Bentgo Kids - Leakproof Children’s Lunch Box
[{'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2016', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-5 review-rating', 'review_body': 'Has a great seal and perfect portion for my 3 year old. The latches are easy to open. People complain about the seal on the upper portion getting moldy or filthy. I just line that with the press and seal plastic wrap. Easy on and easy off. It probably gives it a better seal because I have no liquid crossover.'}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2015', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-5 review-rating', 'review_body': "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.\n\n**BENTGO KIDS**\n\nMy 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.\n\nThe 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.\n\n*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).\n\nDoes 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.\n\n**YUMBOX PANINO**\n\nI 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).\n\nWe 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.\n\nFOUR 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.\n\nSUMMARY:\n\nBoth 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.\n\nLinks to other products shown in my photo:\n\nSilicone Cupcake Liners (this set has red, which my sons had to have):\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Silicone-Cupcake-Kitchen-Buddies-Included/dp/B00LR84HXA/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1425867226&sr=1-1\n\nLeaf Food Picks:\nhttp://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\n\nGoodbyn Bottle:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Goodbyn-20064BT-Bottle-Blue/dp/B0050O92PK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442187692&sr=8-1&keywords=goodbyn+bottle\n\nFebruary, 2017 UPDATE:\nMy 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!"}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2018', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-5 review-rating', 'review_body': ' I ordered this after doing research for which lunchbox would be best for my 5 year old who will start Kindergarten in August. We are wanting to practice the lunchtime routine early as she has cerebral palsy and receives speech, physical therapy and occupational therapy in preschool and needs a lot more help with things your typical 5 year old would not need as much help with. She is unable to open packages so I like how this one was broken up into sections the main concern I had was if she was as going to be able to get the bentgo box out of her lunch box, open it easily and then pack it back up easily. She is also very picky and chokes easily on food. I have been packing her lunch to eat when she gets home from school in the bentgo box then in a lunchbox just as I would if she were eating at school. So far she has been able to get it out of the lunchbox and open it fairly easily. Closing it is a bit harder as she has trouble remembering to push it down before she clips it closed but she will get this with practice. I have only hand washed it and it seems to stay nice but we have only used it 4 times so far. She also tips it a lot completely ideals when taking it out of her lunchbox and the applesauce has not left its compartment at all which is nice. I would definitely recommend this for kindergarteners or any child that is delayed with fine motor skills.'}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2015', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-2 review-rating', 'review_body': 'I have been a very happy user so far(Been Using for 4 Months). My 4 year old can easily open the box without any help and I love the feature that the top lid stays attached to the bottom portion. I love the way how I can separate the portions without spilling into one another and just one piece to clean at the end of the day.\n\nI have also purchased the bentobox (the other comparable on amazon), and definitely bentgo wins!!\n\n-------------------------------------------------------------\n\nReview Update:\nWe used this lunch box 5 days a week and my nanny cleaned it promptly after the lunch box was brought home. After 5 months we started noticing the black spots in the rubber lining on the lid. Even after scrubbing , those spots never went and I started noticing more and more of these spots and then realized that it is actually MOLD. Though the box is functional and we loved it , due to the MOLD we had to toss it. Reducing my 5 stars to 2 stars. Hope this reaches to the customer service. I am attaching a few pictures as well.'}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2022', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-5 review-rating', 'review_body': "We've had this for over a year, one box/shell with three trays on rotation in daycare 5 days a week. No nanny washing this 🙄, just my husband and I each day cleaning it with hot water and soap by hand and letting it air dry before loading up tomorrow's lunch. Never had a mold issue. The trays go thru the dishwasher.\nEverything is in great shape, and if/when this one breaks, we'll likely buy another.