There are so many toys available on the market to buy for your toddler, but which ones are the best toddler travel toys? When looking for the best travel toys for toddlers it’s important the toy checks off a few key boxes. In this post, we will discuss what to look for in toddler travel toys and the most entertaining travel toys for toddlers your little one will love!
While most of these can be used as toddler road trip toys, remember a toy in the car needs to be soft and something that cannot become projectiles in case of a collision. However, all the toys on the list are great travel toys for toddlers on airplanes.
Traveling with a toddler can seem like a daunting task. So much so that parents often choose to forgo traveling with kids until they are more independent. There’s no doubt that traveling with kids, especially young ones, requires more planning. But it can be done, and it can even be enjoyable!!
We want parents to share their love for traveling with their little ones. To help, we’ve put together a ton of travel with baby and travel with toddler tips. Specifically here we share a list of our favorite toddler travel toys!
We’ve been traveling with our toddler (when writing this she is 22 months) since she was 6 weeks old. She’s been on long haul trips to Cartagena Colombia, Hawaii, Paris, Berlin and Barcelona. She’s road tripped across the US multiple times, through Italy and the Norway fjords.
We have definitely learned a lot on every trip. Let’s look at the most entertaining toddler travel toys your little one will love!
How Many Toddler Travel Toys Do You Need
You might be wondering exactly how many travel toys you need to pack. You probably need less than you think! As parents we tend to over pack and think our children need much more than they do. For shorter trips 2-3 toys will be plenty. For long haul trips pack 4-6 toys.
We often forget that so many things can be used as toys even though they weren’t purchased as toys!! Ask the flight attendant for a few plastic cups. Your toddler will love stacking them up or finding snacks in them. Let your toddler go through your purse and zip it open and closed. They will love a simple cup of ice or learning to open and shut the airplane window.
Spend time looking at what’s out the window, singing songs, and telling stories. Also, snacks will be your best friend while traveling. If you’re looking for a great travel snack cup, we love this snack cup because it’s also a toy!
Once you get to your destination you won’t need many toys at all. You’ll be our exploring most days and that will keep your toddler busy. The world is their playground!
What to Look for in Travel Toys for Toddlers
Compact
Having compact toys is very important when carry on baggage allowance is so limited. Between everything you already need when traveling with a toddler, there is not much space left for toys. Yet toys are so key for a smooth travel experience. Pick a few small compact toddler travel toys for your easy access luggage and a few for your stowed luggage.
Light Weight
You will be so thankful you packed light weight toddler travel toys when you have to haul your luggage around. The heavier your bags are, the harder it will be to lug your bags through the airport and around your destination. Plus airlines have weight limits on your baggage and you don’t want to risk your bags being over weight.
Quiet
Whether you are traveling by plane or car you will want quiet travel toys for toddlers. Simply because kids toys are typically obnoxious and annoying. Use quiet toys not only for your own sanity, but also for the other passengers near you and your toddler.
Multi Purpose
Get creative with your toys and think outside the box of how they are conventionally used. For example, can two toys be used together? Can you involve snacks with your toddler travel toys? Snacks are really the best form of entertainment for little ones so toys that can involve snacks will definitely be a favorite on your trip.
Mess Free
While traveling with your toddler, you don’t want to worry about your toys making a giant mess. On the plane, in the car, or at your hotel, you do not want your toys to cause a mess. Skip the play-doh, glitter, markets and go for travel toys for toddlers like stickers, water doodle pads, and an etch a sketch instead.
Doesn’t Require Charging
The last thing you want to happen is a toy your toddler is loving dying in the middle of playing with it. Que… tantrum!! Outlets are hard to come by and charging toys also takes time. Go with battery free toys and toddler travel toys that don’t require charging instead.
20 Entertaining Toddler Travel Toys
Writing Tablet
A writing tablet lets your toddler draw or scribble without the mess of markers or crayons. It has a lock and erase button and your toddler will love the magic erase button just as much as scribbling on the tablet. The tablet comes with a pen clip and elastic lanyard to prevent losing the pen. This tablet is light weight, thin, screen free and one of the best travel toys for toddlers!
Quiet Book Montessori
This small toddler travel toy is full of quiet and fine motor skill activities to keep your toddler busy. It’s a soft toy so it’s a great toddler road trip toy or travel toy for toddlers on airplanes. The activities in the book promote independence like zipping up zippers and buttoning buttons. It will definitely keep their hands and minds busy making this a great travel toy for your toddler!
Pull String Activity Toy
This toddler travel toy has many fun features. First, it has soft buttons to press in and pop out. The other side has one button and three holes so your toddler can press and move the button to different holes. Lastly, your toddler can pull and push the cords to hear and feel the various sounds and vibrations. 
