Kids Yogurts are also perfect for both breakfast and after school snacks, choose from strawberry, vanilla, apricot and banana, all 100% natural with no added sugar and kid sized too.

Keep lunchboxes exciting by regularly reviewing the choices you offer with your child. While many are happy to eat the same thing for months on end, trust me one of my girls took the same lunch almost every day last year, others want a change, my other lady totally loved a certain food until I had a stockpile of it and then she announced she didn’t like it anymore!

Remember lunch is only one meal of many and so long as they eat a small amount to sustain them between breakfast and an after school snack, they will be fine.

Packing a lunch box for your child for school or camp or other activities can be a bit of a chore after a while. You feel like you’re putting in the same thing over and over.

Of course if that’s all your child wants, that’s ok too, but if your child is up for a bit of variety or is complaining about having the same thing continuously then we’ve designed a special Build Your Own Lunchbox sheet that you can download and use for ideas.

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Please note we haven’t included nuts on the list as most schools ask you not to include in case of children with allergies. We have also avoided sugary or unhealthy treats like biscuits, cookies, crisps etc.

(Now all you have to do is train your child to make their own lunch themselves!)

You might also find these Lunchbox resources useful:

We have put together a free ebook with 99 ideas for kids lunch boxes all from real parents.

Each recipe is tried-and-tested with kids and guaranteed to get thumbs up. They are all easy and quick to make as well.

DOWNLOAD our FREE “99 Lunch Box Tips and Recipes” and don’t be stuck for lunch box ideas (well at least for 99 days!).

Still in need of more ideas? We’ve got you covered!

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• Ham
• Ham and cheese
• Ham salad
• Chicken
• Chicken and cheese
• Chicken salad
• Chicken and stuffing
• Chicken and pesto
• Chicken and avocado
• Coronation chicken
• Tandoori chicken
• Sweet chilli chicken
• Chicken Caesar
• Pulled pork
• Turkey
• Turkey salad
• Turkey club
• Turkey and avocado
• Turkey and cranberry sauce
• Roast beef
• Corned beef
• Salami
• Pastrami
• Tuna mayo
• BLT
• Sausage
• Bacon
• Club
• Breakfast sandwich (bacon, egg, cheese and sausage)
• Ploughman’s

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• Smoked salmon and cream cheese
• Salmon salad
• Tuna mayo
• Tuna and sweetcorn
• Prawn mayo
• Smoked mackerel
• Fish paté

• Cheese
• Cheese and pickle
• Cheese and tomato
• Mozzarella, tomato and pesto
• Cream cheese (various flavours)
• Cream cheese and cucumber
• Cream cheese and pesto
• Egg mayo
• Egg and cress
• Brie and cranberry
• Grated carrot, raisin and cream cheese
• Chocolate spread
• Chocolate spread and banana
• PB&J

• Nut butter or nut-free alternative
• Banana
• Cucumber
• Salad
• Tomato
• Hummus and grated carrot
• Hummus and roasted peppers
• Hummus and cucumber
• Falafel salad
• Grated carrot and raisin
• Mashed chickpeas with cucumber
• Avocado salad
• Yeast extract (Marmite / Vegemite)
• Jam

Don’t forget to change up the sauces or spreads that you use – butter has a time and place, but you can really inject a twist and some added flavour to even a simple sandwich by using an alternative. Ideas include:

• Butter
• Mayonnaise (including flavours like garlic mayo)
• Pesto
• Relish
• Mustard
• Hummus
• Tahini
• Nut butter
• Cream cheese
• Cranberry sauce
• Horseradish
• Sweet chilli sauce

Similarly, consider an alternative to regular sliced breads – there is a whole bread world to choose from, from white, brown and wholemeal to sourdough, brioche, soda bread and more!

Even more choices include bagels, wraps, panini, ciabatta, focaccia, rolls, baguette, pitta bread, crumpets, English muffins, scones, and crackers.

Makes 12

Ingredients:

• 270g oats
• 120g (1 cup) wholemeal flour
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 egg
• 480g (2 cups) natural yogurt
• 3 tbsp mixed seeds – I used pumpkin and sunflower, but any seeds you have will work
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 tsp salt

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Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas mark 6. Line a tray with baking paper.
2. Mix all the ingredients together.
3. Portion the mixture onto the lined tray using an ice-cream scoop (or a spoon if you don’t have one).
4. Bake for about 16 minutes, until golden brown.
5. Remove to a rack to cool.
6. The rolls keep for 2-3 days in an airtight container, and they freeze well too.

