A family road trip with a toddler can be a stressful situation. Needing to drive for hours with a very active toddler strapped into a car seat can lead to some challenging times. But, in my experience traveling with kids, road trips with a toddler can be a very enjoyable way to travel as a family. I’ve learned that planning ahead, having the right attitude and a selection of entertaining toddler car toys will go a long ways towards success!
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My Favorite Travel Toys for Toddlers in the Car
The 'My Quiet Book', for instance, is a great way to encourage sensory play in toddlers and get some quiet time while at it. The Montessori toy features 9 different activities that children love interacting with through touch and feel. This is great news for parents because sensory play otherwise tends to be quite the messy affair!
I love that this durable toddler travel toy is machine washable, comes with a zippered washing bag, and retains its shape and quality even after multiple washes. It's fun, practical for travel, and easy to maintain!
So, if you're looking for a colorful, tactile book that doubles as a toddler car toy, the My Quiet Book is a good choice for you.
- Soft and foldable for easy packing
- All parts attached for no lost pieces
- Encourages fine motor skills
- Quiet and mess free travel toy
- Durable stitching and quality materials
- A bit heavier than paper activities
- Self contained with no loose parts
- Tethered pen stores on board
- Builds color recognition and planning
- Packs flat for flights and car rides
- Some toddlers may need help at first
To be honest, I never used a toddler car travel tray on our family road trips, but looking at them now, I wish I had!
While it's not a toy, I love how this toddler travel tray contains everything you need to keep your kids occupied while traveling. I recommend this tray because it collapses flat, buckles around most car seats, and the dry-erase surface turns snack time into play time. Side pockets store crayons, markers, snacks and a water bottle, and the raised edge helps catch the inevitable roll-away.
- Collapsible with carry strap
- Dry-erase play surface
- Fits most car seats and boosters
- Side pockets organize snacks and art
- Any lap tray adds bulk in tight seats
- Dry-erase markers require supervision
- Reusable pages extend play
- Easy to pack
- Great for planes restaurants and hotel downtime
- Widely available themes and bundles
- Pages need drying time between uses
- Water pen can be misplaced without supervision
- True no-mess gel side for toddlers
- Reusable drawing surface extends play
- Compact and lightweight for carry-ons
- From a trusted art brand
- Markers require supervision to avoid stains
- Replacement markers may be needed over time
One of the most popular toddler travel toys of all time! Help your little one learn to “snap” and “click” buckles with this soft, vibrant plush toy that features six easy-to-use clasps and a tiny zipper pocket. Buster keeps little hands busy in car seats, strollers, and on flights while building hand-eye coordination and fine-motor skills. It’s fun, educational, and amazingly portable for any trip.
- Bright colors and soft design appeal to little ones
- Six buckle styles build fine-motor skills
- Clips to bags, car seats, or strollers for on-the-go play
- Durable stitching and quality fabric stand up to travel
- Some buckles may be challenging for younger toddlers
- Surface clean only (no machine wash)
- Lightweight and ultra thin for travel
- Large drawing area for toddlers
- One button erase for endless doodling
- Completely screen free and mess free
- Durable enough for flights and restaurants
- Stylus can be lost without a tether
- Truly no mess and reusable
- Tiny pack fits any day bag
- Open ended creativity without screens
- Quiet activity for flights and restaurants
- Can collect lint and need a clean surface
- Highly packable for travel
- Built-in handle allows toddler-sized grip
- Includes several fasteners that support fine motor and cognitive skills in young children.
- Toddlers under 18 months may find the buckles too advanced
I loved reading the 'First 100' books to my kids to help them learn new words.
Picture books in general are great travel toys for road trips. Each board book in this box set has 100 color photographs to look at and talk about, and 100 simple first words to read and learn.
With colorful, engaging pages and lightly padded covers that make them easy to hold, toddlers will enjoy spending time flipping through the colorful pages of these educational books.
- Durable pages for toddlers
- Short attention-span friendly
- Fits easily in small bags
- Teaches words and categories
- Box sleeve can wear out
- Repetitive for older toddlers
Dr. Seuss books have been a treasured part of my family since the very beginning. This set of beginner board books by Dr. Seuss is full of creative pictures and very simple words, sure to keep your toddler engaged during your family road trip.
