The Best Toddler Travel Toys for Keeping Little Ones Entertained

Traveling with a toddler is not for the weak. I fly with my 2-year-old daughter to visit her grandparents every other month. It’s imperative to fill your carry-on with the best toddler travel toys (and then some, because it’s better to have too many than too little).

The top travel toys for toddlers are small, mess-free and don’t make noise that disturbs other passengers—whether you’re travelling by car, plane, bus or train. Ideally, they keep a child engaged for the long haul. If that sounds like a tall order, I've got you covered. Through trial and error, I discovered must-have toddler toys worthy of that precious space in your travel bag.

And I’m not going to lie, when the going gets really tough, I whip out a Kindle with downloaded episodes of Elmo’s World. But before you jump to screens, give these toys a go for a stress-free journey.

The best toddler travel toys, straight from a mom

Sesame Street Neighborhood Friends Deluxe Figures 10-Pack

Presenting my daughter’s favourite travel toy, no matter if we’re on a plane or at a restaurant: the Sesame Street crew. The deluxe set features Elmo, Cookie Monster, Big Bird, Abby Cadabby, Oscar, Bert, Ernie, Grover, Rosita, and Gabrielle standing at 3 inches tall.

I keep them in a Ziploc bag and appreciate how easy they are to clean with disinfectant wipes in between play sessions. Your child can use their imagination to create Sesame Street scenes (one of the best toddler shows!), but my daughter also loves counting them and having me say a character and her pointing out the right one.

Melissa & Doug Puffy Sticker Play Set 3-Pack

What kid doesn’t like stickers? These sticker play sets come from a beloved and award-winning toy brand. The three-pack features safari, dinosaur and ocean themes. Each set contains 42 reusable puffy stickers and a double-sided background, allowing your child to create their own scenes over and over again. Plus, they're extremely thin and lightweight, so they’ll take up virtually no space in your bag.

While your child is having fun, they’ll be working on their fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, narrative thinking, independent play and creativity. Once they’ve finished a scene, simply remove the stickers so they’re ready to do it again. Melissa & Doug offers other puffy sticker sets including pets, farm animals, princesses, mermaids and more.

Melissa & Doug Water Wow! Under the Sea Water-Reveal Pad

Believe it or not, this is a water activity that won’t result in a complete mess—I’ve let my daughter use it on the carpet at home without fear. You fill the pen with water, close the top and the water works its way to the brush. Your child will fill in the four underwater-themed scenes as vibrant colours are exposed.

My daughter has tried multiple Water Wow! activity pads. Every time, I’m in awe over how the pages dry so easily and can be “coloured” again and again. The refillable pen is chunky so it’s easy for little hands to hold, and it’ll accompany their fine motor skills. This is another pick in our best toddler travel toy lineup that's lightweight for easy packing.

Esjay Toddler Busy Board

Prolonged and enriching independent play is inevitable when your little one has a busy board. It's a top gift for toddlers and a useful travel accessory. It features eight pages with all sorts of activities ranging from shape matching to an animal jigsaw puzzle. Your child will learn hand-eye coordination and work on cognition development and imagination.

I love that I’m able to hand this busy book to my daughter and there aren’t any light or noise mechanisms. It’s simply pages filled with activities that she can flip through on her own and have control over what she plays with. Some pages are harder than others, so I see this travel toy lasting for another few years.

Momo & Nashi Montessori Preschool Busy Book

A different take on a busy book, this 14-page option features hook-and-loop fasteners, so your child can move the pieces around as they wish. As a lover of the animal kingdom, my daughter favours the farm animals and sea animals pages. But, there are more learning-based options, like the alphabet and counting pages. As they match the pieces, your little one will work on their fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination and pattern recognition.

This busy book comes preassembled, so it’s ready to toss in your carry-on right out of the box. This toddler travel toy is made to last—the waterproof plastic pieces are no match for spills and the book comes with extra hook-and-loop fasteners for quick fixes.

TOHIBEE Suction Cup Spinner Toys

These spinner toys are attached to the window in my daughter’s playroom and the tub for bathtime fun. When preparing for her first flight, I ordered another set to use at her window seat. The three spinners have suction cups to secure them against a car or airplane window. The three-pack is available in flower, butterfly, insect, ladybug and panda designs.

This affordable travel toy promotes fine motor skills and hands-on play. Since it’s connected to the window, you don’t have to worry about it falling under the seat. When you've reached your destination, you can stick them on a window in your hotel room or Airbnb.

Limpskys Dog Pop Tubes

With bold colours and an easy-to-use design, these budget-friendly dog pop tubes will be a winner with your toddler. The tubes are stretchable and can be manipulated into different shapes. When it’s time to pack them away, push the head and tail ends together, and the toys are conveniently compact.

These dog tubes promote fine motor skills and act as fidget toys, too. Once your trip is over, keep a couple in the diaper bag for when you need an emergency toy. My daughter loves dogs, so these check all the boxes. They're available in packs of four, 12 and 25.

Boxgear LED Suction Cup Giraffe Pop Tubes

My daughter also loves these giraffe pop tubes. Just like the dog version, they’re inexpensive, very easy to use and won’t create a mess. These are even better because the giraffes have suction cups at the end of their limbs and their heads flash, thanks to LED lights.

Not only can you stretch the limbs, but you can also stick them to the window in funky shapes. The pack of four has blue, pink, yellow, and purple giraffes, and they’ll become a new favourite on-the-go toy.

TECJOE 8.5-Inch LCD Writing Tablets

Available in a pack of two, these 8.5-inch doodle boards let your toddler’s imagination run wild. Each one comes with a pen that’s connected to the board, so it never gets lost. When they’re ready to draw something new, simply press the garbage can button and the screen goes blank.

My 2-year-old can hold the pen, although it is quite thin. She enjoys seeing the different colours appear as she swipes the pen over the board, which is reusable up to 100,000 times.

Crayola Color Wonder Mess-Free Coloring Pages

Whether your toddler likes Baby Shark, Bluey, CoComelon, Peppa Pig or Frozen (for Disneyland visitors), there are mess-free Crayola colouring pages to suit their interest. This pack comes with 18 colouring pages and five Color Wonder markers.

The magic here is that the markers don’t work anywhere else but on the special paper, meaning they won’t ruin the walls or wind up all over your kid's face. It's a smart travel activity that promotes independent play, creativity and fine motor skills.