Best Travel Toys for Toddlers

There are a LOT of toys out there, but very few that are great for traveling, especially with a squirmy toddler! Here is a detailed list of the 21 BEST travel toys for toddlers!

Henry has done a decent amount of traveling for a 16 month old. He has been on 8 flights and several road trips so far. However, most of these trips were done last summer and fall when he was under 6 months and honestly weren’t that bad. He wasn’t mobile, was still nursing and was overall pretty easy to please.

Fast forward to this summer– he has become very opinionated and moves every waking minute. When I found out that we would be traveling this summer by airplane, I was really nervous. Like I lost sleep nervous. He never sits on my lap these days, how would I keep him happy for two entire flights?! To make me even more anxious, I would be doing one flight completely solo.

Obviously, I was pretty nervous. I did a LOT of research on the best toys, activities and tips for traveling with a toddler. I am going to be doing a three part series on which of them worked for US, plus several of my own ideas. This post will be the first in the series and all about travel TOYS for toddlers.

Why get new toys for traveling?

Everything I read suggested bringing new toys for the trip so that they would be more likely to hold a short attention span. Most articles I read suggested toys from the Dollar Tree. Now I love the Dollar Tree, but I’ve tried toys from there before and they just don’t hold my toddler’s attention. I did end up with a few things from there, but I also did purchase several nicer items from Amazon. They were still well under $15 each so I wouldn’t be upset if they got lost, but they are decent quality toys that I know will get used a lot in the future as well! I’m trying to reduce the amount of “things” in our house. So for any toys that are brought in, I want them to serve a purpose and be quality, well loved toys!

Here is a list of 21 our favorite finds. Some were purchased and some are on our wish list for our next trip in October. I hope you find some that entertain your toddler and that you have a great trip!

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Lacing Apple Toy:

This is such a great toy to teach toddlers how to thread. Henry did it over and over again with a little help. The only downside of this toy is that it is made out of wood and is slightly heavy–totally worth it though!

Magnetic Hide and Seek Board

If your little one loves opening doors or flaps, they will adore this toy! Under each door is a corresponding magnet which is great because they are harder to lose. Henry not only played with this on the plane for a long time, but also played with it almost every day of the trip!

Magnetic Animals with Iron Case

This set looks great for traveling since you can use the magnets on the box that they come in. I also love that they are bigger magnets that would be easier (and safer) for little hands.

Playtown: Airport (Lift the Flap Book)

This is such a fun book with TONS of flaps! It also gives lots of interesting facts and the illustrations are very inclusive of all types of people, which I love. I can see this being a book Henry loves for years to come.

Triangular Crayons

If your little one likes coloring with crayons these are great for the airplane because they won’t roll off of the tray!

Reusable Puffy Sticker Set

I had some puffy stickers laying around that I brought with us and Henry LOVED playing with them. It was the biggest hit, believe it or not! They are easy for little fingers to grasp and they can be stuck on nearly anything without leaving a sticky residue. I will be getting this set for our next trip now that I know how great they are!

Fat Brain Toys Dimpl

This toy is so simple, but so mesmerizing for toddlers! It’s great for in the car too.

Poke-A-Dot Book

These books are brilliant and so much fun for toddlers to “pop the bubbles” on each page. They are a little bit bulky to take on a plane, but I still found it to be worth it because of how entertaining they are!

Airplane Buckle Toy

Anyone else have a toddler who is constantly wanting to play with buckles? If so, this toys is perfect! The airplane one has a little higher price point than some of the other toys-if you would like a cheaper price point, this one is cute too!

Water Wow

These are such a great, mess free, travel toy! Just remember to fill up the brush with water before you board!

Magnetic Drawing Board

I was surprised how much Henry liked playing with this! He loved making marks and then erasing–over and over again.

Whatz It Fidget Toy

We actually found this at a toy store during our visit, but Henry enjoyed playing with it on the plane ride home! Another toy that will be fun for years to come.

Slinky

Just a fun classic toy for little ones to explore!

Window Clings

Defintley snag these at Dollar Tree or Target if you can, but if you can’t find them this is a bundle of 8 different sets that is cute and has good reviews! Henry really enjoyed sticking them all to the window and then removing them and putting them back on the sheet, over and over again.

Bead Maze

Henry is just starting to take an interest in bead mazes. This one is great for traveling because it is small and has suction cups on the bottom!

TOOB Animals

This was actually an impulse airport purchase because I was having major anxiety about flying by myself. Henry loves animals, so naturally he loved these! He shook the animals in the tube, took them in and out of the tube, played hide and seek with them, etc. So many ways to use these for ages!

Small Airplane Toys

I actually found some at Walmart for cheaper (check there first!) but these have great reviews and seem to be better quality. Another toy that I’m sure would get played with frequently by airplane lovers.

Oombee Cube Sorter

I just found this on Amazon and it is GENIUS! The shapes are attached by string so they can’t be lost! So great for an airplane. Excellent reviews too!

Crayola Mess Free Travel Kit

Pretty self explanatory right? 😉

Water Painting ABC Cards

Another wish list item! They look very similar to Water Wow books, but are flash cards that you can flip through. I can imagine them being a huge hit because each card seems “new”.

Buckle Toy “Buddy” Backpack

I will be getting this for our next trip for sure. Not only will it be a backpack that Henry can carry himself, but will provide entertainment on the flight or in the airport with all of those buckles! So fun!

I hope this list was helpful! Make sure that you are subscribed if you want to read the rest of the traveling with toddlers series! I also now have an Instagram account devoted solely to activities that I do with Henry @liveandlearnlittleones if you want to follow along! 🙂

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