\n\nThings to note: the logo on top wore away almost immediately so I wouldn't bother getting the fun printed boxes. The silicon gasket lid has some wear from rubbing against the tray, and the gasket can absorb smells, but neither are deal breakers.\n\nBig fans! I wish it was less heavy but nothing is perfect."}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2018', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-1 review-rating', 'review_body': "Really good functionality...kept things clean and sealed with no cross-over; was clearly my daughter's favorite. Until it lasted. Barely 3 months since we ordered it (and we had 2+ kinds that we would rotate on the week - so saw duty approx twice a week,and the shells we always hand washed carefully because of all the comments here about potential mold forming), the little plastic tabs that are on the hinge gave way. The first one while washing ... and the second one when I was just examining it to see why it came off. Easily identifiable as a weak spot from a stress perspective, looks like we've hit either a design flaw, or some materials were changed on the design and the new stuff just doesn't hold up as well as the older ones did.\n\nGreat design - loved it while it lasted. Just not durable... at this cost and the care we took, I would expect atleast a year's worth of life on it"}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2018', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-1 review-rating', 'review_body': 'We have owned this product for only two months, and the plastic clips that hold the top on have already broken. The box goes inside an insulated and padded bag every day, so it is well protected. The plastic around the clips appears weak and inherently flawed in design. We own two, used by two different children, and both boxes (bought at two different times and in two different colors) have the same problem. It is too bad, because we like the box otherwise. But, save your money and buy something more durable.'}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2021', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-5 review-rating', 'review_body': "I purchased our Bentgo Kids lunch box through Amazon in December of 2019. After near-daily use, it broke. The closing snap on the exterior box portion broke in half (keep in mind that it has never seen the inside of a dishwasher - always hand washed). I had registered the product back when I had originally purchased it because of the 2-year warranty, and I'm glad I did! I called up customer support at Bentgo this morning and they are mailing me a replacement! I'm now a customer for life. They truly back their product, and the replacement process was very simple. I'm so pleased that I just ordered a second box for my other daughter who just entered pre-school.\n\nI have NEVER had to cash in a product warranty before (partly because most warranty periods are either too short or the product breaks just AFTER the warranty period). The Bentgo product breaking doesn't deter me from becoming a loyal customer. It's a plastic mechanism and I understand that plastics can become brittle over time or the batch can have irregularities. The great customer experience + standing by their products are what will keep me coming back! Thanks, Bengto!"}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2022', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-5 review-rating', 'review_body': 'Bought this for my 3 now 4 year old son and sister when she was 1 and now 2 years old! We L O V E them! Had them for 14+ months now. They can open and close their lunch box by the self. The compartments are just the right sizes for them. You can squeeze in a sandwich in the big room. We never had any leaks and we have had ketchup, cottage cheese and dressings in it.\nCan recommend to buy the $10 tray with transparent cover for easy prep. That saves time and you don’t have to wash the tray or compartment at the same moment you get home from work! The transparent tray can also serve as in-need-of-a-cover because I forgot/didn’t have time to wash the compartment :) When that is said, the tray and transparent cover can go in the dishwasher and the compartment is very easy to hand wash.\nIt doesn’t hold the food warm or cold for several hours, but you can pair it with a thermo bag and ice packs for hot food and/or summers :)\nThey do also have excellent costumer service!'}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2018', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-1 review-rating', 'review_body': "I love(d) this bento box. It's the perfect size for my 2 and 4 year old and it fits in their adorable skip hop zoo lunchboxes. I was so disappointed when my son's new box that we've used less than 3 months has black mold spots in the compartment that we use to put fruit. The spots are raised and don't come off with scrubbing or dish soap. I emailed Bentgo to see how to remove the mold, but no response. These are way too expensive to last less than one semester.\n\nETA: I emailed Bentgo and they replaced the moldy lunchbox in December. It's now May and a different compartment is now covered with white mold. We pack lunches around 7am and clean them out after daycare around 7pm. This lunchbox simply doesn't last. As much as I love the size and the concept, we've had to replace it twice to make it through one school year. I can't recommend."}]