Travelling with toddlers can feel like a challenge, but the right toys can turn it into a fun adventure.
Whether you’re hitting the road or taking to the skies, having a few mess-free, engaging activities can make the journey smoother for everyone.
So how do you keep your little one entertained and happy—without adding to your stress? First, let’s unpack the idea of what makes a good travel toy.
What Should You Look For In A Good Travel Toy?
Finding the right travel toy can make all the difference in keeping your toddler entertained and happy on the go. So, what should you look for in a good travel toy? Here are a few key features:
- Fits easily in your bag
- Lightweight and compact
- Low-mess and easy to clean
- Durable against bumps or drops
- Engages and entertains for extended periods
Basically, you want to make sure the toys you bring on travels are easy to care for. After all, travel toys are meant to engage your children and give you peace of mind while on the journey.
Types of Toys to Avoid
You know what makes a good travel toy, but to be certain you’re packing for a stress-free and enjoyable trip, here’s also a checklist of things to avoid:
- Large or Bulky Items: Toys that are too big or cumbersome can be difficult to pack and manage in tight spaces. Opt for compact, travel-friendly toys that are easy to store and carry.
- Toys with Small Parts: Small pieces can easily get lost and become a choking hazard. Avoid toys with many tiny parts to ensure a safer and more manageable travel experience.
- Noisy Toys: Loud toys can be disruptive to other passengers and create an uncomfortable environment. Choose quieter options to keep the peace and avoid disturbing those around you.
- Messy Toys: Toys that involve loose parts, spills, or clean-up (like glitter or sand) can create unnecessary mess and stress. Go for mess-free options that are easy to clean and won’t leave a trail.
- Batteries or Charging Requirements: Toys that require batteries or need to be recharged can be inconvenient and add extra stress. Stick to toys that don’t rely on power sources and can be used anytime, anywhere.
10 Travel Toys Your Toddler Will Love
And now the moment you’ve been waiting for. We’ve put together a list of amazing, yet simple toys that tick all the boxes for travel fun. These picks are designed to keep your little one engaged and happily playing independently, so you can finally breathe easy and focus on the journey ahead. Because let’s face it, a peaceful trip makes all the difference when travelling with a toddler.
HeyDoodle Reusable Colouring Mat
Why Toddlers Will Love It: Toddlers can’t get enough of colouring, and HeyDoodle’s mats let them doodle to their heart’s content. The best part? They’re completely reusable. You just wipe the colours away with a damp cloth and they’re ready to go again!
Benefits: These mats spark creativity and improve fine motor skills. Made from soft, travel-friendly silicone, they eliminate crayon mess and come in travel-friendly packs—perfect for planes, cars, or waiting at a restaurant.
Magnetic Wooden Blocks
Why Toddlers Will Love It: Blocks are the tools to bring imagination to life – what more when they’re magnetic! Your little one can snap them together to build towers, shapes, and more, all while playing safely in a moving vehicle.
Benefits: They boost problem-solving skills, spatial awareness, and fine motor skills. The magnetic design keeps pieces together, reducing the chances of losing them—great for car rides.
Sticker Books
Why Toddlers Will Love It: Sticker books are a toddler favourite, with colourful stickers to place on fun backgrounds. They’re a great way for little hands to practise their fine motor skills. Just make sure they’re the kind that’s easy to peel off because there’s no guarantee those stickers will stay within the book.
Benefits: They promote creativity and focus, and the mess-free nature of stickers makes them a travel win.
Interactive Storybook
Why Toddlers Will Love It: With bright colours, lights, and music, this interactive book is a hit. It turns nursery rhymes into a fun, button-pushing experience.
Benefits: The music stimulates auditory senses, and pressing the buttons helps with fine motor development. Plus, the engaging songs can be soothing during long trips.
Bonus: HeyDoodle’s Tales series features a silicone book with flip pages filled with creative and educational activities. They include a story or theme, traceable elements, and various activities which toddlers love imagining stories with.
Bendable Wax Sticks
Why Toddlers Will Love It: These flexible, colourful wax sticks can be twisted and shaped into anything your child can imagine. No glue or scissors required! If you can’t find any – pipe cleaners work just as well.
Benefits: They enhance fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. The reusability and mess-free nature make them perfect for travel.
Stacking Cups
Why Toddlers Will Love It: Simple yet captivating, stacking cups are a hit. Toddlers love building towers and then knocking them down—again and again! They can also use these as actual cups in their pretend-play with siblings.
Benefits: They’re fantastic for teaching spatial awareness and hand-eye coordination. Plus, they’re lightweight and nest together, making them easy to pack.
Quiet Felt Book
Why Toddlers Will Love It: These kinds of soft books usually come with fascinating fabric pages – zippers, buttons, and felt shapes to touch, attach, and move. It’s a tactile adventure!
Benefits: Great for sensory development and fine motor skills. The soft fabric is gentle and safe for toddlers, providing a calming, screen-free activity.
Audiobook or Downloaded Podcast
Why Toddlers Will Love It: Toddlers enjoy listening to familiar stories or calming music. Audiobooks or soothing podcasts can help keep them calm for a good 15 to 20 minutes. They might even fall asleep!
Benefits: These audio options are perfect for soothing fussy toddlers. Headphones with noise-cancelling features protect little ears from other loud noises and keep the sound contained.
Fidget Toys
Why Toddlers Will Love It: Fidget toys like poppers are a hit with toddlers. They love the satisfying feeling of pushing silicone bubbles in and out, and these toys are perfect for little hands.
Benefits: They offer a quiet, sensory play experience that’s great for confined spaces, like cars or aeroplanes.
DIY Travel Sensory Kit
Why Toddlers Will Love It: Create a small, personalised sensory kit with a variety of tactile items like textured fabric swatches, edible goop in a bag, or soft silicone pom pom balls. Just avoid anything messy that can’t be contained.
Benefits: This DIY kit stimulates multiple senses and can be customised to suit your child’s preferences. It keeps toddlers engaged with different textures and sensory experiences, making it a fun and versatile option for travel.
Conclusion
Travelling with toddlers doesn’t have to mean juggling snacks and screen time. With these 10 engaging and developmentally beneficial toys, you can make the journey enjoyable and stress-free for both you and your little one.
From the creative fun of HeyDoodle’s reusable Minimats that are perfect for travel to the hands-on excitement of magnetic blocks, these toys are designed to make travel time as smooth as possible. Here’s to happy travels for everyone in the family.
Includes letters, numbers and pictures that kids can use to practise writing or spelling words
Themed mats
Features concepts related to a specific theme that kids can use to learn or explore ie. animals, space, countries, human body etc.
Sensory mats
Have been debossed so they can be colour, traced or filled with water, playdough and whatever your imagination can come up with.
No matter what type of reusable colouring mats you choose, they can be a great tool for busy parents to keep kids entertained, engaged, and learning.
What’s more, by investing in reusable colouring mats today, busy parents can save time and money while giving their kids a fun and engaging way to learn and explore. The possibilities are endless!
HeyDoodle has a vibrant range of reusable colouring mats that provide an easy, safe, and mess-free way for kids to stay engaged in a fun activity while parents get things done!
Get your set of HeyDoodle reusable colouring mats and watch the magic happen as your kids get creative!
