Traveling with a toddler can be extremely overwhelming for parents. If you’re anything like me, you want to do tons of research for the best toys and products that will make traveling easier and more enjoyable – both for you as the parent as well as for your little one! As a parent to a 1 year old myself, I know how difficult it can be to keep everyone calm, happy, and content. So I’ve done the research for you for all the best toddler travel toys that will make your next trip (by plane ride or long car ride) so much more fun!
This post is all about the 25 best airplane toys for 1 year olds and toddlers!
This post contains affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.
Table of Contents
Fidget Toys
When traveling, it can be tricky to keep our little ones’ fingers occupied and away from the many germs and safety hazards we might encounter while we are traveling. Plus, depending on your mode of travel, you may not want to hand your child toys that are noisy or have a lot of small parts that are easy to lose. I love that the options below offer different textures for your child to experience. Plus many of them can double as bath toys which can be so helpful if you’re going to be staying in a hotel room. Here are some great options for fidget toys that are sure to keep their hands safe and busy!
Sensory Toys
Traveling can be overstimulating and overwhelming as adults. Imagine what it feels like to our little ones! Help them regulate with these sensory toys. These toys are easy for traveling, won’t make a mess, and engage your child in a tactile sensory experience. This can be very calming for long and busy travel days, or even just running around town in the car getting errands done. Here are a few great options:
Fine Motor Skills
Keeping our little ones happy and busy AND supporting their development? That’s a parent win-win! Check out these toys that are designed to help support the development of those important fine motor skills in your child.
Busy Boards
I wish I could find the person who invented busy boards and quiet books and kiss em! These toys are designed to be interactive and a great opportunity for your child to engage in open-world play in a confined space. Great for supporting your child playing independently and using their imagination.
Reusable Sticker Books & Magnets
We have all experienced how awful it is when your child puts a sticker someplace you definitely don’t want stickers. They always seem to leave the worst residue and are so hard to get off! Time to introduce reusable stickers and magnets! These are a great alterative to those pesky stickers that kids love to stick everywhere AND they don’t leave you a huge mess behind to clean up. No worries using them in a public place either – the peal right up!
Quiet Books
Think of these like a soft version of busy boards. I love how many quiet book options zip up and are entirely contained and offer your child multiple pages and scenes to engage their mind and imagination. Many quiet books also have great opportunities for your child to keep developing those important fine motor skills that help them be more independent, like learning to use buttons, zippers, tie shoes, and more!
Buckle Toys
Why do toddlers LOVE buckles so much? I know the buckle on our high chair keeps our toddler busy for a chunk of every day so this buckle penguin toy would definitely be a hit! This is also a great way for your child to learn safety skills and how to avoid those awful pinches when using buckles. The penguin is really cute, as well!
Mess Free Art
Do you have an artistic child? Art on the go isn’t typically something that comes to mind for helping travel be less stressful but these options help your child explore their artistic side without getting paint all over the airplane or your car! Even markers and crayons can be a mess to clean up when you’re done. The Water Wow books are a staple for any toddler parent. Simply fill up the paintbrush with water and the pages magically fill with color when they “paint” with the water. Perfect to keep in any diaper bag for travel, doctors appointments, etc!
Screen Time Options
There are a lot of opinions out there on how much screen time a child should or shouldn’t have and this post isn’t really designed to delve into those opinions. If you’re a parent who would like to have some screen time options for travel, consider these kids-size headphones to make tablets less annoying in public places/in your ear the whole road trip. Also, this alphabet tablet can be a fun alternative if you’re trying to avoid screen time, and in encourages literacy with the books that come with it!
Travel-Friendly Snacks
I saved the very best for last – snacks are a LIFESAVER when you’re traveling! Even better, if you can create an engaging snack experience that helps extend how long it keeps them busy. Check out these fun options for packing snacks on the go that turns a treat into a fun game!
Find all of these great travel toys (plus more) here!
There you have it! Here. are 25 great options for the best airplane toys for 1 year olds and toddlers. I hope this list helps you prep for your next trip and that these solutions bring you (and your kids) more peace and enjoyment for your next adventure! Til next time!
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