Bentgo Kids Bento-Style 5-Compartment Leak-Proof Lunch Box

If you're on the fence about which bento box to order for your child (BENTGO KIDS or YUMBOX), I will compare the two brands in this review. My family has used both kinds for about a month. **BENTGO KIDS** My 5 year-old kindergartner takes this box for his lunch, and it is truly the better choice for YOUNGER CHILDREN in my opinion. It has a more juvenile color scheme, five small food compartments, DURABLE RUBBER TRIM on the top and bottom, and overall exudes a higher quality product that will withstand more abuse than the Yumbox. The latches are more HEAVY-DUTY than the Yumbox, and although it can be a bit difficult for kids to close at first (it's a tight seal around the inner tray), my son got the hang of it after a couple tries. The Bentgo Kids trays come in three different colors and seem more durable than the Yumbox trays. The Bentgo Kids box doesn't hold a LOT of food, but it is plenty for my son, and I imagine it will provide ample food until he's in second or third grade (probably a good box for 3-8 year-olds?). The largest compartment will fit a half sandwich unless your bread is huge, but then you can just cut it in quarters. The Bentgo Kids shell is a bit larger than the Yumbox, so it's a tight squeeze into my son's soft-sided LL Bean box, but we manage to fit the Bentgo and a Lifefactory water bottle into the LL Bean box. *UPDATE* - We recently purchased an LL Bean Discovery lunch box, and this easily fits either the Bentgo or Yumbox as well as a water bottle and extras. The Bentgo also fits in a Lands' End ClassMate soft sided lunch box with a Goodbyn water bottle (see photo). Does the Bentgo Kids leak? Nope. The rubber gasket on the lid is impressive, and ranch dressing has stayed neatly in the center dip compartment. The gasket on the Yumbox doesn't seem to be as good, so this is another reason why I like the Bentgo Kids better for younger children. It's pretty much foolproof. To clean, simply remove the inner tray and put it in the dishwasher. I always hand wash the outer shell or at least give it a wipe-down each day. **YUMBOX PANINO** I purchased this Yumbox Panino for my 9 year-old third grader. I like the Yumbox Panino colors and design better for OLDER CHILDREN (maybe 7-12 year-olds?). It's less juvenile than the Bentgo Kids box, and the Panino version has room for a larger sandwich. Since its tray has thin dividers, it will HOLD A BIT MORE FOOD too. The Yumbox has a slightly SMALLER FOOTPRINT than the Bentgo Kids, and it fits snugly in my son's LL Bean lunch box, but his water bottle does make his lunch box lid bulge out - not a big deal. We have since upgraded to the LL Bean Discovery lunch box, which is much deeper and has plenty of room. If you only have room for a small, narrow water bottle, the Goodbyn bottle is a great option (found on Amazon). We have packed ranch dressing in the center, and as long as I press down tightly while latching the lid, it doesn't leak. The inner tray has printed text underneath (they are not removable stickers), but it does have a more grown-up look to it than the whimsical designs on other Yumbox trays. Yumbox sells plain trays on their website. The tray easily snaps out for washing in the dishwasher, but we always wash the outer shell by hand. FOUR compartments or SIX? Yes, Yumbox offers two different versions - same size, but the trays have either more or less compartments. I debated greatly over which to buy, but ultimately I decided that the Panino (4 compartment) style would grown with my son better than the 6-compartment Yumbox, and on days when he doesn't pack a large sandwich, I simply use silicone baking cups as dividers. Links to the cupcake liners and leaf-shaped food picks shown in my photo are at the end of this review. SUMMARY: Both boxes have different features, so the box to choose really depends on your child's needs. The YUMBOX PANINO is my favorite for OLDER CHILREN or those who eat larger lunches because of the tray design and color combinations. The BENTGO KIDS is terrific for younger kids as it seems MORE DURABLE yet holds plenty of food for little ones. I do wish the Bentgo Kids box came in more colors, but perhaps this is in the works. For now, my son enjoys using his different-colored trays to switch things up a bit. Links to other products shown in my photo: Silicone Cupcake Liners (this set has red, which my sons had to have): http://www.amazon.com/Silicone-Cupcake-Kitchen-Buddies-Included/dp/B00LR84HXA/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1425867226&sr=1-1 Leaf Food Picks: http://www.amazon.com/Tornado-P-2759-Leaf-pick-10P/dp/B0019XLGLE/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1426438596&sr=1-1&keywords=leaf+food+picks Goodbyn Bottle: http://www.amazon.com/Goodbyn-20064BT-Bottle-Blue/dp/B0050O92PK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442187692&sr=8-1&keywords=goodbyn+bottle February, 2017 UPDATE: My second grader is still using his Bentgo Kids nearly every day, as it holds more than enough food for his appetite. The rubber trim began to peel off a bit on the outer container (though I always hand wash it), and Bentgo sent me a replacement! What a wonderful product and equally great customer service!

