There’s nothing better than taking a trip with all the family, kids and all. But, keeping a baby or toddler entertained on a long-haul flight or never-ending car journey can be a real challenge. Given that travelling with a toddler is no mean feat, we’ve compiled our top picks for the best travel toys for toddlers. 

Being stuck on an aeroplane or in a car for hours at a time with a bored, fidgety toddler is no one’s idea of fun. The key to an enjoyable holiday with toddlers? These tried-and-tested travel toys for toddlers and babies. 

The best travel toys for toddlers are lightweight, noise-free and tidy, as well as being easily packed into a carry-on bag or onto the backseat. Below, you’ll find out favourite toddler travel toys to take on holiday. Whether you’re jetting off halfway across the globe on a long-haul flight, or just hopping in the car for a little road trip – here are the best travel toys for toddlers to keep them entertained for the entire journey. 

How Many Toddler Travel Toys Should I Bring?

Luggage is limited when travelling by plane – especially when you have all those other baby and toddler essentials to bring along. So, you don’t want to overdo it with the toddler travel toys. 

We often underestimate how creative and imaginative young children can be – a lot of the time they can find things to entertain themselves. However, we all hit a brick wall at some point, so it’s good to have some back-up options to keep them entertained when they get bored.

So, when it comes to travel toys for babies and toddlers, you don’t want to bring too many or too little. We understand that, as parents, you want to be prepared for everything – especially when you’re going to be trapped in a metal box high up in the air. But, taking all your kid’s toys on a long-haul flight with a toddler just isn’t feasible. Instead, just pick their absolute favourites and a varied selection to ensure you cover all bases. 

How Do I Carry Travel Toys for Toddlers?

It’s always a good idea to bring a small backpack with you that can fit in all your toddler’s travel toys, as well as snacks and anything else you might need to access easily. There’s no point putting any essentials in your suitcase that you might need on the plane. 

If you can’t fit them all in your rucksack, depending on your child’s age, you could give them their own backpack to carry too. This way, you can put some small, lightweight toys or some snacks in their bag to make more room for heavier toys in yours. 

How Do I Choose Which Travel Toys to Take on Holiday?

It can be difficult to decide which of your child’s many toys to bring while travelling with a toddler. If you pick the wrong ones, they won’t play with and it’ll end up taking up unnecessary space in your bag. Not only that, your little one will be left with nothing to do which, as we know, could end in chaos. 

The best selection of car or plane toys for toddlers and babies will be diverse. You should aim to bring a varied collection of toddler travel toys that will utilise different skills and knowledge so your little one never gets bored. However, you also need to bear in mind size and weight. Your travel toys for toddlers and babies need to be small enough and light enough to fit in your hand-luggage along with all your other necessities. Finally, they should be fairly quiet – you don’t want to succeed in keeping your child occupied but anger the rest of the passengers on the plane with beeping or squeaking toys. 

The Best Travel Toys for Babies

Travelling with a baby isn’t exactly easy, but it might be more peaceful than travelling with a toddler. At least they will spend most of their time eating and sleeping. So, enjoy this period while you can. 

When travelling with a baby aged between 0-3 months, you shouldn’t need to worry too much about bringing loads of travel toys or activities to keep them entertained. It’s likely that your travel time will be mostly taken up by feeding and watching your baby sleep. 

As they approach 3-6 months, your baby will probably still do a lot of sleeping in the car or on the plane (hopefully), but they may start taking more interest in car and plane toys too. So, here are the best travel toys for babies of this age: 

Baby Teething Toy

A teething toy makes the perfect travel toy for babies, especially those in the teething phase. Travelling on a plane for the first time can be stressful for babies, but imagine if their gums are hurting at the same time! Make sure you have a good baby teething toy to take on any plane or car journeys to sooth your baby and minimise the risk of screaming and crying. 

Sophie la Girafe Original Baby Teething Toy

Matchstick Monkey Baby Teething Toy

Hoolaroo Wooden Teething Ring

Quiet Book

Another great option for travel toys for babies are quiet books. It’s no use taking noisy travel toys on a plane. Beeps and squeaks from baby toys will disrupt other passengers and could potentially cause them to complain. This is especially the case on long-haul flights when people might be trying to sleep. Quiet books are made of fabric so they’re not only designed to be silent but they’re super lightweight and easy to fit in your backpack.

Hahaland 2-Pack Baby Books

My Quiet Book

Curious Columbus Quiet Book

Cuddly Toy

Next on your list of travel toys for babies should be a cuddly toy. It might sound obvious but a soft toy could help keep your little one calm during this new experience. Having something familiar to hold will make your baby feel safer and may even help them fall asleep. Cuddly toys also tend to be very portable travel toy options, being able to be squished into a backpack or even carried by your tiny tot.

