Oh, the adventures I had planned in my head and dreamt about while I was pregnant. touring and exploring with my little one. In anticipation, I purchased a lot of cute and tiny swimsuits, sun hats and even matching outfits for our travels. As an avid Pinterest user, I was constantly pinning travel ideas, outfits, and photoshoot milestones ideas I would do with her.
After she was finally here and we could go out and about, I realized with all that planning I failed to plan for the journey itself. What should’ve been a 20-minute trip to the beach turned out to be a 45-minute journey with frequent stops to hush, hold, feed, and entertain. Halfway into the journey, I reconsidered heading back home because I was already dreading the return trip if I followed through to get to our destination.
At that point in my motherhood journey, I limited the screen time she had and no plans to get her an iPad until she was about 3. However, my experience with long road trips had me reconsidering my stance on having a tablet.
To be honest, it took me a few more months before I even wanted to try to take any long trips with her. It was a friend of mine who had encouraged me to meet up with her for a day out with the baby. By this time I did my research, planned and made preparations for the journey. This time around I packed quite a few toys to take along with us to keep her happy and entertained on the road.
Traveling with young children can be a challenge, especially when you’re stuck in the car for long road trips. As she got older and we started traveling for longer periods I was able to try a variety of toys and activities and found a few that worked and those that didn’t. To this day, even though she is now 4 years old and now has an iPad, I still find these toys convenient while on the road.
What makes a great travel toy?
Compact
Mess-Free
Multipurpose
Doesn’t use batteries or require charging
7 Best Toys for Toddlers for Road Trips
- Car seat Tray table
Although it may not technically be a toy. A car seat tray table is the perfect travel toy when venturing out on a family road trip. I didn’t discover this accessory until recently, but it came in so handy keeping the toys in your little ones reach. I know you can share in my frustration of having to constantly pull over the car everytime the toys falls on the seat or floor. Our little ones’ laps are so small and their fine motor skills are still developing, so this accessory keeps everything in place. The car seat tray table comes with a built in iPad or tablet holder that can fit most size tablets so they can rest their little hands while watching their tablets. Although, it seems like they never had a problem holding the tablets in the first place or like most toddlers they will find creative solutions to prop up the tablet when needed.
It is a multifunctional work/play desk with an easy-to-clean whiteboard surface where your little one can scribble, draw, and write as they please. The tray table has sturdy walls which is great for little kids to prevent toys and snacks from messing up the car. Since it rests over the built-in cup holder in the car seat, the tray table comes with a cup holder at arm’s reach for your toddler. The tray table below was the one I used and was of good quality and easy to clean.
- Driving Toys
This was one of the best toddler travel toys for little kids. They will have so much fun role play mommy or daddy driving the car. Younger children are always fascinated by cars. I cant tell how many times I had to pry my daughter out of the drivers seat because she wanted to be the one driving. This will allow them to pretend play being the driver on the long car journey.
- Water-based Coloring Book
Using a water-based coloring book provides the fun of coloring without multiple messy crayons, markers, or paint. This is ideal for older toddlers ages 3-7 years old. This Melissa & Doug water coloring book is reusable, so as the page dries the picture will magically disappear and be ready to use again. This will minimize the amount of coloring books one needs to take on a travel.
- Sticker Books
Stickers are a great quiet activity for little ones to enjoy in the car. Bring along a variety of stickers in different shapes and colors and let your child stick them onto a piece of paper, a coloring book or even tray table. As highlighted in ____ sticker activities are a great way to exercise those little hands and little fingers building fine motor skills, and hand-eye coordination. You can also bring along a sticker book or sticker scene activity for your child to complete. Choose a sticker book that appeals to your child’s interests, whether it’s animals, vehicles, or fantasy creatures, and watch as they unleash their creativity while on the road.
The one listed below offers reusable stickers so that they will get enough uses out of them for the whole journey. We know how young kids can be cheeky at times so they won’t limit themselves to the surfaces that we provide so be prepared to find stickers on the ceiling, the windows, and everywhere else within reach. They do not stick permanently so it will be an easy clean up after the trip is over.
- Kiddies Camera
This is a sure winner for older toddlers. Although younger kids would want to get in on the action too, your older kids can take pictures at the different stops along the way. I know you would already have your cell phone and your child may have a tablet with built-in camera. But If you are like me and want to minimize screen time as much as you can, this a fun way to capture memories and make those necessary rest stops fun.
- Soft toys
Soft toys are a great option for car entertainment as they are safe, cuddly, and easy to clean. Bring along a few of your child’s favorite soft toys and encourage him or her to play and cuddle with them during the trip. For younger children under 1 year old, they don’t require much to be entertained. Sensory toys with different textures and different colors will keep them happy. Hanging toys within arms reach will exercise those fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. You can also play games such as peek-a-boo using the soft toys to keep your child engaged.
- Busy book
Busy books are great travel toys to keep your child entertained during long car trips. These books are typically filled with interactive elements such as buttons, flaps, and textures for your child to explore. These activity books come in a variety of themes such as animals, shapes, colors, and numbers to keep your little one entertained and engaged. For a long car ride, I generally don’t recommend toys that have too many small pieces as young children’s fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination are not the best, especially in a moving car.
Although I have listed 7 toys above, so you might be wondering do I need all of those toys? The answer is no! It depends on the length of stay or how long the journey is. You may only need 2 to 4 max. After all, you will be out and about exploring and enjoying the destinations, toys will be the last thing on their little minds. Besides there are different activities you can do to occupy time such as listening to music which is a great way to keep your child entertained in the car. Since starting preschool my little one always comes home singing a new song, so create a playlist of your child’s favorite songs and play them through the car’s speakers. Sing along and encourage your little one to clap or dance along to the songs.
Conclusion
With adequate preparation ahead of time, venturing on long car trips doesn’t have to be miserable and dreadful. Based on the age and likes of your children, you can find a few toys guaranteed to keep them happy and busy. Above I listed my favorite toddler travel toys you can consider taking on your next trip.
And the last thing, don’t forget the snacks! Have an awesome trip!