Best Toddler Food Jars UK 2026: Only the Skip Hop Packs a Spork, the Slim Liewood Holds the Least

COMPARISON · FEEDING TIME

Somewhere around the second birthday, or the first week of nursery or preschool, the packed lunch question arrives. Plenty of settings will not reheat food brought from home, so if you want your toddler to have warm pasta, stew or soup at midday, it has to leave your kitchen hot and stay that way for four or five hours. That is the whole job of an insulated food jar: a double-walled stainless steel pot with a vacuum gap that slows heat escaping.

The four jars in this roundup look almost identical on a shelf. All four are stainless steel, all four are hand-wash only and all four sit between £17 and £25. The differences are in the small print. Capacity runs from 250ml to 350ml. Only two brands commit to a number of hours. Only one puts a spoon in the box, and it happens to be the cheapest at full price. The age guidance ranges from 4 months to 3 years.

We compared the brands' published specs, live UK prices and stock, and the things parents tell us matter once a jar is in daily rotation: a lid little hands can manage, a shape that fits a small rucksack, and food that is still properly warm at lunchtime rather than just not cold.

Lil' Bubba's verdicts

• Best Overall: Skip Hop Besties Squad Insulated Food Jar · 8.0/10 - the only jar with a spork in the box and a stated 7-hour warm rating, at £16.99
• Best for Small Bags: Liewood Nadja Food Jar · 7.5/10 - the slimmest jar at 7cm wide, with 6 hours hot and 8 hours cold stated
• Best for Big Appetites: Trixie Insulated Food Jar 350ml · 7.5/10 - the largest at 350ml and the only one listed from 4 months
• Best Budget Pick: Lassig Food Jar · 7.0/10 - 315ml for £16.96 on offer, though Lassig gives no hours figure

Quick comparison

Jar	Price	Capacity	Stated warm / cold	Spoon in box	Size	Rating
Skip Hop Besties Squad Insulated Food Jar	£16.99	325ml	Up to 7h / up to 5h	Yes, spork + lid holder	Not listed
Liewood Nadja Food Jar	£20	250ml	Up to 6h / up to 8h	No	11.75cm tall, 7cm wide
Trixie Insulated Food Jar 350ml	£24.95	350ml	Not stated	No (sold separately)	9 x 9 x 11cm
Lassig Food Jar	£16.96 (RRP £19.95)	315ml	Not stated	No	8.8 x 8.8 x 12.5cm

How we picked the 4

We shortlisted toddler-sized insulated food jars (250ml to 350ml) that are in stock right now with UK retailers we work with, and kept one jar per brand so you are comparing four genuinely different designs, not four prints of the same pot. Single-walled plastic pots and lunchboxes were left out: they are fine for sandwiches but they do not keep food warm.

Each jar was scored on five things: capacity for a toddler or preschool portion, whether the brand publishes hot and cold retention figures, what actually comes in the box, practicality (size, seal, cleaning) and price. Prices were checked on the day of writing and can move, particularly where a jar is on offer.

What to look for in a toddler food jar

Capacity. 250ml is a generous main meal for most one to three year olds. Bigger eaters and three to four year olds are better served by 300ml to 350ml. A jar that is only half full loses heat faster, so buying far bigger than you need works against you.

Pre-heating matters more than the brand. Every hours figure assumes you warm the jar first. Fill it with boiling water, put the lid on for five minutes, tip the water out, then add food that is piping hot all the way through. Parents we hear from regularly say this one step is the difference between warm and tepid at lunchtime.

Read hours claims as a ceiling. Brands test in their own conditions. Treat "up to 7 hours" as best case, and plan for food to be eaten well inside it. If a jar has no stated figure at all, assume it is for a morning-to-lunch window and check it at home before trusting it at nursery.

Food safety. Warm food should go in piping hot and be eaten within a few hours. Lukewarm food sitting for a long time is what you want to avoid, so if your child's lunch is late in the day, a cold meal in the jar is the safer choice.

The lid. Twist lids seal well but can be stiff for small hands. Practise at home, and tell your setting your child may need help opening it.

Cleaning. None of these four is dishwasher safe, and none can go in the microwave. Take the silicone seal out to wash it so milk and sauces do not build up underneath.

1. Skip Hop Besties Squad Insulated Food Jar / 10 · Best Overall

The Skip Hop Besties Squad jar is the most complete package here: a 325ml stainless steel pot with a twist-top lid, a reusable spork, and a holder built into the lid so the spork travels with the jar rather than getting lost in the bottom of a bag. It comes in a range of animal faces, including cat, dino, elephant and unicorn.

Skip Hop also puts its numbers on the box: up to 7 hours warm and up to 5 hours cold. The catch is the age guidance. Skip Hop rates it from 3 years, so for a two year old at nursery you may want to pack a softer toddler spoon alongside it. Like every jar in this roundup it is hand wash only and not microwave safe.

What parents love

• Spork included and stored on the jar. It is the only jar here that arrives ready to eat from. We hear repeatedly from parents that the spoon is the thing that goes missing, so having it clipped to the lid is a real advantage.
• Published warm rating. Up to 7 hours warm is the longest stated figure in this group, comfortably covering a breakfast-to-lunch gap.
• Lowest full price. At £16.99 it costs less than the others at their full prices, and you are not buying a spoon separately.
• Sensible middle size. 325ml suits most preschool lunches without being bulky.

What to know before you buy

• Rated from 3 years. Younger toddlers can still use the jar, but the guidance means it is aimed at preschoolers.
• Shortest cold rating. Up to 5 hours cold is behind the Liewood's 8, so it is better for hot lunches than yoghurt and fruit.
• Character designs only. If you prefer a plainer look, the animal faces may not appeal.

