Best Of: Toddler Travel Toys for Airplane or Car

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If you’re thinking about or planning to travel with your kids, whether by car or plane, the question of how to keep them entertained the whole time can be a stressful one! There are lots of strategies out there when it comes to trip entertainment, especially for babies and toddlers who have a short attention span and aren’t as engaged in sit-down or quiet activities yet. 

So before you start filling your cart with a whole bunch of activities, we encourage you to think through what kinds of travel entertainment will be the best fit for your child. Not only that, but you only have so much room for stuff, so choosing intentionally will hopefully help you get the most out of what you decide to bring. A little planning can go a long way. Plus, you’ll hopefully save some money by not buying way more than you need! 

How to Decide What to Pack 

As you start planning what to pack, we have a few suggestions to keep in mind that will hopefully help you have a smooth traveling experience! The first is to avoid comparison. There are so many internet articles, cute Pinterest graphics, and Instagram reels about packing the trendiest activities on a trip. But when it comes down to it, you know your kids best – what they are currently excited about, which things will hold their attention, and which will just become a pile on the floor. Sometimes, some crinkly paper or a water bottle can provide more entertainment than a store-bought toy. For more general encouragement on avoiding comparison, check out this blog post. 

Along similar lines, consider “shopping” at grandparents or friends houses for toys or activities to pack that may look new to your little one. Since your trip is only a one-time event, you could borrow some novel items that may hold your kiddos attention longer without spending a lot on new items yourself. On our family’s last trip, I packed a small bag of little cars and trucks, all of which came from grandma’s house, for my 2 year old boy. Loading and unloading the bag was a big hit! 

To get started with your planning and packing, here are some questions to consider: 

• Are you traveling by airplane or car? 

Whether you plan to take a plane or a car will likely impact the amount of space you have to pack toys and activities. It may also change the types of toys that will work – for example, if you are sitting next to your child on an airplane, you may be able to guide and help them with things you couldn’t do in the car. You may have more or less flexibility in one setting or the other to pass things around, pick up toys that fall, or get out snacks. 

• How much packing space will you have? How much space will you have during the trip? 

The amount of space you have for entertainment items can impact what you choose to bring. Consider the bag you plan to bring for entertainment items and whether larger toys or books have a place, or if you’ll need to stick to small items. Also, consider your setup on the plane or in the car. Will you have space to spread out, or is your child going to be holding any toys or activities in their lap? Will you be sitting where you can reach them, or not? If they’ll be getting things in and out of their own bag, you may want to choose items they can easily grab to take out and put away. 

• Is your child carrying their own things or are you carrying it for them? 

If your child has their own backpack or carrier, you may want to make different choices about what you fill it with than if you are carrying their things for them. Heavy toys or books might be too much for them to manage if you’re walking through an airport. If they’re sharing a bag with you or you are carrying their bag, you may want to choose more compact items. On the flip side, if you’re driving by car, you may be able to use a larger bag or box which gives you more flexibility in bringing heavier or larger sized items. 

• What is the attention span of your child? 

When it comes to choosing toys and different activities for entertainment, some young kids may do well and spend a lot of time on something like coloring books, while others may color for 2 minutes and move on but spend much more time with a fidget spinner. You get the idea! Both age and attention span can play a big role. Consider what kinds of items will best hold your child’s attention at their current age and stage of development. 

Before you put it in the bag, take a moment to think twice. Is this item worth taking up space?  

What to Pack It In 

Option #1: Child’s own backpack 

There are some great options for smaller sized backpacks (affiliate link) if you plan to have your child carry their own stuff. Look for the mini or child sized options on Amazon or in stores where you regularly shop. Maybe they already have a backpack from daycare or school that you plan to use! 

Option #2: Diaper bag 

Especially for a baby or younger toddler, just filling your regular diaper bag with small entertainment items may be a great option. That way, you have one less bag to carry around and you can easily compartmentalize all of your baby items. 

