The allergy lunch box is just a boring bento you can scrub

For kids with allergies, the best lunch boxes are hard plastic bento boxes with removable dividers that you can run through the dishwasher. Skip the fabric and the silicone with tiny grooves. You want something you can scrub and boil if you have to.

The label and color-coding part is on you, not the box. Get two or three identical bento boxes in different colors — one per kid, or one for safe foods and one for the allergen household. Then use a label maker or a paint pen to write the child’s name and the allergy right on the lid. That’s your system.

Bentgo Kids and Sistema Bento are both solid choices. They have separate compartments, so you don’t have to wrap everything in plastic, and they’re thick enough that a 6-year-old won’t crack them. The dividers come out for cleaning, which is the whole point. If there’s a nut allergy, you can still wash it with hot soapy water after each use, and because there’s no fabric or cardboard, you have nothing to worry about.

A boring box with a clear label beats a fancy one you can’t scrub.