SingaporeMotherhood | Family Fun

May 2020

Cutest Bentos for Kids by Amazingly Creative Instagram Mamas

Due to the Circuit Breaker measures, most of us haven’t had to pack lunchboxes for our kids for quite awhile. However, with school about to start up again, albeit in staggered fashion, it’s time to start prepping. You know those adorable bentos for kids you keep seeing on Instagram? Why not try your hand at creating something similar to make recess time more fun? You can even get the kids involved in the process. Check out these creative Instagram mamas for inspiration!

@ cuisineparadiseig

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Mummy Ellena is a food blogger who enjoys sharing recipes, dining reviews and travelogues. She also loves concocting her own dishes, and styling and photographing them. Some of her most popular posts feature nutritionally balanced kid-friendly meals she makes for her boy, such as this. Bunny onigiri, anyone? Click through the gallery for the instructions.

@ gastronomic.kid

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This creative mum spends hours making sure her three kids grow up associating food with positive childhood memories. We love the bentos featuring Sesame Street characters, as well as those themed around festivals like Chinese New Year. Many posts include recipes and helpful videos so you can follow along. She also loves creating food art — this one was the result of a challenge from her dinosaur-loving eight-year-old son!

(See also: Super-Fun No-Screen, At-Home Play Ideas your Toddlers and Preschoolers will Love)

@ if_mikamami

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Recently ranked first among the top 10 runners-up for the international Chef Bento Contest, one might think the person behind the entry was Japanese. We were surprised to discover it’s actually Singaporean mum, Siew Eng. She also loves to bake — check out the Winnie the Pooh burger bun in this homemade “Happy Meal”! Many of her bentos for kids feature Japanese characters such as My Melody too.

@ littlemissbento

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Of course, we can’t leave out Singapore’s beloved Little Miss Bento. Besides creating the most adorable bentos for her own kids, like this kitty-themed one, Shirley also conducts workshops and recently launched the Little Miss Bento virtual restaurant with Tampines Food Co. Currently only Tampines residents can order and try her bentos at home, but she’s working on expanding delivery zones soon.

@ bentovivlove

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Now living in Texas after 10 years in Singapore, plus stints in Canada, the UK, Europe and Australia, Malaysian mummy Viv combines global influences into bentos for kids. As seen in these mini chicken tacos that she made daughter Sophia for lunch one day. The nine-year-old has started following in her mummy’s footsteps — she baked those cupcakes on the right. In this video, Sophia expertly shows how she makes tamagoyaki!

(See also: The First Dish I taught my Child to Cook)

@ littlemissleng

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Often inspired by what her brood get up to, mama Leng creates super cute bentos for kids. Isn’t this goldfish bento sweet? They’re typically pretty healthy balanced meals too, especially when she goes vegan on Fridays. At the same time, she isn’t averse to the occasional sinful indulgence, which her kids love. Unsurprisingly, she’s also been featured in Bento Expo on NHK World!

@ bentomonsters

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Another pioneering bento mummy in Singapore is Ming, who published a gorgeous book on it back in 2015. She has a real knack for creating life-like animals, as well as cartoon themed bentos for kids. Aside from meals, she also creates the cutest desserts and yusheng platters for CNY. This one was to usher in the Year of the Dog. Her kids are really lucky, don’t you think?

@ bentodays

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Last but not least is mother-of-three Jean Yap, who was featured on SingaporeMotherhood back in 2016. This is a bit of an honorary mention, as Jean no longer posts bento creations on her Instagram account. We’re not sure why she stopped, especially when she made such cute bentos for kids. Still, it’s worth scrolling through her past posts for inspiration. Look at this sleepy Pikachu!

(See also: A Day In a Life of a Mum in Lockdown (in England, and in Australia))

More Bentos for Kids from Around the World

Need even more ideas? Here are a handful of other talented mums around the world who make adorable bentos for kids:

@ bentopau (Malaysia)

@ cutelittlebento (Indonesia)

@ nomnomnom_bento (Philippines)

@ peaceloving_pax (Thailand)

(See also: Online Fresh Food Delivery in Singapore)

@ 12mikan.to.budou23 (Japan)

@ kongkong2_kim (South Korea)

@ lovefirstbento (Canada)

Header & featured images: tiny_human_big_appetite

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Cutest Bentos for Kids by Amazingly Creative Instagram Mamas