Traveling with a toddler seems insane—and often I’m not so sure we aren’t entirely crazy. Toddlers are unpredictable at best. As a full-time travel mom of a toddler, I get it. After over 90 flights as a family, I’ve learned the hard way that the right toys can make or break your flight. Here are our favorite toys for stress-free (dare I say enjoyable?) travel days with toddlers.

My toddler is hyperactive, sensory-seeking, and loud. We utilize screen time when traveling, but we can’t count on it to keep his attention for longer than 25 minutes.

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Don’t have time to read this blog? Here’s a shoppable downloadable list – perfect for parents who don’t have time to read the “whys” about why we love these toys.

The Best Toys For Toddlers (18-24 Months Old)

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What Makes A Toy Perfect For Travel?

These are the toys that work well for my family and my toddler—they might not work as well for yours! Don’t let influencers, myself included, make you feel like you have to spend hundreds of dollars on new toys for every flight.

The best travel toys are:

1. Developmentally appropriate for your child.
2. Hold your child’s interest
3. Quiet (avoid musical instruments and wooden toys)
4. Mess-Free (no Play-Doh or beads!)
5. Support versatile, creative play

When All Else Fails (Our Favorite Shows)

I try limiting screen time for the whole family when we’re not traveling, but on travel days, anything goes. That being said, the kind of show we show our toddler heavily influences his behavior. I aim for less exciting shows, educational shows, and shows I know will capture my toddler’s attention—even without sound.

Youtube Premium allows us to download whole episodes of our favorite 90’s shows on our phones. I personally have a huge issue with modern shows—I find them overstimulating, addictive, and consumerist.

We always use these headphones for our toddler when in public.

Zaboomafoo

The OG of educational television, Zaboomafoo captures my toddler’s attention while teaching him about the natural world. We’ve noticed positive effects in his behavior, playing, and interest in interacting with the world around him.

Shaun the Sheep

This claymation series about a mischievous sheep and his barnyard friends is my toddler’s favorite show. Shaun the Sheep teaches respect towards animals, the importance of friendship, and adventure.

Mascha and the Bear

A russian classic about a clever girl and her forest friends, Mascha and the Bear is a staple in our multilingual family. Available in English, German, and Russian, we watched Mascha in Russian to support my son’s language development.

Puffin Rock

This adorable animated show about a puffin named Oona and her animal friends is a comfort show for my toddler. The episodes are short but available for download, and this show never fails to entertain without riling up my toddler.

How to Use Toys When Traveling

The way you use and introduce new toys while traveling also impacts how your toddler plays. Here are a couple of tips that work well for us.

1. Introduce new toys before traveling to figure out what your child enjoys.
   • Once you know what toys capture your toddler’s attention and which ones are duds, return the duds (or re-gift them), and pack away the new favorites.
2. Play with the toys one at a time.
   • We generally remove one toy from our toy bag at a time. This prevents my toddler from getting overstimulated, overwhelmed, and keeps our toys interesting for a long time.
3. Repack toys once your toddler is no longer interested.
   • Putting your toys back into the bag after you’ve played with them is key to keeping a small selection interesting.
4. Switch up your play
   • We generally play in our seats for 30 minutes, then go on a short walk around the airplane before returning to our seats. Then, it’s time for more play, followed by a screen time break and a snack.
5. Don’t be afraid to get creative
   • Our favorite toys allow for versatile, creative play. Things like Schleich Animals are great for imaginative play—hiding them under the cups you get from flight attendants, using toilet paper rolls to build tunnels, or taping them to the seat to rescue are great ways to make a small selection of toys endlessly entertaining.