Looking for some ideas for the best travel toys for babies and toddlers that encourage creativity and how to entertain a toddler on a plane? Check out these toys we have used over and over for both of our girls on multiple long haul flights and at our destination too!
These include puzzles that foster exploration and adventure, keeping them engaged during the journey. Hi, I‘m Carrie and ex flight attendant and parent of two, who have flown since they were 11 weeks old long and short haul, and all those toddler flights and beyond! We’ve experienced plenty of flights with babies, toddlers, younger children even 24 hours flights to Australia!
We have plenty of brilliant suggestions ranging from easy compact toys like puzzles that feed their imagination, toys you can put together from cheap household items, to tried and tested baby and toddler travel toys to buy – which keep boredom at bay whilst on the go!
Best of all, these travel toys and activities fuel their creativity and pursuit of adventure, and have all been carefully researched before using them on our flights. They are also great for your destination and at home too.
BEST BABY AND TODDLER TRAVEL TOYS 2023
Why trust our reviews? With some epic journeys from the UK to Australia and plenty of short and other long haul flights flying with toddlers and babies under our belt, we have needed to keep our little ones occupied with a variety of puzzles, toys and travel activities that harness their imagination and learning. We have personally used many of these items and for the ones we haven’t other readers or friends have recommended.
We have covered below how to entertain a baby from a few months old, to how to entertain a 1 year old on a plane, older toddlers who are more energetic and every age in between. These travel toys and activities work great for road trips too!
Some of these suggestions are sensory travel toys that instigate exploration, whereas others are more educational, screen free, or creative play without the mess – like imaginative puzzles. Best of all they are quiet!
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The baby travel toys are listed first, followed by toddler travel toys. I have included some cheap and/or easy to make options too. All of which will help you entertain a toddler on a plane or in a car.
The majority of the following portable travel toys for toddlers have worked well for myself and other parents on many many flights and car journeys.
Our review experts are fellow parents, who like myself, have traveled extensively and used many of these travel toys ourselves, with different aged toddlers on various long and short haul trips. Many of our well travelled parents can be found on the Travel with Babies and Toddler Facebook group offering helpful advice too!
This guide is regularly updated with the latest toys and activities and ideas which impress us and keep even the most fidgety toddler busy and your flight less stressful.
Brilliant Travel Activities and Toys For Babies and Toddlers 2023
Do let us know what worked well for you!
TRIED AND TESTED TRAVEL GAMES, TOYS and ACTIVITIES FOR BABIES 2023
How do I keep my baby entertained on a plane? This section is the one for you! The following travel toys have worked well for myself and other parents when flying with a baby and when out and about. From technological gadgets to basic yet fun toys, we have managed to find a balance.
These baby travel toys have been tried and tested on long and short haul flights. Attention spans usually run low, but these, small, lightweight and durable toys can help keep little ones entertained. Music and kid- friendly technology. Read on to see the activities which have worked for our family on many long haul and short haul flights.
These are so portable to take with you and stick on a plane window, train window, a hotel fridge and a variety of places. Recommended for 18 months and up. Inisde is a tiny rattle so a small sound is made as they twirl around. These were a huge hit with our toddler tester and big sister too!
I particularly liked this bath set from Munchkin. which is neatly stacked for hand luggage and ideal for in and out of water. We found these cups were great to play with in a bath or a pool at the destination too-. Our toddler used them in the bath at home since too.
The durable cups are in bright colours so the have an educational element to them too as little one can learn the colours and develop their fine motor skills when stacking them. They also have the option of being stuck together to form a caterpillar and for pouring water with different perforations. These were definitely one of our go to’s for travelling.
- Cups nest for compact storage
- Helps build hand-eye coordination
- Made for kids 9 months and up
The regular shape sorter game was a hit at home as we got to the "posting' stage of baby and toddler life. And this one is ideal for on-the-go. Its interactive nature keeps them engossed during the trip.
It's a great game for little hands and one that is easy to transport whilst traveling. It does have pieces which could drop, but this is useful for little ones to play with in the more secure airplane bassinet ( if they don't keep throwing them out which is another game in itself!) or at your destination.
