Top Fun Travel Toys for Happy Toddlers on the Go!

Traveling with toddlers can be stressful, but with the right preparation, it can be made easier for both your little one and yourself. The key lies in packing clever items in your carry-on bag. While phones and tablets are great in a pinch, the blue light from screens can keep them up for hours when they should be napping. Many parents choose to avoid this added stimulation, especially on the road or in the air.

Instead of relying on YouTube as a backup, consider bringing along adorable and engaging toddler toys designed for travel. From favorite plane-friendly options to train and automobile-friendly toys, there are plenty of options to try. My personal priceless advice? Don’t forget to include snacks when packing up—they always help!

Best Travel Toys for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Traveling with toddlers and preschoolers comes with its own set of unique challenges. While you might have said goodbye to the giant diaper bag from the baby days, these little travelers still need plenty of support to stay entertained and happy.

Whether it’s a car ride, plane ride, hotel stay, or even waiting in long lines, having a bag of go-to travel toys can be a real life saver. After 11 years of parenting, I’ve learned that the best travel toys are those that create a major peaceful difference during trips.

When choosing toys, my criteria are simple: they should have a big age range to accommodate both little kids and older siblings, ensuring years of use and a big kid crossover. They should also have minimal mess, produce little noise or no noise, and avoid small parts that are easy to lose.

These factors make them perfect for visits to a relatives house or any travel scenario. Trust me, these best of the best toys are worth every penny for keeping your kids happy and engaged on the go.

Best Travel Toys for Toddlers: A Complete List

Toddler Busy Book: A Quiet Activity for Eager Learners

A Toddler Busy Book is a foundation for keeping little readers and active minds engaged during travel. Packed with interactive activities like lacing, buttons, and flaps, it’s perfect for tiny fingers to explore. This quiet activity ensures your toddler stays occupied while developing essential skills.

Montessori-Style Travel Busy Cube: On-the-Go Learning

The Montessori-Style Travel Busy Cube is a handheld activity cube designed to keep your toddler focused on tasks like fine motor skills and problem-solving. Its miniature, cube-shaped design fits perfectly in a car or by a plane window, making it an ideal Montessori toddler toy for travel.

SNOObear: A Cuddly Travel Companion

SNOObear is more than just a cuddly travel companion; it’s a multitasker! With white noise for audio comfort and playful puppet features, it’s perfect for snuggling or creating giggles on the go. Its holes and arms make it a familiar pal for sleeping away from home.

Travel Car Mat: Compact Fun for Little Drivers

A Travel Car Mat is a roll-up mat with parking spots, pockets, and roads that fits on a lap or tray table. This compact system is perfect for driving time and fits easily into a purse or little backpack, keeping your tyke entertained for hours.

Cloth “Paper” Doll: A Nostalgic Quiet-Time Activity

Cloth “Paper” Dolls bring the classics of mid-1800’s paper dolls to life with interchangeable outfits and accessories. Made of cloth or felt, they’re easier for little ones to manipulate than actual paper dolls, making them a quiet-time activity that tugs at heartstrings.

Pop-It Toys: Peaceful Popping Fun

Pop-It Toys are a fidget toy that even elementary kids are obsessed with. These poppable toys are perfect for little hands and provide a peaceful popping time on-the-go. They’re cheap, easy to find on Amazon, and loved by toddlers and big sibs alike.

Water Coloring Sets: Mess-Free Artwork

Water Coloring Sets use invisible ink and a wet-brush book to let kiddos color without the mess. As they mark the page, their artwork magically appears, rewarding their coloring skills and improving their pincer grasp.

Buckle Buddy: A Handy On-the-Go Toy

The Buckle Buddy is a simplified version of busy books and cubes. This soft, handy toy fits in a bag or purse and features hanging pieces to keep your tot busy during travel.

Window Clings: Customizing the Plane or Car Window

Window Clings let your toddler customize an airplane window or car with cute shapes like zoo animals, cars, and hearts. They’re reusable and perfect for window access or even a dry erase board.

Static Stickers: Goop-Free Imagination

Static Stickers are a goop-free way to spark your child’s imagination. With sets featuring scenes and story prompts, they’re perfect for a rainy day at home or on the road.

Travel Doodle Board: Electronics-Free Creativity

A Travel Doodle Board is an electronics-free tablet for your budding artist. With a stylus or fingers, they can draw, practice letters, and create on the go. It’s a pocket-sized option for older toddlers during a road trip.

Sensory Toys: Sustaining Interest on the Road

Sensory Toys are designed to sustain your child’s interest with complex features like pull, twist, push, rattle, and shake. These travel toys are perfect for infancy through the early toddler years.

Magnetic Game Set: Easy to Pack and Play

A Magnetic Game Set includes playsets with magnets that stick to a cookie sheet or plastic zip bag. These easy-to-keep-together sets are perfect for creating silly faces or other activities for early elementary school kids.

Magnetic Puzzle: Intellectually Stimulating Fun

A Magnetic Puzzle offers basic jigsaw puzzles that are intellectually stimulating and enjoyable for toddlers aged 2.5 years and up. It’s a great vacation activity that even big sis or bro can join in on.

Magnetic Building Blocks: Unlimited Creativity

Magnetic Building Blocks are a handheld set of magnetized blocks that provide unlimited fun and creativity. They’re a cinch to clean-up, making them ideal for travel-weary parents.

Lacing Set: Old-School Learning Fun

A Lacing Set is an old-school learning toy that improves hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. With cute designs like fruits, it’s a Montessori-style activity that keeps fingers and minds busy.

Lift-the-Flap Books: Surprises on Every Page

Lift-the-Flap Books are perfect for toddlers who love flipping through surprises like doors and boxes. These sturdy books are great for car rides, air travel, or train travel, offering a quiet activity with rewarding picture storytelling.

Finger Puppets: Screen-Free Storytelling

Finger Puppets are a screen-free way to spark your child’s imagination. These pint-sized travelers fit in a small bag or backpack, letting your kiddos explore ideas, act out scenes, and create sweet memories with their voices.