Water WOW Pads
This is one of the best toddler travel toys because its mess free, compact and only requires water. Your toddler will watch the picture magically appear as they use the water pen to color over the paper. Each page has a few hidden objects for them to find and your toddler will be so excited when they find something unexpected. There are plenty of different versions so you can pick one that fits your toddlers interests.
Magnatiles Safari Animals
Magnatiles is a great travel toy for toddlers, but we recommend a smaller pack that won’t take up as much space or weight in your bag. These safari animals are so much fun because they can place the animals in fun places. Maybe they will build the elephant a cage, or the monkey a tree to climb in. Again there are different versions, arctic, jungle, or builders so get the one that fits your toddlers interests the best!
Small Safari Animals
These small animals are great travel toys for toddlers. They are small, light weight and super multi functional. You can do so much pretend play with them. Stack them up, let them have a tea party, share snacks, let your toddlers imagination run wild! They come in a case to keep them all together and make packing easy. However they are quite small so they can be a choking hazard for younger toddlers.
Water Doodle Mat
This water doodle mat is mess free and thin so it is easy to pack. All you need is water and your toddler will love watching their “art” appear on the pad. You could also let them get their fingers wet and finger paint on the pad for extra fun! This is one of the greatest toddler travel toys you can pack.
Reusable Stickers
If your toddler loves stickers then reusable stickers are a must for traveling with your toddler. These stickers can be used over and over again. They are big enough for their small hands to handle them and come in a book with multiple habitats your toddler can create. 
Pop It
Pop its are great at keeping toddlers busy. I love these ones because they are animal shaped and my daughter loves animals and they are the perfect small size for traveling. Plus they have letters on the buttons. We sing our ABCs as we pop the buttons and practice our letters while using them. This is a 3 pack but you probably only need to pack one or two for your trip.
Koosh Balls
Koosh balls are small and easy to throw in any bag you are packing. Not only can they can be used to throw and kick, but they can also be used to stretch and squish. They are very multi purposeful and can be so much fun! This is one of the most entertaining toddler travel toys that is so easy to pack.
Small Matchbox Cars
These small matchbox cars are a great toddler travel toy for toddlers that love cars. They are smaller then your typical toy car so they will take up less space in your bag. Your toddler will enjoy racing the cars, crashing them into each other and making ramps they can ride down.
Lacing Toy
This toy includes a handful of wooden objects and a long shoelace type string. Your toddler can run the string through the toys while doing so many things. Have your toddler name the objects as they string it. Tell them a story and when they hear something come up they add it to the string. Have your child make a pretty necklace! The options are endless with this awesome travel toys for toddlers.
Slinky Dog
The slinky dog is one of the best travel toys for toddlers for in the airport or at your destination. Your toddler will love pulling their slinky dog behind them and watching it walk. It is sure to keep them entertained while you are walking around and exploring your new destination.
Bubbles
Bubbles are such fun entertainment for toddlers. They are so easy to pack and bring with you anywhere. Just make sure the size of your bubbles meets the TSA requirements for liquid size allowed on board your flight. Your toddler will love blowing bubbles and popping them all around your destination.
Magnetic Blocks
This small pack of magnetic blocks are the perfect size for traveling with your toddler. Plus the fact that they are magnetic helps you not loose them on your travels. They are one of the best toddler travel toys to keep their hands busy and they allow for creative thinking while your toddler thinks of what to build next.
Animal Shaped Suction Toys
These suction toys are so much fun to play with! Your toddler will love suctioning them to their window or to each other. Another reason these make such great travel toys for toddlers is because they make great bath toys once you reach your destination.
Wooden Threading Toy
Similar to the lacing toy above, this toy is a block of wood with a long shoe lace type string attached. Your toddler can weave the string in and out of the wooden block and make neat designs on the wood block. This toy is great for developing fine motor skills and hand eye coordination.
Etch a Sketch
An etch a sketch is one of the original travel toys for toddlers! I remember playing with this when I was a kid which means it’s been around for quite a few decades. This etch a sketch allows your toddler to draw on a tablet using a special pen. Let their imagination run wild or set a scene and have your toddler draw it for you. Younger toddlers will love scribbling on it and seeing their design appear. Parents can also be involved and draw things they request.
Busy Book
A busy book is exactly what you think it is based on the name. It is a book filled with different activities your toddler can do. Things like sort things by size, match the colors, counting and more. This is one of the best toddler travel toys to keep their mind working.
Scarves
The things you can do with a scarf is endless! And they are so easy to pack. Scrunch it up and it takes up basically no room and it is as light as a feather. Let your toddler throw it up in the air and catch it, try juggling or play hide and seek with it. There are so many things you can do with this awesome toddler travel toy.
Enjoy your trip!
We hope you found some entertaining toddler travel toys your kid will enjoy. Have a wonderful trip with your toddler.
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