Travel toys for kids can make the difference between a terrible trip and an opportunity for the whole family to relax and have fun. Young kids can be the most enthusiastic travelers. But, long-haul flights can feel like several days when you are struggling to entertain a child on a plane. Whether you are taking a plane ride with kids or a family road trip we have put together a list of the best travel toys for kids, from babies to teens.
Skye Gilkeson
Choosing the right travel toys for kids can transform your trip. © Skye Gilkeson
The Best Travel Toys for Kids
The beauty of long haul flights is that any premium carrier will provide personal entertainment screens. But, screen time isn’t going to offer hours of entertainment to your children on a long flight.
Not only does the novelty wear off fast, but there really are limited options for kids when it comes to airplane entertainment systems.
That’s why you need to make sure to pack a selection of toys and activities for each of your kids.
This is a comprehensive list of the best travel toys for kids.
Obviously, you don’t need to pack all of these items. But use this as a guide so you pick and choose those which you think would suit your own kids’ interests and ages.
The Best Travel Toys for Babies
Sensory toys are perfect for babies and toddlers.
Not only are they great travel toys to help develop their fine motor skills, but they are also a particularly great distraction during take-off and landing when the pressure may be affecting your little ones’ ears.
A rattle or pretend keys. If you’re traveling with a baby and you have to use the insanely small change table in the airplane bathroom, keeping a small toy in the diaper bag is a clever idea.
These Hit The Road Activity Keys are a great toy that we carried on planes (anything with a mirror is a winner with babies).
We must have taken Sophie the Giraffe on at least 30 flights when Alaska was a baby.
Great for teething, chewing during take off if they won’t feed, or as a travel toy to entertain during the flight or car ride, this is one of our favorites.
Suction spinner toys are the perfect toys to stick to the plane window during take-off to entertain babies when they can get frustrated and tired of being in that infant seat belt.
A tummy time book with a mirror and teethers were one of my daughter’s favorite travel toys as a baby.
It was the simplest and easiest travel toy to carry in the carry-on, the baby backpack or to use in the hotel room for playtime.
Musical pram toys. While most traditional pram toys are too bulky to take traveling, a small pram toy can be surprisingly entertaining for your baby during transit.
We would attach a pram toy like this one to our travel pram, then place it in the car seat of the rental car and use it again when exploring. It easily hooks onto a travel backpack for transit.
Picture books. I’ve mentioned my love of the chew-proof books the Indestructibles series, before. They are lovely and thin, colorful, and cannot be ripped by little hands.
Read Next | What to Pack for Travel With a Baby
Screen time will likely only occupy your kids during take-off and landing. Pack some fun travel toys as well. © Skye Gilkeson
The Best Travel Toys For Toddlers Aged 1-2 years
Toddlers love to build and flex their growing independence.
The best travel toys for toddlers are colorful and tactile and help them master their hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.
Soft toys are one of the best travel items for toddlers who can easily be overwhelmed by the intensity and unfamiliarity of a long-travel day.
Bringing a soft toy (not their favorite) from home is a really important comfort, particularly for little kids.
If you choose to buy a new soft toy for the trip, buy one that has either a keychain or a hook so you can attach it to the pram or bag while in transit or an educational soft toy that serves a double function – play and comfort.
Busy books are the perfect travel toy for toddlers. Small children love exploring with their hands so these books are ideal.
You don’t need a huge busy board, simply choose the right size quiet book that’s the right size for your carry-on.
A Melissa & Doug refillable water pen and coloring pad is a genius idea as there is no mess, no fuss and you don’t have to watch them like a hawk as you do if you carry markers or sharp pencils.
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