Toddler StaysTravel Essentials › Travel Play
Travel Play
Small, quiet toys for planes, car rides and waiting rooms.
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The hardest hour of a trip is usually a seat: the plane, the car, the restaurant before the food comes. Our family packs a small bag of toys our son hasn't seen in a while, and hands them out one at a time. Stickers, water painting and things to pop, pull and spin last the longest, and none of them need a screen.
Our family's picks
We bought every one of these ourselves and use them on our own trips with our toddler.
Water painting book
Melissa & Doug Water WOW! FarmNo messPaint with water, colors appear, then dry away: no mess in the car seat.
Sticker stamper
Melissa & Doug Sticker WOW! Activity PadSticker stamperA stamper that prints stickers, with a 24-page pad.
Mickey sticker stamper
Melissa & Doug Sticker WOW! MickeySticker stamperThe same sticker stamper, with Mickey and friends.
Reusable sticker set
Melissa & Doug Puffy Sticker Play Set: SafariReusable42 puffy stickers that peel off and stick again, trip after trip.
Vehicle sticker books
Elfew Puffy Vehicle Sticker Books, 2‑packReusableReusable vehicle and construction stickers in a fold-out book. Big hit with truck fans.
Pop tubes
XONTEUS Giraffe Pop Tubes, 4‑packSuction cupsPull, bend and pop. The suction cups stick to a plane window or tray table.
Toy car keys
B. toys FunKeysLights and soundsToy car keys with lights and sounds, so the real keys stay with you.
Toy phone
Richgv Baby Cell Phone Toy12 functionsA pretend phone with 12 functions, so the real one stays in your pocket.
Show 9 more picks
Busy cube
Montessori Busy CubeTravel sizeA small cube to twist, spin and press, made for travel.
Switches-and-dials busy cube
SOCBTNSO Montessori Busy CubeDiaper-bag sizeSwitches, dials and buttons on a cube that fits in a diaper bag.
Drawing tablet
LCD Writing Tablet (dinosaur)No markersDraw, wipe it clean with a button, draw again. No markers to lose.
Finger puppets
RIY Story Time Finger Puppets10 puppetsTen Old MacDonald puppets for a seat-back farm show.
Sensory tubes
Learning Resources Sensory Trio Fidget TubesQuietThree tubes to tip and watch: quiet, calm and screen-free.
Baby pop-it toy
LiKee Fidget Popper10 months+A pop-it toy for babies 10 months and up.
Pretend outlet toy
Aprilwolf Sensory Plug OutletBusy boardPretend plugs and switches, so the hotel's real outlets lose some of their pull.
Stretchy sensory balls
Stretchy Sensory BallsSquishyStretchy, squishy balls to pull and squeeze. Check the age label.
Fidget slugs
Fidget Slug Sensory Toys, 3‑pack3-packWiggly jointed slugs that click as they bend.
What to look for
Shopping for something else? Tap a row for what matters with a little one.
A bag of small, quiet toys
Planes, car rides and restaurant waits go faster with a few toys saved just for the trip, so they still feel new.
- Quiet, or with sounds you can live with in row 14
- Few loose pieces to lose under a seat
- Check the age label: small parts aren't for children who still mouth everything
More Travel Essentials
Thank you for helping keep Toddler Stays free. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. "Our family's picks" are things we bought with our own money and use on our trips; nobody paid us or sent them free. Buttons open an Amazon search for that product, so you see today's prices and reviews there; a pick Amazon doesn't sell links to the maker's own shop, and we earn nothing on it. Where we have no pick, we say what to look for instead.