Between stiff muscles, limited movement, and tiredness, traveling is somehow a for others, especially when you bring along your kids with an unlimited lad of energy that can add more concern on how to keep them entertained while you are hitting the road.
Therefore, I have collated the best travel toys for your kids that will keep them entertained during the travel while you can spend more time planning for your itineraries on the destination you will be heading to.
The best travel toys for toddlers in the car are the following: ALEX Discover Button Art Travel Toy for Toddlers, Aqua Doodle Travel, Buckle Toys “Blu” Whale, HABA Town Maze Magnetic Game, Kids Travel for Car Seat and many other toys that will be discussed later on.
Before you buy a toy for your kid, there are several things you would like to consider, such as if it is a gender-neutral, is it lightweight, or does it produce annoying sounds?
Well, if you are concerned with this kind of stuff; therefore, you can find below tips on how to choose the best and appropriate travel toy for your toddler.
How to choose the best travel toys for toddlers
If you are choosing travel toys for your kids, make sure the toys will meet certain criteria so that they will be included on your approved list of toys for your toddler.
That is why I am giving this guide to assess whether they are proven safe, useful, and probably practical.
- Make sure when selecting toys they do not produce a hard and loud sound
- They should be gender-neutral
- The toys should be made from quality top-grade materials
- They must be easy to clean
- The toys are preferably lightweight
- They should be small or can be packed into your bag or luggage easily
- The toys can keep your child engaged for a long period of time
- It should be long-lasting
These simple preferences that you should be looking for travel toys for your kids will come in handy and will help you, as parents who are stuck with ideas.
However, it does not mean that you will bring all of the toys that I will be sharing with you below. Hence, it is preferable if you just choose one to two travel toys, especially if you lack the space to bring this stuff.
Obviously, parents nowadays are more into smartphones or iPad to keep their child engaged; however, it is still best if you keep them away from this kind of techy stuff and let them experience the real and can be touched instead of swiping and touching the screen.
Types of travel toys to carry with a toddler
Your little one surely has that one specific toy he/she loves to play with; however, there are times where you go travel, and unfortunately, it cannot be placed inside your baggage.
That is why you need to find an alternative toy that will meet certain criteria listed above so that he/she will keep engaged and entertained through the journey.
Here is the list of different kinds of travel toys that are suited during traveling:
Books
The pictures on the book with bold and colorful fonts are one of the perfect travel kits for your toddler and will surely help him/her engaged and occupied for a few hours.
I recommend you should at least bring 2 to 3 of your child’s favorite book and a new book just in case he/she gets bored with the older books.
Furthermore, you allow your child to browse and run through the pages by him/herself, as this can make your child occupied.
Hence, here are some of the well-rated books for your toddlers in the Amazon.
Doodle Drawing Boards
Due to the messy and bulky issues of packing crayons, pencils, and some pieces of paper during travel, some people opted now on buying doodle boards since you will no longer have to bring crayons and related stuff.
This can help as well on saving spaces on your baggage since it is already built-in with a drawing pad and pencil; it is just like hitting two stones with one board.
Another thing, these doodle boards are readily available at your local toy store, or you can just buy one through Amazon.
Educational Toys
There are toys nowadays that offer unlimited hours of entertainment in the form of educational games such as numbers, shapes, colors, and ABCs.
Some are also loaded with music that teaches language skills, and some are filled with colorful buttons and animation while keeping their portability and easy-grip handles that make them ideal for long hours of travel.
Therefore, here are some of the recommended educational toys that are suited, especially for travel on the Amazon.
Flashcards
These toys are such a great way to teach and boost your child’s memory and cognitive thinking; however, it would be effective if the parents or older siblings also join when playing these cards with the toddlers.
You should choose the flashcards wisely, which helps your kid to recognize letters, animal sounds, basic colors, numbers, and vehicles.
Therefore, you must act, sound, and pronounce these cards appropriately, since they will imitate you and remember the sounds you have been talking about, which later on can be a huge help in developing cognitive thinking and enhance their memory skills.
Interactive Storybooks
These types of books are filled with buttons to be pressed that teach numbers and sounds.
Other books are full of tabs that can be pulled into puzzles, making them a perfect choice to make your little ones preoccupied while traveling.
Hence, these interactive books can make your journey a bit peaceful since your kid is engaged with the fun-filled activities brought by these books.
Magnetic Toys
Another travel toy added in the list is the magnetic toys. These are a perfect choice for people who are traveling in the car since they remain intact with the magnetic board.
It is advisable if you will pick transportation sceneries such as trains, airplanes, or cars because your kids can relate something during your travel.
Thus, these toys come with a carry case to ensure that the toys are stored in a safe and easy to access place.
Stacking Cups
These toys are perfect essential, especially when traveling for a long period and can make your kid engaged the whole travel.
Stacking cups are versatile since they can be used to play unending games such as grouping colors, building towers, and many more.
Aside from the games, they can be used to hold snacks for your little one once he/she started to feel hungry.
In addition to this, since they can be stacked, they do not consume much space on your travel bag that makes them very portable and easy to carry.
Stuffed Toys
Definitely, these are the classic and the most common travel toys for your little one.
Make sure you brought your child’s most favorite stuffed toy because he/she might need it whenever it is time to get sleep or when having a meal. This gives them a feeling of security since they feel like they are never alone and brought a friend along the trip.
However, make sure you just bring the smaller stuffed toy instead of the oversized one, as this can be easily fitted and can be packed in your things.