- Perfect take-along toy
- Includes a padded case with 2 activity sides and a take-along handle
- Includes 9 shaped, textured blocks in in various colours
A firm favourite of ours since she was a tiny baby and she still loved them as a small toddler. The bright colours engage and provide visual stimulation, whereas the links have different textures on which appeals to babies sense of touch.
All linked together they can be used as a rattle, or separately as a teether. Another very versatile toy. They work brilliantly on airline bassinets and are ideal for travel car seats too.
- Multiple colors stimulate baby's sense of vision
- Multiple textures provide touch stimulation
- Top-rack dishwasher safe
My 1 year old LOVED this interactive buckle toy whale and it kept her so busy. So many people have sung its praises to me after purchasing it. I firmly believe it’s one of the best travel toys for 1 year olds and often buy it as a travel gift for friends with little ones.
This durable Buckle Toy Whale has several buckles to do up and a zip mouth. The only issue is once they master the buckle, you may get asked a few times to unbuckle it, until they discover that skill.
Nonetheless, it has easily occupied her for over 30 minutes – a minor miracle! Now it’s a firm favourite on all our journeys, car included. It’s one of the best toddler toys for airplane use, because it is so quiet.
- Easy-glide zipper pocket
- Vibrant colored straps and buckles
- Perfect for small hands and to clip on a stroller
The Zippee is a fairly quiet multi-sensory silicone activity toy for babies 18 months plus. Pull the cords from side to side to hear and feel the various sounds and vibrations the cords make. With the sound of an aircraft white noise this won't disturb other passengers during those vacation flights.
It’s BPA free, Phthalate Free, Food Grade Silicone. Easy to clean (warm water or top rack of dishwasher). Bonus is it makes a great fidget toy for older siblings too, even serving as a travel puzzle!
This is a a much loved classic book of our from the ‘Find The .. series There are lots of things to spot besides the duck on each page. Both of our girls have loved this book so much that I had to buy two copies due to over use!
The dimpl toy features 5 vibrant silicone bubbles built into a plastic frame. Simple yet brilliant; push and pop them, Poke and grab them; a perfect, portable sensory delight which can slip into a carry on bag easily. `Suitable for 10 months +
The pictures are by Axl Schelffler and are so engaging. It’s easy to see why these books are so popular with young children. Both of mine loved them from an early age and now the older one reads it to my youngest. Win win!
Soft cloth books have pages with quiet, sensory types of activities kids can do which often teach them practical skills. Lift-the-flap, play peek-a-boo, Search for hidden surprises in the Cloth Book, Touch and feel textures.
BEST TRAVEL GAMES, TOYS and ACTIVITIES FOR TODDLERS 2023
I’ve frequently been asked, ‘How to keep a 1 year old busy on a plane?’ and “What toddler airplane activities do you recommend?” Unlike babies, toddlers, need a little more entertaining! Good ideas for travel toys for toddlers on airplanes include toys which are quiet, practical, hands on and mess free!
The same applies for toddler toys for the car – unless you can handle the tunes or noise!
Travelling with a toddler on a plane or with an older baby who may need some entertaining on the go? Below, you will find my tried and tested travel toys for children on flights and car journeys.
Travelling with a toddler on a plane or with an older baby who may need some entertaining on the go? Below, you will find my tried and tested travel toys for children on flights and car journeys.
TIPS FOR TRAVELLING WITH TODDLERS
When your toddler doesn't want to sleep and needs to be occupied, toys help and having some activities up your sleeve help keep the peace! The following travel toys have worked well for myself and other Mums.
I highly recommend wrapping some of the smaller items in paper and tape as this provides extra entertainment for your little one and their inquisitive fingers. (Obviously not practical to wrap loads if you have several tots - but a couple of small surprises for all really does help in moments of need!)
Here are some of the top travel toys for toddlers in 2023 with plenty of specific plane activities for toddlers too.
A friend recently recommended this wooden threading block which is great for developing younger toddler and baby fine motor skills – plus it’s a very quiet travel toy.
These similar travel water pen books by Melissa & Doug Water WOW also look fun too and educational! Just make sure you empty the pen from water before security or add it to your clear plastic bag. They are reusable and both liked the activity. I also used to pop them in my bag for when we were eating at restaurants too.
