10 Best Travelling Toys for Toddlers & Babies

8 min read

Long travel days for parents can be stressful with babies and toddlers in tow. Keeping them happy and occupied is easier said than done, and the start of an exciting trip can often be clouded by these worries.

Awaiting a long-haul flight or stuck in a traffic jam can bubble up some nerves when a little one is with you. But please don’t dread these journeys! There are plenty of helpful, fun, and educational toys just waiting to keep them happily entertained, allowing you some precious moments of peace and quiet.

Don’t optimistically wish for a smooth journey - make it happen yourself! Read on to discover some of the best toys for travelling with toddlers and babies to ensure a hiccup-free travel day.

The Best Travel toys for Toddlers

While travel days can be challenging with children, they don’t need to be! There are so many toys on offer to assist you and support your child’s development.

1. Mess-free drawing with the Paw Patrol gang

Looking to spark your toddler’s creativity on-the-go? The Paw Patrol Drawing Board is the perfect travel companion to draw endless colourful doodles alongside their favourite Paw Patrol characters!

Not only is this a no-mess toy - simply swipe the cleaning mechanism for a blank canvas - but with an easy carry handle and magnetic accessories that you can glide through the airport with ease. Worry no more about keeping tabs on all the little extras, with the pen and shapes safely fixed to the board you are free to enjoy your child’s creations. And an extra special plus - no batteries are required!

The drawing board allows your toddler the freedom to be inspired by their surroundings. When travelling, they’re likely to encounter people, objects and environments that are entirely new and exciting to them. This is wonderful for their social development, and what better way to explore this than through drawing.

They’re not limited to just drawing either! With this toy they can practice spelling, colours and shapes too. There are hours and hours of fun to be had!

2. Get exploring with the 100 Words About Places I Go Interactive Learning Book

Toddlers are inquisitive, love learning and are always exploring. This is amplified when travelling. When in a different town, county or country, there are so many opportunities for your child to learn about a wide variety of subjects in an engaging way.

Leapfrog’s 100 Words About Place I Go bilingual learning book is a fantastic addition to your toddler’s suitcase. Get them excited about learning on-the-go with this handy interactive toy, perfect for curious kids.

With chapters including age-appropriate words, in both English and French, about the beach, funfair, park or the farm, this compact book provides core learning skills as they explore the world!

Enjoy a happy, content and engaged toddler, developing their vocabulary, colours and counting skills. What more could you want while juggling both travelling and children?

3. Travel to infinity and beyond with the Toy Story 4 Pop-Up Game

Add this sturdy, classic board game to liven up your road trip! Have fun to infinity and beyond with the pop-up game inspired by Disney Pixar’s Toy Story 4.

When boredom strikes mid-journey and the rollercoaster of emotions begin, having this on-hand will be a gamechanger. Simply pop-up the game on a plane table or on your lap in the car. Toddlers can whizz round the board and pass their favourite characters.

With 16 pieces to move, these accessories provide a colourful experience and can help with their cognitive understanding and visual perception.

4.The dependable Activity Cube

You rely on the toys you choose to take whilst travelling with your toddler. There’s lots of opportunities to lose parts of a toy - under the car seat, down the plane aisle, and in the check-in queue, to name a few. Or even worse, the battery light starts flashing!

Do you need a toy that you can depend on for those kind of days?

Then the Early Learning Centre Mini Wooden Activity Cube is perfect for you and your toddler.

In a compact size and made of sustainably sourced wood, there are so many activities for them to discover in just one toy. Shape sorting, moveable clock hands, sliding shapes, turning cogs and a bead maze will stimulate all their senses and keep them occupied during long journeys.

While having fun, this cube offers play and learning benefits. Your toddler can develop their fine motor skills, problem-solving and hand-eye coordination all in one toy!

And your plane neighbours will love you as this toy has low noise levels. So, all they’ll hear is the joy tumbling from your toddler as they explore this activity cube!

It’s colourful and stylish, and most importantly when on the move, handy to take in and out of your bag when required.

5. Keep discovering with Discovery Triangle

Like the Activity Cube, this Early Learning Centre Discovery Triangle is great at keeping your toddler entertained and continually learning.

As a self-contained toy, there’s no need to worry about parts going missing. Simply allow your child to explore the sensory activities on offer without needing to crawl under the seat to retrieve - judging from the sounds coming from your child - the best piece!

They will be mesmerized by the colourful beads that flow down the spirals, the wheel they can spin, the mirror to peer at themselves in and the array of shapes to push and pull. The variety and fun are endless!

While travelling is an experience in itself, the days can be long but with an engaging toy by their side your toddler can be distracted by a toy with learning benefits. The perfect mix – education and fun!

With several textures and patterns, this Discovery Triangle supports your toddler’s hand-eye coordination development and is great for visual and tactile stimulation. Before you know it, they’ll be asleep in no time, happy and full of knowledge. It will allow you to ease through those travel days peacefully.

The Best Travel Toys for Babies

6. Rattle and chime your way to your destination

Looking out the window is not always enough to keep your baby entertained! They will most likely require additional visual stimulation, even for the shortest journeys.

Early Learning Centre Sensory Discovery Balls are a brilliant option to keep them occupied. With three in a pack and all with different features, you can keep them triply entertained in the car.

With a rattle in one, a chime in another, and a mirror featured on the third, these Discovery Balls provide the perfect toys for their self-discovery and development.

