I love travelling with my children and going on holiday is probably the most magical thing about family life. But what I don’t love is the challenge of the journey. Now Oscar is 6 he’s actually much easier on flights (he’s very happy reading a book or putting together a lego set), Noah however is 2 and is at a much harder age to entertain on a flight. I will say that he’s just coming out of the worst age – 1. 5 – 2.5 is the ‘octopus age’ where it feels like the have eight limbs and won’t keep any of the them still! Gone were the days of my glass of wine and book…
I’ve learned that packing the best travel toys can make all the difference and through the years I’ve come up with my ‘ride or die’ toys at all ages. Some are so good that they transcend age groups and all kids love them. For me the key things are that the toys are (mostly!) small, mess-free, good for independent play and preferably without small parts (with the exception of Lego which Oscar loves doing on a flight).
In this guide I’m sharing the best travel toys for kids by age and they are all perfect for planes, car journeys, hotel rooms, restaurants and I hope they help you out as much as they help me!
One of my top tips is always have something new which they can get excited about, even if you’ve just bought a loads of bits and bobs from TEMU. Having said that, make sure that anything you buy complies with safety standards.
Best Toys for Babies 0 – 1
Now honestly I don’t think babies need much on a plane, basically you hope they sleep and if they don’t you can make funny faces at them, show them the inflight magazine, play with the tray table or give them a packet of wipes. But for the purposes of this post, I will actually suggest some toys!
Play socks and wrist rattles
These play socks and wrist rattles are so extremely cute and perfect for sensory exploration through seeing, touching, and hearing. The absolute beauty of these is that they are ‘attached’ to your baby so you won’t be constantly picking them up off the floor.
Suction Spinners
These spinner will entrance your baby with bright colours and the spinning action. I loved popping these in my handbag for the plane when Noah was a baby and the suction is great to stick them on to a window or the tray table in front.
Activity Cube
I used to have this activity cube for Noah as a baby, it’s really compact and can fit into a handbag or nappy bag. It’s really engaging and sensory and has lots of elements that involve spinning, twisting, rolling, and popping!
Best Toys for Toddlers 2 – 4
Personally I think this is the toughest age. Now they are in their own seat (which is honestly arguably harder than sitting on your lap! You can no longer guarantee a nap, they don’t want to sit still and can’t focus on something for a long time. Toddler parents the struggle is real but here are a few ideas that you can try. And always, always have a few episodes of Peppa downloaded on your phone for emergencies!
Sticker Book
Having a new sticker book is an absolute prequisite for a toddler, bonus points if it is their favourite character and for us that means Peppa Pig and Numberblocks. The stickers are great not just for sticking into the book but Noah loves sticking them all over the plane and all over me! Just remember to clear up afterwards!
Yoto Mini
The Yoto Mini is our absolute top choice, both boys love it and can be entertained for hours with it. If you have never heard of a Yoto player, basically its a story box. You can buy different cards for different aged children which you insert into the player to listen to the story. The small sized Yoto Mini is perfect for travel. We also love the Yoto 3rd Generation which is great for playing with in the hotel room. Yoto also have a travel case amd wireless headphones which are handy for travel.
LED Drawing Boards
These LED drawing boards are honestly just great, they’re really simple but they’re some of my top travel toys and can genuinely keep both my boys entertained for hours.
Magna-tiles
These Magna-Tiles micro mags are just an excellent toy. Both my boys love them and this is so easy just to shove in your bag to take to dinner or something. Magnets are just great as they stick together, you hardly lose them! I love this particular set because it comes in a neat storage box.
Busy Book
These busy books are so multi-faceted they are great for absolutely hours of fun with exploring velcro, tying laces, zipping zips, learning ABC, numbers and colours, these books can be played with for ages!
Tonie Box
A slightly bigger toy so not necessarily one for travel / flights but we never go on holiday without our Tonie Box, the boys just love it. Basically it’s a story box which plays different stories depending on the character that you put on top of it. And while you might thinking it sounds the same as the Yoto, honestly they are different enough for us to love, us and bring both with us. We also have a case for all the Tonie figures plus there are headphones that go with it.
Children aged 4+
Personally, I think this is where it get so much easier. Oscar loves reading independently but also we’ve started a tradition where we always buy him a Lego set at the airport and then he settles down to do that for the whole flight.
Airplane Activity Book
Oscar loves reading, quizzes, puzzles and activities so the Airplane Activity Book is perfect for him.
LEGO
Ok so you might think bringing LEGO is asking for trouble, all those little bits falling on the floor and getting lost in the seat, and yes while that’s a risk it keeps them busy for ages! I recommend a LEGO set like the one linked as it comes with a handy carry case and they can build within the box when sitting on the plane.
UNO
Just like with reading independently, being able to play card games with my children is quite a game changer, especially in restaurants. UNO is a favourite always and this one comes with a travel case. Of course kids also love Dobble, Top Trumps and anything with playing cards!
Mini Travel Games
It’s great to have mini versions of your favourites such as Connect 4, draughts and chess. These are often magnetic which is handy for a flight. Do keep an eye on mini magnets and small pieces are toddlers though.
Other Travel Essentials
I’ve never been one for bringing lots of extra accessories while travelling, the benefit of choosing a hotel wisely is that they can usually provide most of the things that you need so I never really bring cots, high chair boosters or larger items.
If you are looking for a travel cot, the one I do recommend is the Baby Bjorn which is one we’ve used at home when we’ve needed one.
Our absolutely non-negotiable thing and my most important travel item ever since Oscar was a newborn is our YOYO pram which folds and unfolds so easily and fits in the overhead compartment of a flight. Also trust me, if you’re a central London mum, the likelihood is that you have a YOYO.
Another absolute must have for us is packing cubes each family member has a different colour set of cubes and we divide our different categories of clothing and accessories into different sized cubes. These are non-negotiable for us now too and we couldn’t be without our cubes!
PIN IT!!!