You'll also make good use of these Dr. Seuss books in your hotel room when you are putting your toddler down to sleep for a nap or bedtime.
I especially like boxed sets for the car trips with toddlers to help keep things organized! Plus your toddler can have fun taking the books out and putting them back in!
- Compact and giftable
- Catchy rhymes for language play
- Multiple short books to rotate
- Fits a purse or console
- Case clasp can loosen with use
- Not chew-proof
My son loves his snack cup so much, it's in almost every single picture we have of him as a toddler!
- Keeps snacks contained without spills
- Encourages fine motor skills while eating
- Fits most stroller and car seat cup holders
- Top rack dishwasher safe for easy cleanup
- Budget friendly 2 pack
- Not leakproof for liquids
- Flaps can collect crumbs if not cleaned promptly
- Almost 200 pages for long trips
- Large images suit new colorers
- Low cost and easy to replace
- Pairs well with triangle crayons
- Not mess free like Water Wow
- Heavier than a small pad
Pro Tip: Sometimes you don’t even need a toy to entertain your toddler on a road trip. One of my favorite ways to keep my toddler mentally engaged on a road trip was to download a long Disney storybook from Audible.
Some of the Disney storybooks are over 15 hours long! I also love that this activity encourages my kids to look out the window and enjoy the scenery. With a free 30-day trial of the Premium Plus plan you can download (and keep) one free audiobook, regardless of whether you cancel the free trial or not!
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A family road trip is a great time to try Audible –
Advantages of a Road Trip with a Toddler vs. Flying
I’ve always found road trips with toddlers simpler and less stressful than flying with toddlers. I like not having to carry all my toddler travel gear in a small carry-on bag; a family road trip means I have way more space to pack all my favorite toddler toys for car rides!.
Even better, I don’t have to worry about annoying other passengers when our toddler is having a tantrum plus making those quick stops when traveling with a potty training toddler are easy too!
Despite these advantages of a family car trip, in my experience, a little advance planning goes a long way to keep a toddler entertained in the car. With short attention spans, quick bursts of energy, and the drive to constantly bounce about and explore everything around, getting a toddler to sit still in one spot for longer than 5 minutes can feel impossible. Trust me, I know!!
In fact, it’s for these exact reasons that our cute toddlers are considerably harder to handle during family trips than newborns! But that doesn’t mean it’s a lost cause either. It just means we need to carry along the essential toddler travel gear, like snacks (lots of snacks!), a sippy cup and, of course, car ride toys for toddlers!
What to Look for in Toddler Toys for a Road Trip
When looking for the best toddler road trip toys, you’re going to want to make sure they check all the right boxes. In my experience, the best travel toys for toddlers in the car need to be lightweight and compact; quiet, so they don’t bother you while you drive; easy to pack up, with no small parts, because I think I speak for everyone when I say no one wants lost toys under their seats!
However, what’s most important is that car travel toys be safe and not have any sharp edges or small parts that might pose a choking hazard. And brownie points if the car ride toys for toddlers are educational, too!
If you aren’t sure about where to start, then you’ve come to the right place. My list of toddler travel toys comes from my own trial and error over several family car trips at home and around the world. Having the right travel toys for toddlers in the car will make your family trip more fun, organized, quiet and memorable! I hope that learning about my favorite toddler toys for the car helps keep your energetic little ones entertained and engaged for long bouts of time.
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This post was written & edited by:
Celine Brewer is the owner of Baby Can Travel. Not only does she have years of experience traveling with babies & toddlers, but she's helped millions of new parents travel with their babies and toddlers for over a decade. In addition to writing on her baby travel blog, she has shared her expertise on traveling with a baby or toddler by contributing to articles about traveling with a baby with the Washington Post, USA Today, the Lonely Planet magazine and Pregnancy & Newborn magazine.
Celine also writes about family travel on the site FamilyCanTravel.com, which she co-owns with her husband. Being from the Canadian Rockies, she shares her passion about her home and travel to Banff National Park and area on their site TravelBanffCanada.com.