Lamaze Mix & Match Caterpillar

ECCHY Baby Rattle Toy

Baby Gund Giraffe Plush Toy

The Best Travel Toys for Toddlers

We won’t deny that travelling with toddlers is tricky – especially flying! They’re still so tiny but super wriggly and active, with bundles of energy that need to go somewhere. So, this is the most important time to be properly armed with a great selection of toddler travel toys. 

When deciding on travel toys for toddlers, it’s even more important that you pick a varied range. Toddlers get bored much more easily than babies, so you need to be prepared with all kinds of plane activities to keep them occupied for long stretches of time.

Plasticine

Plasticine is the ultimate travel play-doh. This is much better than normal Play-Doh for travelling with toddlers. It’s less messy, less sticky and doesn’t dry when left out for too long. This makes it the ideal plane toy for 2 year olds and above. Before you leave for your trip, it’s a good idea to do some research into what you can make with plasticine – a perfect plane or car activity for toddlers.

Children’s iPad

I know, I know – you don’t want to be one of those parents that resort to using screens when they’re toddler starts playing up. But that’s not what an iPad on a long-haul flight with a toddler is for. It is a God-given tool that works to preserve everyone’s sanity, including your child’s. Trust me, when you toddler has had enough of being sat in the same place and position for hours and having their ears popped, you’ll be thankful that you have an iPad on hand to help. 

iPads provide an all-round toddler travel toy for planes and cars. In fact, i’d be surprised if your little one gets bored with just an iPad to keep them busy. You could even ditch all the other travel toys for toddlers and just stick to this. You can load it up with apps such as Peppa Pig on Holiday and CBeebies Storytime, as well as popping a few of their favourite films on there, and you’ll be set for hours of peace and quiet. 

Fire 7 Kid’s Tablet

Android 11 Kid’s Tablet

Fire HD 8 Kid’s Tablet

No Mess Colouring

Let your little ones scribble to their hearts’ content with these no-mess colouring activities and travel toys for toddlers. These are great for providing some entertainment on aeroplanes, as well as when you touch down at the airport. No need to worry about your troublesome toddler drawing on the plane seats or themselves – with these tidy toddler travel toys, you can have peace of mind that you and your child will come out clean. 

Galt Toys Water Magic Colouring Book

Melissa & Doug Scratch Pad

Janod MagnetiBook

Travel Toys in a Tin

Apples to Pears Ocean Adventures in a Tin

Wooden Hairdressers Vanity Kit in a Tin

Apples to Pears Train Set in a Tin

The Best Toddler Travel Toys for When You Land

Oaxis myFirst Full HD Waterproof Camera

The ideal travel toy for toddlers age 4 or over, this waterproof children’s camera from Oaxis lets your little one take snaps in the pool, in the sea, on the rocks, or anywhere else. With this toddler travel toy, there’s no limit to where your child can capture their explorations. And, this shockproof camera even comes with a waterproof transparent casing so it’s protected when they inevitably drop it.

VTech Kidizoom Duo Camera for Children

Suitable for children aged between 3-9, the VTech Kidizoom children’s camera will see them through from toddlerhood all the way to being a fully-fledged child. This dual-lens camera has a large screen and takes high-quality 5 megapixel photos and videos. You can switch between two different lenses, apply fun effects, stamps and frames to make your memories unique. This travel toy for toddlers even features a range of age-appropriate games, a voice recorder, a wacky photo shaker and a photo editor.

PROGRACE Kid’s Smart Watch

Another great travel toy for toddlers aged four and above is this multi-functional smart watch that takes photos and videos, features eight games, a motion sensor for pedometer and games, a calculator, alarm clock, stopwatch, voice recorder and more than 50 digital and analogue clock faces. It also comes with a rechargeable battery, making it ideal for travelling with toddlers. 

Trunki Ride-On Suitcase & Hand-Luggage

Ideal for kids aged three and above, the Trunki range is a must-have for travelling with toddlers. This spaceship-themed wheeled suitcase doubles as a ride-on toy or a temporary seat, and even has glow-in-the-dark lettering. This toddler travel toy is made from durable plastic, comes with a 5-year guarantee, has its own ‘passport’ and free stickers so your little one can personalise it. It’s a great travel toy for toddlers who get bored in airport lounges and queues. It can also fit quite a lot inside – including all those other toys you’re taking on holiday. 

Flyte Scooter Suitcase

An alternative for slightly older toddlers is the Flyte Scooter Suitcase – a cabin-sized suitcase that can hold all your child’s travel essentials and convert to a scooter by pulling out the footrest. This innovative toddler travel toy is surprisingly light and nimble, even when fully loaded. This toddler travel toy means your tiny tot can zoom around the airport, minimising the risk of tired legs and constant moaning. It comes in 11 playful designs, including animals and characters. 

Also check out the best travel strollers and the best travel highchairs.