Best for

• Preschool and nursery lunches from age 3
• Families who keep losing spoons
• A first insulated jar on a budget
• Mostly warm meals rather than cold

2. Liewood Nadja Food Jar / 10 · Best for Small Bags

The Liewood Nadja is the slimmest jar in the group at 7cm wide and 11.75cm tall, made from 80% recycled stainless steel with a double wall and a leak-proof screw lid. Liewood states up to 6 hours hot and up to 8 hours cold, the most balanced pair of figures here and the longest cold rating.

The trade-off is size. At 250ml it holds the least of the four, which is a good toddler portion but can be on the small side for a hungry four year old. There is no spoon in the box, and it is hand wash only, with no oven, microwave or hob use. If you need more space, Liewood also makes the larger Kiani printed jar.

What parents love

• Narrowest shape. At 7cm across it slips into a side pocket or a small nursery rucksack where squatter jars will not fit.
• Hot and cold both stated. 6 hours hot and 8 hours cold means it works equally well for a warm lunch or a cold yoghurt and fruit pot.
• Recycled steel. 80% recycled stainless steel will appeal if you are trying to cut down on single-use pots.
• Matches the range. The prints co-ordinate with Liewood's lunchboxes and bottles, which parents who like a matching set tell us they appreciate.

What to know before you buy

• Smallest capacity. 250ml can be outgrown by bigger preschool eaters.
• No spoon included. You will need to pack your own.
• Prints change. Colourways rotate by season, so a particular design may not stay in stock.

Best for

• Toddlers aged one to three with smaller appetites
• Small rucksacks and bag side pockets
• Cold snacks as well as warm lunches
• Families matching a Liewood lunch set

3. Trixie Insulated Food Jar 350ml / 10 · Best for Big Appetites

The Trixie jar holds the most at 350ml, with a stainless steel body and a polypropylene cap, in a squat 9 x 9 x 11cm shape. It comes in Trixie's animal characters, including Mr. Shark, and retailers list it from 4 months, so it can start life carrying warm purée on days out and carry on into preschool lunches.

It is also the most expensive at £24.95, and Trixie does not publish an hours figure, just that it keeps food warm or cold for hours. There is no spoon in the box: a matching spoon set is sold separately. If you buy it, test it at home with your own lunch timings before relying on it.

What parents love

• Largest capacity. 350ml leaves room for a full preschool portion, or for a side of fruit on top of a main.
• Listed from 4 months. The only jar here with guidance young enough to cover weaning outings.
• Light for its size. Retailers list it at around 155g.
• Part of a wider range. Families already using Trixie bibs, snack boxes or bottles tell us they like keeping the same character across the set.

What to know before you buy

• Priciest of the four. Around £8 more than the Skip Hop or Lassig.
• No stated hours. You will need to work out how long it keeps food warm in your own routine.
• No spoon included. The matching spoon set is an extra purchase.

Best for

• Bigger eaters and three to four year olds
• Warm purée on days out from the weaning stage
• Families already collecting Trixie characters
• Long days where portion size matters most

4. Lassig Food Jar / 10 · Best Budget Pick

The Lassig Food Jar is a 315ml double-walled stainless steel jar with a silicone sealing ring, shown here in the soft Happy Fruits print. It measures 8.8 x 8.8 x 12.5cm, making it the tallest of the four, and it is on offer at £16.96 against an RRP of £19.95.

Lassig keeps the box simple: you get the jar and nothing else. The brand does not publish an hours figure. Its care notes are clear, though: hand wash only, not for the microwave or freezer, and not for ice cubes or fizzy drinks. Stock was running low at the retailer when we checked.

What parents love

• Lowest price right now. At £16.96 on offer it is the cheapest way into an insulated jar of this size.
• Good middle capacity. 315ml sits between the Liewood and the Trixie, which suits most two to four year olds.
• Silicone seal ring. The removable ring is there to stop leaks in a bag.
• Understated prints. Parents who find character designs too loud tell us the softer Lassig prints are a good middle ground.

What to know before you buy

• No stated hours. Like the Trixie, you will be judging heat retention for yourself.
• Tallest shape. At 12.5cm tall it is less pocket-friendly than the Liewood.
• Sale price and low stock. The £16.96 price is an offer and may not last.

Best for

• Buying on a budget
• A second jar to rotate while one is drying
• Parents who prefer softer prints
• Medium-sized toddler portions

What about Thermos or b.box?

The Thermos FUNtainer food jar is the name most parents know, and b.box makes a toddler-friendly insulated jar with a lid designed so it cannot be over-tightened. Neither is in our catalogue through the retailers we work with at the moment, so we have not included them here. If you already own one, the same advice applies: pre-heat it, fill it with piping-hot food, and check it at home before the first nursery day.

How to choose

Skip Hop Besties Squad Insulated Food Jar: Pick this if you want one jar that is ready to go out of the box, for a child aged three or over who mostly eats hot lunches. It is the best value and the spork on the lid solves the missing-spoon problem.

Liewood Nadja Food Jar: Pick this for a younger toddler with a smaller appetite, a small rucksack, or a mix of warm lunches and cold snacks. It has the longest cold rating and the narrowest shape.

Trixie Insulated Food Jar 350ml: Pick this if portion size is the priority, or if you want one jar that starts with weaning outings and carries on to preschool. Budget for the extra cost and test the heat retention yourself.

Lassig Food Jar: Pick this if price comes first, or as a second jar to keep in rotation. It is a sensible middle size, but grab it while the offer lasts.

Add it to your Nest

Getting ready for nursery or preschool? Add your favourite food jar, snack box and bottle to your free BubsNest registry so family and friends can help you get set for the first day.