Best Travel Toys For Toddlers to Keep You Sane (Review) in 2021

Our top pick in toddler toys that are perfect for travel, is this peg board set from Skoolzy. This is ideal for a wide range of ages, as it can help with everything from color recognition to counting. The thick pegs are easy to grab and manipulate, helping with fine and gross motor skills, and there’s a surprising amount of options as to what to do with these pegs.

For younger children, it can simply be a case of encouraging spatial awareness, as your son or daughter learns to place the pegs into the holes. For toddlers, they can do everything from making patterns on the board to helping learn numbers as they stack the pegs together. 

Running along similar lines to the Skoolzy peg board is ALEX Toys button art. While there’s less freedom in terms of stacking and sorting, this item makes up for it with ten different boards- all with a focus on color matching. Discover Button Art is a great middle-ground for those who are slightly past the point of shape-sorting and just below the ability to complete puzzles. All they need to do is match up the color of the button with the color of the board behind it.

Great for hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills and creativity, the wide storage tray will hold the 40 buttons that come with this set and the entire toy can be easily cleaned up and placed aside when not in use.

Babies and toddlers love to mimic us and one of the biggest things that seems universal across children is the adoration of pushing buttons. Scout’s Learning Lights Remote combines these two facts to create a fun toy that infants and older toddlers love to play with. This remote works brilliantly as your mini-me works on their numbers and shapes, as well as colors and first words.

The catchy songs and shapes that light up are sure to catch their imagination as they have a great time trying out all the different combinations available with this pretend remote. Even better, for those who are looking for a toy to use at home, as well as on the road, the Learning Lights Remote will be sure to keep sneaky hands away from your own remote!

Perfect for infants and younger toddlers, this travel toy works by encouraging the fine motor skills of nifty hands, who like to fiddle. The different clasp types help to work with their improving concentration to encourage fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination and problem-solving skills. If you have an older child who is great at problem solving, simply ask them to try and weave the buckles, so they create a new pattern!

Buster comes small enough that you can easily take him along on short or long trips- and his many buckles make it extra-easy to attach him to any bag or stroller, making it super-easy to pop him to one side without loosing their new toy!

Sesame Street has become synonymous with fun, for many generations of children now- and there’s no denying that their toys have become increasingly popular thanks to their creative, yet simplistic styles. On the Go Letters works similarly to our top pick, in that you can snap and place the letters across the board, with an added space, so that children can show off their language skills by creating their own words.

However, this is a toy that is better suited to older toddlers and preschoolers. This is simply because the focus of this toy is spelling and letter recognition, which many, younger children many not be able to get the full use of.

Perfect for creative minds and those who simply love to squiggle, the AquaDoodle is a great option for flexing those hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. All you need to do is add water to the AquaDoodle pen and feel free to let their imaginations run wild. The only major downfall here is that the included pen only draws in red and blue, so you might wish to invest in a few more pens if your little one likes to use lots of different colors- or simply has a favorite.

Made from plastic, paper and fabric, this is a lightweight option that easily folds up to be put away or carried with you, thanks to extra handle. Despite this, it’s surprisingly durable and strong, easily handling the trials and tribulations that comes with being a toddler toy for travel.

There’s something about stickers that really seems to draw in toddlers and infants, and this set from Melissa & Doug is no different. Based with a huge variety of different backgrounds and complete with repositionable stickers, this is a great option for those who don’t quite have the dexterity for puzzles but are a little above the standard wooden shape-sorter style games.

With 12 chunky “beads”, this is a great choice for kids who love their animals. While they’re threading the chunky, wooden needle through the assorted farm animals, they’ll be working on their fine motor skills. Of course, you can also play counting and imaginative games with them, as the cute characters are easily placed into a “farm” setting.

This is a multi-award-winning children’s toy that is ideal for travel, thanks to thick cotton, chunky beads and stopper, that ensures there’s no mess left when your little one is done having fun. Made from wood and with each character being painted in bright, eye-catching colors, your kids can have great fun with these little animals.

All parents are aware of the latest fidget-spinner craze that has been going around- but this is a great alternative for smaller hands who can’t quite get the right grasp or attention for those older toys. Designed with bright colors and made with BPA-free plastic, Dimpl is a fantastic sensory toy for young infants to pop and poke to their heart’s content.

With such a simple design, you would never guess just how much babies and toddlers love this little plaything. The silicone bubbles seem to keep their attention for ages and the lightweight design of the Dimpl means you can take it with you, anywhere.

Going on a really long journey, but don’t want your kids to get sore necks? Try the Critter Piller Travel Buddy Pillow. Created for long flights and road trips, these cute little designs work brilliantly as both a cuddly toy and a way to keep your kids comfortable during travel. Designed to cradle their head, these are sturdy pillows that are built to last- perfect if you have kids who get very attached to their cuddly toys.

Shape sorters are one of the oldest and most-loved kid’s games of all time and Melissa & Doug have created a great new version of this humble toy, which you can now bring on journeys with you. This padded shape-sorter comes in a bag shape, complete with handle, so you can easily pack away and store all of the items, when their new toy isn’t in use.

With crinkly flaps on one side to capture the attention of younger infants and textured shapes for the other side, this is a great toy to keep little minds busy. Even better, if you still aren’t completely happy, you can even take advantage of the “Happiness Guarantee” and get your money back.

For kids who love a big, healthy chunk of imaginative play, a magnetic drawing board is one of the best items you could possibly invest in. Being lightweight and easy to carry along on journeys, this particular board comes with 4 different colors- which will capture their attention as they play with the included stamps.

The best thing about magnetic boards, of course, is that you don’t need to carry around tons of paper- simply erase the board by moving the slider, at the bottom of the toy, across to the other side and start again. Meaning less mess and endless fun!

If you like giving your kids a little bit of a challenge- or you know your kid loves to use their fine motor skills, the Curious Columbus Quiet Book is an amazing investment that you won’t regret purchasing. With 10 bright and fun pages, all with their own unique designs and sets of puzzles, this is a book that will easily keep the attention of your little ones, while you concentrate on the trip ahead.

This is a soft, yet surprisingly durable book that can handle the constant tugs and playing from little hands. Even better, the book zips up completely- keeping all loose items inside- and even comes with a little handle, making it easy to take with you as you continue your journey.

If you’re still not sure if your kid can keep all of their new toys in one place, then this is a great addition to any games and toys you decide on. Simply add this onto their high chair or car seat, once you child is safely fitted, and let the fun begin!

The high sides will keep all of the smaller items together and the multiple pockets and storage areas means you can safely keep any snacks, drinks or other toys to one side without worrying about losing them around your car or chosen transport method.

A quirky little addition to our top picks is the Dressy Kids Classic version from Playskool. This little cuddly toy comes with 5 different activities for your little one to take part in, but this also works brilliantly as a friendly face on long journeys. Using laces, zips, buttons and ties, this is great travel for 2-year-olds as they tend to become very attached to their toys at this age!

Even better, the handle add-on clip means you can easily attach your new toy to your stroller, bag or luggage so they’ll never get lost!