Moreover, you can also bring an additional action figure such as superheroes or Disney characters as these can also help them make engaged for a couple of hours while you travel.
Toy Cellphones
Nowadays, kids are more into techy stuff, such as watching nursery rhymes on YouTube using smartphones or tablets; therefore, why don’t you buy your toddler a toy cellphone instead of having he/she to use a real one?
This can also help in limiting his/her time spending hours on YouTube; however, make sure you get him/her a toy cellphone with fancy colors, large buttons, and with sounds that play different nursery rhymes.
This is very engaging for your little one, especially during long hours of travel and can help them introduce to alphabets, animal sounds, and even numbers in fun and not so boring way.
Just make sure that the toy cellphone you will buy can easily hold and grip. Also, check for safety chemicals such as the colorants; make sure it is nontoxic. Otherwise, it might harm the health of your kid.
Transportation Toys
Packing transportation toys such as cars, airplanes, and trains can make your little one connect it with your trip. You can also teach them where these modes of transportation work.
For example, you can show to your kid that cars travel by land or an airplane flies through the sky. Make sure before you buy toys for your kids, it is appropriate for his/her age.
Finally, you already know the different types of toys you can bring whenever you travel with your little one.
However, just to give you a quick list, you can see below are my personal picks for the best travel toys you can bring during long hours of travel.
Top 5 Best Travel Toys For Your Toddler
Be mindful that the toys listed below are chosen based on the guidelines listed above, and they are my personal preferences.
This activity set comes with 40 buttons and 10 pictures for hours of artistic fun.
This toy aims to develop your child’s creative thinking, coordination, and motor skills while keeping him/her engaged during long hours of travel.
It is also simple to play with since all your child needs to do match and snap to complete the picture. This toy also comes with a storage tray so that it can hold all the pieces together.
Features:
- Easy to use
- Develop hand-eye coordination, creativity, and motor skills
- Recommended for 2 years old and above
Foster your child’s creativity with this no-mess AquaDoodle Travel Toy. This is a portable drawing toy made from soft fabric that leaves no marks and traces behind.
You just simply add water, and you can draw in multicolored in no mess, making it a perfect travel companion for your little one wherever you go.
Features:
- Made from plastic, fabric, and paper
- Mess-free doodle kit that comes with an AquaDoodle Pen
- Made from durable and soft materials
- It is portable, which makes it a perfect travel toy
This toy is perfect for both boys and girls and is designed with bold and fancy colors that can catch a child’s attention and fascination with buckles.
It can help your kids to learn how to snap and click and also develop and enhance their hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and problem-solving.
Thanks to its cuddly body that is designed with numbers and shapes, which can keep your kid entertained and engaged while you are traveling. This toy is also portable since you can just strap it on your child’s stroller, shopping cart, car seat, and even on the diaper bag.
Features:
- Lightweight and easy to carry
- It offers a variety of 6 child-friendly buckles
- Designed with numbers and shapes that can make your child engage and introduce to counting and some basic math
- Decorated with vibrant colored straps to hold your child’s attention
- It develops your child’s cognitive skills, motor skills, and problem-solving
This is a great toy to keep your child occupied, especially during long road trips. It enhances the child’s hand-eye coordination, as well as his/her fine motor skills rather than using smartphones or tablets.
Aside from these, this toy encourages your little one to count and learn about colors while testing his/her patience and problem-solving skills.
This toy is suitable for 2 years old and above.
Features:
- It has storage slot on the side of the board
- Easy to play and navigate
- Small enough to tuck in your carry on
This Traceable Travel Tray comes handy whenever you go travel with your kids.
It helps your little one entertained for long hours while enhancing and empowering their creative minds to work rather than giving them smartphones or tablets to stare at.
Just simply add the tray onto their high chair or even in the car seat once your child is in its safe position.
Features:
- Convenient storage
- It has a soft padded bottom that provides comfort
- Multifunctional and easy transport
Advantages of bringing toys for your toddler while in the car
Listed below are the benefits of using toys while you travel with your kids.
Calm and quiet travel
Kids who are bored will think and make their own way on how to keep themselves entertained during travel, and sometimes this may cause chaos inside the car.
However, if they have something that they can play with, which makes them occupied for the whole travel, then that will save the day.
Stimulate their creative juices
Bringing a toy for your kids, especially those toys such as coloring books and doodle boards, can keep their creative minds working while killing their boredoms for long hours of travel.
On the other hand, you can focus on other things, such as planning your itinerary for your family trip.
Alternative ways to make your kid entertained while traveling
If you forgot to bring your child’s favorite toy, worry not because I will share with you some helpful tips you can use as an alternative to keep your little one engaged while traveling, especially for a long period.
Play some music
Just put some music of your child’s favorite music, either it is classic or from one of his/her favorite TV shows. You can also play some nursery rhymes to keep your child engaged; however, make sure you also sing along with the music.
Imagination games
This requires you a lot of talking to keep your child engaged. For example, you can ask your kid what he/she will do once you get to your destination.
From that, you can make up a story such as you will get to ride and fly with a dragon or something that can catch their imagination. This way requires a lot of effort compared to the first one.
Word games
Another alternative way to keep your child entertained is through word games, wherein it can also stimulate their brain cells.
You can play along with your kid, such as “Guess the word” wherein your child needs to guess the word by asking for clues.
However, make sure you prepare a good batch of words he/she is familiar with.
Image credit: Pixabay
