Given that I use it for my 15-month-old’s lunches most days of the week, I thought it was worth elaborating on what makes this container our go-to
I recently rounded up eight TikTok-approved bento boxes for kids, and plugged one of them as “a family favorite.” For us, the Austin Baby Collection (ABC) silicone bento box hits all the marks: it’s well-made, functional, leakproof, nicely sized, easy to clean, versatile, and just plain cute. Gym Plastic Bottles
And given that I use it for my 15-month-old’s lunches most days of the week, I thought it was worth elaborating on what makes this container our go-to, and why other families may feel the same.
Many baby feeding products — the ABC bento box included — are made out of food-grade silicone because it’s durable and easy to clean. With this one, which is also free of BPA, PVC, and phthalate, you have the option to handwash it with warm water and soap or add it to the dishwasher for a deep clean, which I try to do at least once a week. Either way, food comes off quickly without leaving any stains behind.
It holds plenty of food
Even though he’s barely 15 months old, our toddler’s appetite sometimes feels more like that of a teenager. The ABC bento box is a great size for his growing body, offering plenty of space for multiple items in a single meal. The container’s outer dimensions are 8.5” x 7” x 2” with three small compartments (3” x 2” x 2”) on the left side, one narrow compartment (4.5” x 2” x 2”) on the top, and one large compartment (4.5” x 4” x 2”) on the bottom right.
A typical meal that I pack in it includes a fold-over peanut butter sandwich, a yogurt tube, a big dollop of hummus, several scoops of avocado, and some combination of fruits and roasted vegetables.
I’ve tested out Austin Baby Collection’s “leakproof” claim with foods such as yogurt, roasted bell peppers, mashed berries, and canned corn, and am happy to report that none has leaked out of its individual compartment or out of the bento box, even when it’s been turned upside down and bounced along in a stroller. If you’ll also be packing runny or wet foods, just make sure to get a really good seal between the base and the lid in all four corners and all along the edges.
When purchasing an ABC bento box on Amazon, you get to choose from six different color and design combinations: camper violet, safari faded black, safari warm cream, veggie garden robin’s egg blue, wildflower chambray blue, and wildflower ripe peach. Judging by my son, whichever one you choose, your kid will get lots of entertainment out of pointing at the different elements on the lid, asking you to name them, and eventually naming them for himself.
If you love a matching set, you’ll appreciate that ABC makes several different products in the same patterns as their bento boxes. These include silicone bibs, silicone placemats, silicone snack bowls, and insulated lunch bags. The lunch bags feature a utensil strap and a mesh pocket on the inside, a water bottle and zipper pouches on the outside, and adjustable carrying straps and handles.
And if you really want to go all in on ABC products, you can splurge on a silicone mealtime bundle, which comes with a bento box, placemat, bib, and snack bowl. Just know that not every product is available in all of the designs.
Whether it’s berries, Legos, or cotton balls, most kids, at some point, love sorting. The ABC bento box makes not just a great food container, but also a perfect vehicle for letting those little hands run wild and develop their sorting and fine motor skills. For my son, sometimes that happens during mealtime when he decides to “reorganize” his food.
Sport Water Bottle Other times, he has fun putting little toys in it, rearranging them, and taking them out. I haven’t tried it yet, but I imagine the bento box could be a handy item to pack for plane or road trip entertainment.