I absolutely love the bentgo containers and brand period. This is my third purchase of these specific types of bentgo containers. They really are spill proof, good quality material. They keep food pretty warm until lunchtime. The longest one lasted two years until I found a mold spot. Highly recommend for kids school lunch.

I love these especially for my kindergartner. They make lunch easy to organize and eliminate the issue of trying to spend their entire short lunch trying to open packages or dealing with tons of trash. They’re leak-proof and wonderful. My only issue I ran into was accidentally forgetting to unpack lunch once or twice and letting it sit with food in it overnight. The silicone inside got mold on it and I tried every method to remove it. Impossible. It’s trash and you must buy a new one. DO NOT FORGET TO UNPACK AND WASH EVERY DAY! Let’s be real- I’m a busy mom of 4 and things slip through the cracks sometimes. Kids leave a lunchbox in the car or at school. But if this is left with food in it, it WILL be ruined and I never saw that mentioned anywhere before. Otherwise, I love these!

This product is of good quality, ideal for my 5-year-old son 🥳

UPDATE: I emailed Bentgo to let them know about the latch issue, and received a same-day reply (a few hours after I sent my email--the person replied at 9PM!). Though our bento box was no longer under warranty, the customer service rep offered to replace our bento box anyway, free of charge. She asked that I send her proof of purchase plus a photo of the breakage; as soon as I did that, they sent out a replacement bento box, which I received within a few days. I'm really impressed with the level of responsiveness and their commitment to customer service, so I'm changing my review to five stars. I'm more than happy to support companies that stand by their products like this! And our new bento box is back in rotation, as easy and functional as ever! ORIGINAL REVIEW: We love this bento box and it's great for school lunches, except after about a year of use, one of the two latches broke off. It held up okay with only one latch for about six more months, and then the second latch broke. So now I have to keep it closed with a rubber band--still usable but kind of a pain. We didn't overstuff it or otherwise misuse it, so the latches really should have lasted longer. Until the latches broke, the bento box was my favorite thing to pack lunches in. The compartments allow for a lot of variety, and it sealed really well. I wouldn't put soup in it, but thicker liquids like ketchup, ranch dressing, etc., were all fine in the bento box and always stayed in their compartments without leaking. It's not really insulated but it does keep things fairly cool, and if I need something to stay cold I'll pack it in a lunchbox with an ice pak. It cleans up easily, too. Just a bummer about the latches, and makes me hesitate to buy again.

I absolutely LOVE the Bentgo Kids lunch box. I actually bought 2 of them, one for each of my kids ages 11 (green one) and 5 (blue one). It is recommended for kids through age 7 however my 11 year old loves that it keeps his food separated and doesn't spill over. I also love the fact that it seals the individual compartments to keep food fresh. Both of my kids love their Bentgo lunch boxes and how easy they are to open and close. My 5 year old has no problem with opening it and properly closing it to avoid spills. I would highly recommend it to anyone with kids. As I mentioned my 11 year old uses it and the portions are just enough for lunch. However, I think it would also be a great idea to make these for older kids and adults as well. My favorite part is the individual sealing compartments!! I would love to see a bigger model for older kids (maybe 12+) and adults as well. I would definitely buy an adult model if it were available. Maybe it is, but I'm not aware of it?? I also love how it is insulated and keeps foods cold/hot for short periods of time. All around an amazing product!! The only con I have experienced with this product is that after only 2 months of normal use, the green tray broke! I have no idea how that happened since that is the tray that is handled by my 11 year old and he tends to be more cautious. I also have only ever hand washed it so I'm not sure why it would have broke. I opened up the box to clean out the tray after school and pieces of the tray just fell out. The product does have a 2 year warranty so I did submit a claim and am waiting to hear back on in. Once I hear back I will be sure to update my review. I'm hoping to be contacted soon because I really do love the product and would hate to be disappointed. On the plus side, the blue one handled by my 5 year old is in perfect condition and works great!