Every person we have sat nexrt to on a plane has been amazed by these, Such a simple idea but clever! Triangular crayons like these from Melissa & Doug, don't roll away on an airplane or train tray table! Genius and one of the best toys for toddlers on planes!
Pop Tubes Sensory Toys can connect together to form different shapes and words. They are textured and a great sensory fidget toy. The tubes stretch and help improve fine motor skills, motor planning & hand strength. These one are recommended for kids age 3+ so the older toddlers/ preschoolers.
My youngest is a HUGE dinosaur fan. This Dino Explorer case is ideal for dinosaur lovers aged 4 and above. The set includes 2 figures two dinosaurs, net cannon, rock wall, and other accessories a mini map and dinosaur bones! The carry case is sturdy with a handle, so compact and easy to transport. There are other similar sets in the series including a fairy unicorn case, construction case, a puppy play set amongst others.
Wikki Stix have been popular with both of mine but they are ideally suited to an older toddler. preschooler and beyond if played with independently. Otherwise they can help you make fun designs. My eldest made the glasses in the image. They are mess free and basically string with wax over, allowing the pieces to stick together for fun designs.
The magnetic board opens up and creates a scene with characters and accessories that stick to the board! The magnetic board does reduce the chance of them being dropped on the floor when travelling.
This Montessori Quiet Book by deMoca is a set of reinforced fabric pages tied into 9 activities for your toddler, with all pieces tethered to the busy book to avoid losing pieces. Perfect for plane journeys and road trips! Some of the activites are more engaging than others, but this will be different for each child.
Another idea for younger children, is a travel busy board - where everything is in one place but there are plenty of activities for little hands. This Montessori Busy Board is a great sensory toy with lots of zips, buttons and games to play which are all part of a bag. This toddler travel bag has enough space for favorite books, coloring crayons, paper, snacks and even a water bottle too!
A hit with our toddler. Gel Window stickers or gel clings are reusable, mess free and very handy if you have a window seat on a plane, or even for road trips in a car or coach. These are better for older pre-schoolers. If you cannot find any window stickers or don’t have a window seat, then stickers, bandaids, post-it notes are another option for cheap toddler travel games. These can easiily be stuck on seat rests and airplane tray tables for fun too!
Kids washi tape. You can get rolls themed with dinosaurs, pirates, cars, fairytales and more. Great for roll play and sticking on the airplane tray table as it is easily removable and mess free. You can even buy washi tape or masking/painters tape which is marked out like a road. Or draw your own road markings on plain painters tape. Just add a toy car and zoom! But for ease, this Melissa and Doug Tape Activity book has resusable activities.
My Busy Books are great travel activities for kids. These are very good value activity boxes with a story, 12 figurines and also contain a folded up play mat for role play. Whilst the play mat is too big for a plane or public transport, the figurines are still fun to play with. Once at a destination or a flight delay, the play mat can come out.
This is all very compact and easy to pack in your hand luggage making them ideal travel toys for toddlers. We have a Paw Patrol, Frozen, Trolls and My Little Pony one!
My one-year-old and four-year love Duplo. The number train is easy to pack and fun too. (We just discarded the box for easier packing). We actually bought this on one of our trips away and then kept bringing it along as it was such a success.
Pieces can obviously drop on the floor of a car or airplane, so we opted to just use a couple of pieces from this set on the plane and saved the rest for playing with at the destination. If you are staying in a hotel room, villa, or Air BNB which doesn’t have any toys, bringing a few toys for moments of boredom or quiet time can prove invaluable.
Crayola Color Wonder is a staple for us now. The magic pens leave zero mess on clothes as they only react with the colouring paper in the special books. There are so many characters to choose from now as well as traditional coloring in books too. They are great to whip out on flights, trains and at restaurants.
These water drawing sets are some of the best toddler toys for airplane entertainment. They have re-usable colouring in mats, which just use a water pen. Once they have dried out, you can reuse them again. the handy little case makes it perfect for little ones to carry around independently too.
This is a great idea if you are packing travel toys for 18 months and older. For flights, you will need to remove the water from the pen where liquid rules still apply.
