Toddler Travel Toys: What I Pack for Flights & Road Trips
We’ve been traveling with our kids since they were little, and one thing I’ve learned is that you really don’t need to pack a suitcase full of toys to keep a toddler entertained.
My son was traveling with us when he was tiny, and now we’re doing it all over again with my daughter. Over the years, I’ve figured out a pretty simple system: a few new toys, inexpensive activities, and most importantly… don’t give them everything at once.
Our son on one of our trips … we’ve been figuring out this traveling-with-kids thing for a while.
I Always Bring a Few Toys They’ve Never Seen
Before a trip, I like to buy a couple of special toys that I hide until we’re actually traveling.
I find a lot of them on Amazon because it’s easy, but I also really like Barnes & Noble when I want to shop in person. They usually have a great selection of busy toys, activity books and different little things that I don’t always see at the regular stores.
For toddlers, I specifically look for things that are:
Small enough for my carry-on
Easy to wipe clean
Not made up of a million tiny pieces
Something they can play with more than once
My Biggest Trick: Don’t Give Them Everything at Once
This might be the thing that helps me the most.
I hide the toys.
I don’t put five new things in front of them as soon as we sit down. I’ll pull out one toy, let them play with it, and when they’re clearly over it, something new magically comes out of my bag.
It keeps them from getting overloaded and makes a handful of toys last so much longer.
And now we’re doing the toddler travel stage all over again with my daughter.
One of my favorite little travel items is washable toy straps.
I use them to attach toys to the airplane, stroller or a restaurant high chair. Instead of the toy hitting the floor every two minutes, it stays attached and within reach.
They’re small, wipeable and something I actually use beyond the airplane, so they’re always worth packing for me.
My $10 Dollar Tree Tradition
I almost always make a Dollar Tree run before we travel.
I give myself about a $10 maximum and look for whatever seems fun at the time…stickers, crayons, coloring supplies, little activity books and other inexpensive surprises.
Then I divide everything.
Half is for the trip there. Half stays hidden for the trip home.
That part is important because by the end of vacation, all of the “new” toys from the first flight aren’t very new anymore!
It Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated
Traveling with a toddler can already feel like you’re packing your entire house. I don’t want their entertainment to require another bag.
A couple of special toys, my Dollar Tree finds, toy straps and bringing things out slowly has worked really well for us.
We’ve done this through the little-kid stage with my son, and now we’re figuring out what works with my daughter. Every trip and every kid is different, but having a few surprises in my bag has saved us more than once.
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