Using the mirror to peek at themselves, shaking the balls for the rattle or chime sounds will promote imaginative play, hand-eye coordination, and fine motor skills. The balls also feature different textures for your baby to experience.

Who needs the car radio when you’ve got the musical creations of your baby with their Sensory Discovery Balls?

7. Oodles of fun with the Super Shaker

Sometimes one toy isn’t enough to hold your baby’s attention for a long period of time, and when travelling, luggage space is precious. We’d all rather not fill up our hand luggage with baby toys!

Are you looking for the perfect toy to occupy your little one and save space? Look no further!

Your baby will be delighted by the Super Shaker by Playgro. There are multiple features, colours, textures and shapes to explore. It’s the ultimate, versatile toy to keep your little one entertained the whole trip.

They can seamlessly move between shaking the rattle, chewing on the teether, and scrunching the crinkle material without you having to delve into your bag every 10 minutes!

Working their way through the oodles of features that will stimulate their senses, you’ll feel secure knowing they’ll be entertained, challenged and their curiosity satisfied while travelling.

8. The perfect road-trip cuddly companion

We all need a bit of comfort sometimes, and with travel disrupting their normal routine, babies even more so.

On those long journeys, it’s the perfect time to bring along a calming and cuddly plush to soothe your little explorer, allowing you to deal with the U-turn your satnav would repeatedly like you to take!

The sweetest Baby Bunny from Early Learning Centre makes the perfect road-trip companion for your baby. The bunny has long silky ears and a fluffy tail, as well as velvet-soft fur providing luxurious support when in their car seat.

Not only will your baby be pampered by Baby Bunny, but it’s designed to develop their sensory stimulation with the gentle jingle noise it makes as they play.

Dr Liji Thomas discusses how sensory stimulation is crucial for newborns to aid in their normal development. It occurs when one or more of your senses are activated and helps your child to understand how to communicate with others and learn about the world around them (Thomas, 2022).

9. Learn and grown with Smart Stages Sis Puppy

Are you on the lookout for a toy that grows with your baby? Or do you need a toy that is suitable as road trip entertainment? The sweet Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Sis Puppy toy fills both requirements!

Doubling up as cuddly and educational, your baby will be delighted with all this puppy can offer. Featuring Smart Stages technology and over 50+ sing-along songs, melodies, and phrases, your little one will be providing all the DJ entertainment for your road trip!

It’s a brilliant toy to learn together with your baby in a fun and engaging way. Teaching them numbers, colours and the alphabet, they won’t be short of activities to keep them occupied in the car.

And with three different levels, the Smart Stages Sis can grow as your child’s developmental requirements change, extending the life of the toy.

With all the activities on offer, time will fly by for your baby. Whether they choose to cuddle with their soft puppy or press the buttons to hear her sing, the long journey will soon be over!

10. Stay entertained with the Activity Time Elephant

Are you rushing through the airport trying to catch your flight with a pram in tow? It’s tricky to juggle bags, prams, a closing gate, and a baby who needs attention! For these moments, any product to help assist you as a parent and benefit your baby’s development is a big bonus.

That’s why the Activity Time Elephant from Little Lot is great for those manic-running-through-the-airport scenes. Simple yet innovative, this handy elephant clips on to prams and car seats easily to keep your baby engaged.

With plenty on offer, from teether ears and a spinning ball, to crinkle fabric and a self-discovery mirror, your baby won’t be short of entertainment as they whizz through the airport or on the plane.

Fulfilling several key learning and development skills in one toy, this Activity Time Elephant nurtures your baby’s growth through fun play and exploration – even while in the air!

What Makes a Great Travel Toy?

Read below for some key features of toys great for travelling!

Quiet

Your neighbours will love you and your child will be entertained. It’s a win-win! There are so many toys available with little to no noise that will help keep your little one occupied while travelling.

Minimal Parts

The last thing you want to be worried about when travelling are missing pieces or too many pieces to store. It’s unpractical and a hassle. Toys with minimal parts are the bee’s knees! And with an abundance of fun, educational and multi-purpose toys available, your travel days are looking a lot smoother.

Compact

Similarly, it’s best to avoid anything too bulky. Not only do you have to carry around with you, but it needs to fit comfortably somewhere, whether sitting on a plane or in the car. (As children are unlikely to want to hold them the whole time!) Toys that can be folded, can fit in seat pockets or easily in a backpack will probably be your most ideal option.

Mess Free

Having a selection of mess free toys is great for those travel days. You don’t want to add any unnecessary complexities when travelling so keeping your child’s play tidy is crucial. Leave the arts and crafts, playdough, and sand kits at home. Concentrate on packing toys that make your life easier!

Lightweight

Keep it practical with lightweight toys! There’s nothing worse than arms and bags being weighed down by heavy toys while travelling after your child gets bored. Your little one can play comfortably in their car seat or on the plane, and parents can happily look after the toys when needed. Lightweight toys are easier all around!

Remember:

Travelling should be fun and hassle-free! Take the time to engage in your child’s development whilst exploring new toys and experiences.

Preparation is key! Get inspiration from the toys discussed above and curate a brilliant, fool-proof selection of travel toys for your little one.

Having a variety of toys or activities to choose from, depending on whether you’re in a car, plane or even a boat, will help your child stay occupied, you’ll feel more relaxed, and you can start to enjoy your travels together as a family!

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