Mini figurines; such as the Happy Land characters from the Early Learning Centre (UK) or the Fisher Price Little People.(Worldwide) or small toy animals and dinosaurs.
These have been played with SO much on all modes of transport and are a firm staple for us. These are brilliant for imaginative play - arm rests become mountains, tray tables become roads and seat belts slides!
This is a mini train set with tracks all in a tin - perfect for traveling!
We have the Farm in a Tin version from the UK, which has been SO popular with my daughter from the age of two. It does have small parts (especially the 3 ducks) but it’s such a compact toy, which has been handy to have in my bag and whip out if there has been a flight delay.
It’s also been great for her to play with whilst away on holiday and stuck inside a hotel room or winding down with some jet lag. Even at home it’s played with frequently, making our list as one of the best toddler travel toys for 2 year olds. You can buy rail track to extend the track around the tray table or hotel floor which leaves no messy residue behind!
You can buy role play/painter tape or road play tape here from Amazon. It is ideal as it doesn't ruin furniture and can be used anywhere, making cars and road tape perfect toys for toddlers on airplanes. You can buy rail track to, if you wish to extend the train track from train in a tin above!
This sensory fidget popper bubble toy is made of silicone and comes with a clown fish, whale and turtle. There are so many variations to buy.
Sweetie necklace with strawberry laces and Cheerios.
I also liked this screen-free activity my friend suggested to add to my selection of toddler travel toys: some Cheerios or any cereal with a ring shape and a sweetie lace. Great for fine motor skills and the kids like making and eating them too. Plus it takes a bit of time for small hands, eating in to your flight time.
Anything from a $ or £ store
The £ or $ store is your friend when it comes to cheap entertainment on flights! Every few weeks brings new items. We really liked these little cut out people which you can dress and the cardboard tube/paper cup characters.
There are plenty of art and crafty bits in there, meaning you can raid the aircraft loo’s/restrooms for more cups to use.
Paper dolls with stickers from Flying Tiger are a lot of fun that older toddlers can manage independently. Stickers and sticker books have always been a hit with my girls; and with these there are lots of stickers to design your own paper chain of paper dolls. Stickers like these also make great travel toys for toddlers in the car as you have a little more space.
CHEAP TRAVEL TOYS IDEAS FOR TODDLERS AND BABIES
- Post it notes – kids LOVE peeling them off and sticking them anywhere. Same for band aids/plasters or sticker books. If they do get stuck on to the plane tray table or elsewhere like my toddler enjoys doing, they are easy to remove.
- You can also make puppets out of the on-board sick bags or paper cups if you are feeling creative! It’s amazing what you will do on a 15 hour flight! Yes, I may have done this once or twice!
- The humble balloon! We always put a few in our luggage to inflate in the hotel room for a game of catch.
- Coloured rice in a tic-tac or similar plastic container for a small rattle is great for a cheap travel toy option.
- As pictured above the sweetie necklace with strawberry laces and Cheerios has always been a hit with my two girls.
- An old spice jar and pipe cleaners can make a great fine motor skill activity as some quiet airplane toys for toddlers.
- Small pom poms and a plastic tub with a lid with holes in – many babies and toddler love ‘posting’ things, including ours, so posting the pom poms can while away some time on a long flight. We used a baby sock and a hair tie around the bottom of the bottle to make it easy to empty them out and start the game again.
- For a train journey and on a flight, I made these cheap sensory baby travel toys in case boredom struck. Just use some old baby wipes lids and some fabric, foil, feathers or anything tactile to make a sensory toy or lift the flap toy like above.
- You can buy role play/painter tape or road play tape here from Amazon. It is ideal as it doesn’t ruin furniture and can be used anywhere, making cars and road tape perfect toys for toddlers on airplanes.
Have you any more cheap travel toy or DIY travel toy suggestions? Do let me know below!
MORE Airplane Travel Toys Ideas & Travel Games for Toddlers
- Stickers
- Fuzzy Felt or similar
- Interactive Apps – See my separate post on Apps.
- Magnetic boards games
- Finger Puppets
- Toddler busy bags are also available ready-made online so here are a few options for you to choose from and some suggestions below of how to make your own!