Option #3: Small insert in your bag 

If you’re bringing a backpack, purse, or bag for your own items, you could slide your child’s items in with your own. This might work especially well for things like books or coloring/activity books. One idea could be to use small packing bags or cubes (affiliate link) that they sell for suitcases, filling it with your little one’s toys, and slipping that inside your own bag to keep their things separate and easy to access.  

Option #4: Tote or container on floor or hanging from the back of the seat 

If you’re road tripping, you may have more space for a box or car tote (affiliate link) either on a car seat next to your child or on the floor. A cool seat back organizer (affiliate link) that hangs from the seat in front is another idea, especially for a forward facing kiddo. 

Things to Bring 

Small toys:

• Fidget spinners (affiliate link) as a suction toy that you can stick onto windows
• A little bag with favorite small toy items (such as cars, trucks, dolls, animals, action figures, or the like). Chewy toys or small objects to hold are a great way to keep a baby entertained. 
• Small stuffed animals 

Books/activity books:  

• Favorite books to read are always great! Especially if they are ones that your toddler can flip through independently or an older child can read by themselves. 
• Mess free activities without small pieces are usually great ideas, as pieces can get lost under seats. Water Wow books (affiliate link), sticker books, and mess free markers (affiliate link) would all be a great choice. 
• If an older toddler or older kid, coloring books or a small container of play dough could be a fun travel activity.  
• The dollar store is a good place to check for these kinds of items. 

Snacks:

• We don’t have to tell you that snacks help! Bonus points for finger foods that can be picked up one at a time, which might give you the longest entertainment span. When packing snacks, consider a box or container that your child can hold or help themselves from. A spill-proof snack cup (affiliate link) like this, these handy snack spinners (affiliate link), or a lunchbox type container (affiliate link) with different compartments are a few ideas. Depending on what you’re looking for, there are plenty of options made out of different materials and in different styles. 
• Bringing a water bottle (empty through security if you’re flying) or another cup especially for your child that you can refill is also a good idea. Especially if they’re a younger toddler and don’t drink out of an open cup yet. 

Technology:  

• Travel is a time when many parents may opt for using screen time. Many airlines have screens in the seat backs with options for movies and shows for plane travel. Depending on your device of choice and travel setup, be sure to download in advance any music or shows in case you won’t have WiFi. There are lots of travel accessories available for tablets and phones so your child can easily use them in a car or on a plane.  
• Don’t forget headphones! The chunky headsets (affiliate link) are often the easiest for a toddler or younger child to keep over their ears. If you do forget, some airlines that offer free earbuds will also have over-the-head headsets that you could ask for. 

Making Use of What’s Around You

Some of the best travel toys may not even be things that you bring, but whatever is around you in your travel environment. Since you have limited space to pack activities and whatever you bring may not last the entire time depending on the length of your flight or drive, we highly recommend making use of whatever you can find in your environment! Here are some creative ideas: 

• The snacks and drinks they give you on a plane: snacks are of course always a distraction, and empty plastic cups can be made into great toys for a while for a little one!
• Playing games with your hands: especially for babies and toddlers, games like patty cake or other clapping rhymes can be a lengthy distraction!   
• Playing with the tray table: it’s pretty exciting for a toddler to open and shut and open and shut the little tray table clasp on an airplane… Plus, you can probably think of some fun games or songs to go along with it.  
• Seating them by the window so they can look out: this tip works in both an airplane and a car! Kids can enjoy watching the plane take off or calling out fun things they see on the road.  
• Playing games that involve looking for things out the window: for older kids, a road trip is a fun time to play games like search and find along the road, looking for license plates, or finding all the letters of the alphabet.  
• Going to the bathroom or walking in the aisle: for a plane ride, getting up to check out the airplane bathroom, or walking down the aisle a little ways can be a nice break.  

Traveling is one of those events where your own creativity can be an awesome resource. If you are able to be invested in helping your child enjoy and explore the travel time, you’ll find lots of ways to pass the time! Family trips of any kind can be full of special memories. We hope these ideas will help you take an intentional and thoughtful approach to your packing and planning. Wishing you a smooth, peaceful, and fun trip!