Recipe from Lili’s Family Favourites – Tasty, fuss-free recipes the whole family will love by Lili Forberg. Published by The O’Brien Press (€19.99/£17.99). Images © Lili Forberg

Often, the fact that the school lunch comes back home again untouched is nothing to do with the food that has gone into the lunchbox. There are lots of other factors at play:

• Not enough time to eat. In my experience, lunch time is limited and kids simply don’t have time to eat their lunch.
• Kids are busy and distracted chatting to their friends, playing games, etc. Or they may be distracted thinking about school work or something the teacher or a friend said, so they don’t feel hungry for lunch.
• Peer pressure. Kids may remark on each other’s lunches. If this is negative, they may no longer want to eat their lunch.

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This is the most common issue parents face. Do you find yourself planning something super Insta-worthy, but then actually making the same sandwich day in and day out?

We’re all looking for the Holy Grail of variety, healthy, interesting lunch box bits that our children will delight in eating – but the reality often gets in the way. Don’t stress, here’s why…

• The school lunch is only one meal in the day. Your child will also eat breakfast and dinner, and most likely an after-school snack too. If you’re worried about the lunchbox being boring and not nutritious enough, bump up the fruit and vegetables in other meals during the day.
• An Instagram-worthy lunchbox provides no nutrition if it’s not eaten. Your boring sandwich or repetitive lunchboxes provides nutrition and energy if it’s eaten. Go with what your child will eat rather than what you would like them to eat.
• Putting a new food in the lunchbox in the vague hope that they’ll eat it in school is likely to backfire on you. Children need repeated exposure to a new food to accept it, and school is not the place for that! Start with a new food at home gradually until it is accepted and then, if it’s a success, pop it into the lunch box!

Here’s a quick overview of what I consider lunch box essentials:

• A protein to fill them up – this can be meat, cheese, egg, beans, seeds or whatever your child will eat
• Some form of carbohydrate for energy – bread, wraps, bagels, rice, pasta, noodles. I err on the side of wholemeal everything
• Fruit & Veg – one or two portions
• And water to drink.

My top tip for getting my children to eat their lunches is quite simple – they make their own!

This has a slew of benefits for them and for me! But first, you must follow the “division of responsibility” in feeding or your child could be going to school with a six pack of crisps and a butter sandwich!

Developed by American feeding guru Ellyn Satter, the division of responsibility in feeding strategy, in a nutshell, advises:

The responsibility of the parent is:

• to provide and prepare the food
• provide food regularly in a pleasant environment

The responsibility of the child is:

• to eat
• to eat what and as much as they want

So what this means is that if you don’t want your child to bring a six-pack of crisps to school, don’t provide a six-pack of crisps t0 choose from. Only provide your child with the food that you want them to eat, then allow them to choose what they want to eat.

This holds true not just for making lunches but across all mealtimes. It is not our responsibility as parents to bribe/cajole/threaten our children to eat – it is simply our job to provide the food and our child’s to then decide if they want to eat it or not.

So when you have established this simple strategy in the house, lunch making becomes easy. I provide a range of foods I want my children to eat like good quality protein, wholemeal carbs and plenty of fruit and veggies. They decide what they want and make their lunches every morning. They eat them because they chose it. Plus, I don’t have to make the lunches so it’s a complete win/win!

Makes approx 24

Ingredients:

• 250g porridge oats
• 125g butter
• 125g brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons of golden syrup or honey
• 150g mixed dried fruit
• 50g sunflower and pumpkin seeds
• 1 pinch of salt

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180C.
2. Melt the butter in a large non stick saucepan over a very low heat.
3. Add the sugar and honey/syrup and mix well.
4. Stir in the oats and a pinch of salt.
5. Stir in the mixed fruit and seeds
6. Spread the mixture over a sheet of baking paper on a baking tray and press flat.
7. Place in the oven and cook for 15 mins or until it turns golden brown.
8. While the mixture is hot from the oven trace the lines up and down the mixture so that you can easily break up the flapjacks when it cools

This recipe, and more, is available on Wholesome Ireland

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