- Travel Tegu magnetic wooden block set.
- You may also find my post on car activities for toddlers, and magnetic travel games useful for travelling with kids too.
What to look out for when choosing a travel toy.
Depending on your budget and mode of transport, look out for these features:
- Can be used independently: If you constantly need to be interacting or operating the toy, you are going to end up frazzled and exhausted. A toy which allows you a few minutes to enjoy your inflight meal or gives you time to fill out paperwork is best for everyone.
- Quiet: A quiet toy will make you popular with any neighbors. This includes headsets for any tablets. The rest of the plane maybe trying to sleep and do not hear Peppa Pig on repeat!
- Compact: Toys which can be easily stowed or folded away are better when you re tight on space, especially with cabin bags allowances always reducing! Make sure the toys doesn’t have really tiny pieces though, or these can get easily lost.
- Lightweight: Inevitably, it’s the parents who end up carrying not only their child but their toys too! For your back’s sack, pack lightweight. Multi-use toys are brilliant like stacking cups as they can be used as toy on the plane and on arrival for bath-time fun too.
- Mess free: Please leave the Playdoh at home! Crew or cleaners need to spend longer getting it out of small crevices or removing ingrained bits from the carpet – which means delays to boarding for next flights. It’s no fun removing from the car either.
- Does not rely on batteries or charging. There is nothing worse than running out of power or finding the charging portal is broken. Have toys packed which don’t rely on batteries or cables.
- Multi use toys: Toys which have multi uses can save space and luggage weight. eg Snacks like the Cheerio hops and laces idea below, can be a fine motor skill activity as well as a snack. Or road play tape that can be used anywhere, from a plane tray table to a hotel room carpet.
TIPS FOR TRAVELING WITH BABIES
When babies start to become curious about their surrounding; grabbing things and interacting, then having a couple of favorite toys to help relieve any boredom or to use as a distraction really help – especially if you are flying long haul.
Some airlines do provide a soft toy for younger babies and other inflight entertainment, but it’s best not to expect it, as it is never guaranteed.
I do go into a lot of practical and detailed information and provide flying with a baby tips which cover everything you need to know from booking to arrival; including sleeping on a plane tips, requesting baby meals, breast feeding, baby bassinets, the best seats, complimentary airport strollers and so much more. I would definitely recommend a read after you have looked through this post.
If you are concerned about other possible issues such as sleep on the plane or your kids playing up on the flight you may find the highlighted links useful too!
BEST TRAVEL GIFT IDEAS FOR BABIES AND TODDLERS
I’m always on the look out for travel themed gifts for my kids and my husband -as he travels quite a bit for work too. I’ve recently complied a list of useful and fun travel presents for babies, toddlers, kids and mums and dad’s. Have a look here for ideas for birthday or Christmas presents!
Have I missed any top travel toys that have worked for you? What your favourite toys for travel? Please do comment below so I can add them.
Don’t forget:
- Would you like a free printable (no sign up) packing checklist? If so see here.
- Find out which airlines/airports provide courtesy airport strollers here.
- Have you read the tried and tested flying with a baby tips here?
- The above are available at the time of writing from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. Please let me know in the comments if a toy was invaluable for your flight, train or car journey and the age of your baby or toddler.
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Monday 19th of September 2022
What is the "string" in your sweetie necklace? I can't find anything on google.
Carrie Bradley
Monday 19th of September 2022
Hi, it's a liquorice strawberry 'lace' sweet/candy
Morocco tourism
Wednesday 29th of January 2020
very useful site with good guidelines !! worthy job
Kavitha
Tuesday 5th of November 2019
Wow, that's a wonderful list. The best toys for 1 year olds are something that will keep them entertained for hours and also develop their essential skills at the same time.
3 Otters
Tuesday 30th of July 2019
Thank you for all the tips. We are planning travel by road and hopefully these toys will keep the kids occupied. ?
Qhouse kids
Wednesday 22nd of May 2019
Thanks for sharing such an informative post..we are taking a 18hr long plane journey and looking to find some new toys i can get to bring out on the plane to hopefully keep my daughter as entertained as possible.. you have saved so much of my time thank you.,