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If you’re going on a journey with a toddler, then to avoid chaos and tantrums you’re going to need plenty of snacks and toys to keep them entertained. While I was researching the best travel toys for toddlers I found that a lot of them were recommended for ages 3+. My daughter was only 15 months old when we flew to Menorca, so I was on the look out for plenty of age appropriate items to bring along for the plane journey. Tried and tested by my little girl, here are my recommendations for best travel toys for toddler.
Light Up Pop Game
Now, I know I said I was looking at toys for under 3’s and this one is for 3+ HOWEVER, I gave this to my daughter to play with without batteries. She is far too young to understand the different game modes and just enjoyed popping the bubbles. In fact, this kept her entertained for quite some time!
Without batteries this operates as a simple bubble popper. But with batteries there are lights, sounds and several different game modes that older children will enjoy. This is probably one of the best travel toys for toddlers on airplanes as opposed to cars as we had to keep resetting the game after she had popped all of the bubbles (not so much an issue for older children).
Use your own discretion but I had no problem with giving this toy to my 1 year old. You can find an assortment of light up pop games for purchase at Amazon.
Interactive Books
Books are an excellent way to keep little ones entertained. My daughter absolutely loves a book. Sometimes she will want to sit while we read to her and at other times all she wants to do is turn the pages. Toddlers enjoy interactive books where they can lift the flaps or slide the sliders.
We bought Moo! an Usborne Slider Sound book which we gave to her on the plane as a surprise. She enjoyed sliding the different sliders to make the animal sounds. She’s also a big fan of Peekaboo Love which has sliders and spinners and Where’s Mrs Cat? which is a lift-the-flap book, both ideal if you want something a little less noisy.
Montessori Busy Board
I’m not sure if they are busy boards or busy books, but there are loads out there to choose from. If you’re unfamiliar, a busy board/book is typically a felt folder with interactive pages within it. The one our daughter has is aimed at slightly older toddlers as it teaches colours, shapes, letters, numbers and has a puzzle. However, we removed the middle pages so we were left with the outer cover of the busy book which has a variety of fiddly things for her to play with such as zips, poppers and buckles. Much like the fidget popper toy, a busy board book has plenty of growth in it for a 1 year old.
I purchased a space themed busy book for my daughter and I’m sure it will be joining us on many travels in future!
A Tablet
I am well aware that screen time for children is a hotly debated topic. I am not suggesting you go out and buy an iPad for your toddler. BUT when they’re bored of the toys, and the snacks have all been eaten, what harm will a little screen time do? I already own an iPad Pro so I simply loaded it up with a free game and a few episodes of Hey Duggee and that kept my girl amused for a little while.
Noise Cancelling Headphones
A great accompaniment to a tablet would be a pair of noise cancelling headphones. If they are comfortable for your child then great. They can then listen to whatever they are watching without disturbing you or other passengers. And if all else fails and they start whining… pop them on yourself so you can enjoy the rest of your flight in peace hahaha!
My husband is a fan of these Soundcore Life noise cancelling headphones but these Rebocico Headphones are a little cheaper and come recommended by a friend.
My Top Tips to keep toddlers entertained while travelling
- Snacks. Bring a variety. My girl loves rice cakes and all the little toddler crispy sticks you can buy.
- Don’t forget to bring a favourite cuddly toy if your child has one.
- Skip the toys that have lots of little parts they could drop or throw under aeroplane seats.
- Ditto with balls.
- Bring the grandparents hahaha.
If you found my recommendations for best travel toys for toddler helpful then you might enjoy my other family travel posts.