It wouldn't be lunch time without a sweet message from Mom. And a bento box is the perfect way to let Kiddo know how loved they are! There are so many fun designs that can be made with a bento box, but now that it's almost February, it got us wondering about the next big holiday: Valentine's Day. Usually we slip a little love note into Bub's lunchbox, but now we want to do something even bigger and better. Enter, the Valentine's Day bento box, a mixture of the amazing bento box designs we see blowing up on Instagram and the perfect way to ask our kiddos if they'll be ours on February 14. Which is why we scoured the internet to find a little V-Day bento box inspiration (and we're starting now because we'll need tons of time to practice and get our sandwich heart making skills right!).
Of course, bento boxes are known for their intricate and creative designs (OK, they're basically art), which might seem like it's out of our *ahem* skill range. But we want to be fearless even though high school art was the last time we picked up a drawing pencil. That's also why we chose designs for every skill level — from bento box newbies to moms who are skilled enough to go pro. Everyone should be able to try at least one new bento box skill, whether it's learning how to make hotdog hearts (or as we've taken to call them, heartdogs) or perhaps it, it's learning how to make awesome new shapes with fruit. Either way, getting creative in the kitchen is what makes these bento boxes so much fun and no mom should be left out of it. So take a look at these 20 adorable Valentine's Day bento boxes that we can't stop swooning over and why not give one a try?
It Starts With Hearts
Heart shapes are a holiday must for Valentine's Day bento boxes. All it takes are some basic knife skills to get those rounded edges right and, with a little practice, we know that anyone could make it happen.
Paws Up
What a sweet little doggy of a surprise! This adorable pup might take a little more skill, but the finished product is worth the trouble. Look at those sweet heart eyes! The best part? The shape doubles as a yummy sandwich.
Pink Out
Complete emoji heart eyes over this box. Look at that pink rice! We love that everything is red and pink in this bento box — it's just so cute! We also like that this bento box is on the healthier side, too.
Keep It Sweet
The key to this box is finding all heart-shaped components! Heart-shaped Cheerios! Heart-shaped veggie chips! So many hearts! Even though some might find this box too sugary-sweet, we think that's OK as a treat.
Hearts & Arrows
Just like Cupid's arrow, this bento box has pierced our hearts. We appreciate the details in this box like the fruit arrow and heart-shaped cutout in the apple. All it takes is a wooden spear or toothpick to make the arrow and voila! Adorable!
L-O-V-E
We LOVE this bento box (get it?) and we think it might be more easily achieved than one might think. A cookie cutter can be the trick to getting this design right and the heart eyes in the grapes is an adorable touch!
XOXO
There's so much to look at. The carrot flowers and the strawberry heart-shaped Rice Krispy treats for one thing. But the real winner is the sandwich cut into an X and an O (which of course means hugs and kisses).
A V-Day Snack
A little sweet and a little savory, this is a good box for lunch time. It's also sooo aesthetically pleasing. Just look at those raspberries with the alphabet cookies in front of them. How chic!
Heartdogs
Time and time again we've seen heartdogs and they are always the absolute cutest. They're so simple to make, too! All that's needed is to cut off the ends of the hot dogs on the bias and then use a toothpick to connect them.
Cutecakes
All it takes is a special cookie cutter to get this savory sandwich cupcake. Hint: the cupcake's frosting is actually the meat! Keep things in pink tones by using meats like ham and chicken for the topper.
Rock On!
Show the littles one that not only are they loved, but Mom and Dad thinks that they rock! To us, it looks like the hand is made out of a slice of cheese and with just a little practice we bet anyone could get the fingers right.
See-Through Bread
Another Valentine's Day bento box trend is bread that has a special cutout for sprinkles. We also can't get over the bagel dipped in sprinkles in the third picture! How inventive and cute! All it takes is a little imagination, folks.
Emoji Bread
It's no surprise that in this digital age people have figure out how to make their sandwiches look like emojis, but this person totally nailed it! We're absolutely swooning, we would love to get a hearteye emoji sandwich.
Tic-Tac-XOXO
We have to admit, we love that this is both an activity and a super cute sandwich idea. Take a look at that tiny tic-tac-toe board and the candy hearts are a brilliant touch. So much fun for lunchtime!
Love Notes
Make personalized candy hearts with special messages for the little ones using a little bread and edible markers like these ones from Amazon. The markers aren't pricey at all and are handy for parents who are less confident about their culinary crafting skills.
Bunny Box
For our little love bunnies, this box is a hopping good time! To get those sweet yummy bunnies, all it takes are bunny-shaped marshmallows (which might be in stores for Easter) and an edible marker.
Whooo Do We Love?
Take to the skies with this owl-themed bento box. We can barely believe that it's actually a sandwich! Check out the other adorable detail, we can't help but wonder who took that heart-shaped bite out of the apple!
Letters To Cupid
Although we certainly couldn't send this sandwich in the mail, we would love to get this special delivery. Check out the heart cut into the Babybel cheese in the background — it's almost too sweet!
Cuter Than Cupid
Mama mia! This is the Valentine's Day bento box. To loosely quote Stefon from SNL — "It has everything." A cupid sandwich, strawberry roses, cheese hearts pierced with arrows, and even a pink, chocolate-dipped strawberry too. We love it!
Love Birds
Cheep, cheep! We are obsessed with this bird-themed box. This design uses cookie cutters to the max, although we think a really handy mom could make these birds all on her own. What a winner!