Traveling with toddlers can seem like a daunting task. How do you entertain those little ones on long trips? Here is a list of great travel toys for toddlers that are affordable and easy to pack. The items on this list are affordable and make great gifts, and our family personally recommends each one!
Is it a good idea to travel with toddlers?
It is a great idea to travel with toddlers. Allow them to see something new and out of their comfort zone! Traveling as a family encourages bonding and can help you to see things that you can praise in your toddler or things that you need to work on with them. Aside from the important memories and relationship building that can happen, toddlers can learn so much from travel, and we can learn so much as we see the world through their eyes.
How do you keep toddlers entertained while traveling?
Ways to keep toddlers entertained while traveling include interacting with them, listening to music, watching shows, and letting them play with toys. The best way is to interact with them. Ask them questions and point at colors and vehicles. Sing their favorite songs too! Listening to music or watching shows isn’t a bad idea, especially if it’s a long commute, but saving that for a particular part of a trip makes it special, and helps you to capitalize on the time you have.
What makes a toy a good travel toy for a toddler?
The best travel toys for toddlers are ones that are easy to pack, not messy, are quiet (or can be made quiet), and engage their imagination or aid in their education! These toys are excellent toys for travel by airplane, car, or most other modes of transport. This list has only one toy recommended that makes noise, but it is volume-controlled. Additionally, none of them are very expensive, at the time of writing this list, the most expensive item is $27.
Also, one other thing that can make toys good for travel is if they are “special” to travel. This means reserving a few fun things for special occasions or long trips. We keep a few things in the car for this reason!
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, The Homesmiths will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.
Best Travel Toys for Toddlers:
Busy Board
This busy board is the best travel toy for toddlers. I love it because it makes no noise except for the buttons clicking. It’s great because it’s excellent for the trip and when you’re waiting or in places where the toddlers should be quiet or at least slightly distracted. We were recently at a wedding and our 16-month-old played with it the entire time and didn’t talk at all! No one knew he had it until after the ceremony and then adults and kids alike wanted to play with it. It requires two AA batteries, but even with the lights on and off constantly, we only replaced the batteries for the first time after six months. Check it out on Amazon here!
LeapFrog Laptop
This laptop is adorable! Our daughter loves that she can sit next to her parents and do “computer work”. We also love it for car rides. There are multiple games and the laptop does a great job of teaching letters and sounds. It even allows you to input your child’s name so that when they hit the first letter of their name it spells out the whole name! The laptop also has two volume levels so that it doesn’t get too loud for the environment you’re in. It requires one AAA battery and we’ve had it for a year without needing to replace it. Check it out on Amazon here!
Water Pen Books
These are so popular in our house and our car! Our kids love them and so do their friends. It’s great in the car or at restaurants because there is no noise and no mess but they feel like they are coloring! Check it out on Amazon here!
Stick a Story Book
And along this line, interactive books that are self-entertaining even for those who can’t read. This includes books with textures, flaps, and seek-and-find books! We love this Stick A Story book because it gives kids the fun of interacting with the pictures on the page using stickers, and the book has a small compartment for the stickers. Check out this specific Stick A Story Book on Amazon here!
Bonus idea:
Travel Tray
We love this thing. It’s not a travel toy for toddlers but it is helpful to allow them to play with their travel toys. It also doubles as an eating tray or a device holder. With this, we can recommend coloring books and crayons as a travel toy for toddlers as well! Check it out on Amazon here!
Let us know what you think of this list of travel toys for toddlers. Is there anything you’ve personally used and loved? Let us know in the comments below!
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