I will begin using the two Bentgo Kids that I bought daily next week to send lunch with my 1-year-old and not-quite-3-year-old to daycare. They have not stood the test of going to daycare with them yet, but so far I really like the Bentgo Kids. They seem to be good quality and durable. The latches are easy enough that my older child is able to open them on her own (once she was shown how), but secure enough that I'm not worried about them coming accidentally unlatched. She did have a little difficulty closing the box on her own though since simply closing the lid doesn't really close it... you have to kind of pull it out/toward you when you close it in order for it to close all of the way to latch. But she will have her teacher(s) available to help her, as will my younger child. I felt that the outer shell was easy to wash. The inner tray was also easy to clean, but the deep recesses on the bottom were difficult to clean while hand washing; some of them are pretty narrow to be able to fit a dish cloth or brush up there. Of course, these areas shouldn't get too dirty either. I did a quick test to see how leakproof the box is by filling a couple of compartments about halfway with water and sloshing it around a bit. I shook it a little, rocked it back and forth, turned it upside down, etc. The water stayed in place. There were a couple of drops (literally drops) in a neighboring compartment, but I'm pretty sure it is from dripping from the lid when I opened the box. Based on this, I doubt it will be a problem to include foods such as yogurt, applesauce, or cottage cheese. The leakproof seal was actually the predominant reason why I ultimately decided on the Bentgo Kids... so I could send the foods I just listed and not worry about other foods, such as crackers, getting soggy. I am very excited to start using these boxes every day. I love that the sizes of the compartments seem perfect for kid-sized portions, and that the number of compartments gives me the ability to send a variety of foods every day so my picky toddlers will hopefully at least eat something. Also, the overall size of the box is perfect for little hands. Both of my kids are able to carry it around easily. Overall, I would rate the Bentgo Kids at a 5... I'm rounding up a bit because I love the product so far, but it is a little hard to reach some areas of the underside of the tray when washing.

I love Bento Boxes. Tee colors were very appealing to my toddler and not a bad buy for the price. Lightweight, and easy to clean. The different sized compartments makes this thing pretty versatile with what you can sort in there. Sturdy design means my toddler won't break this while it bangs around in a backpack on the way to school. I put everything in cold but with the space below it seems like it would retain temperature for a while if you put hot food in there. Overall i like these. Wish there was a stainless steel version with some cool colors tho.

After nearly 3 years, the previous two i bought needed replacing. My children love their lunch boxes, as do I. Leak proof, keeps everything fresh, beautifully designed and long lasting! Excellent value for money.

La usiamo tutti i giorni ed e' comodissima, sicura, non perde liquidi e molto facile da pulire. La misura e' perfetta eccetto per i due compartimenti piu'piccoli dove alla fine non facile mettere qualcosa ne avrei preferito uno solo e piu grande.

Habe diese Brotdose für meine Tochte gekauft und bin sehr zu frieden. Grad für ein Kind, welches in die Krippe oder Kindergarten geht ist diese Perfekt. Die Kammern haben genau die richtige Größe für die kleine. Das Gute daran ist, dass diese Kammern alle von einander abisoliert sind. So kann ich ihr in die eine Kammer Joghurt füllen ohne dann Angst haben zu müssen, dass dieser sich mit dem Brot vermischt. Diese ist Absolut auslaufsicher. Das Abwaschen klappt auch Kinderleicht, der Einsatz mit den Kammern lässt sich herrausnehmen. Durch die leicht abgerundeten Kammern kommt man schnell mit einem Schwamm oder Lappen rein, wischt Drumherum und spült es einfach aus.

Just its very hard for my 3 year old to close it it hard for her to close she bring them open. Bit heavy too it makes her bag heavy. Other then that it is a good lunch box leak proof and never mix any compartment with other even she bring lunch open not tightly closed still nothing fall out

Super pratique pour emmener les repas de ma fille quand elle va chez la nounou! La boite est bien hermétique et aucun aliment ne se mélange. Chaque aliment reste dans son compartiment! Quel plaisir de m'en servir! 😊