Based on my years of traveling with my toddlers, I can tell you that flying with a toddler can be intimidating. What makes flying with a toddler so scary is that they do not sit still, and there’s no amount of convincing (read: pleading) that can get them to.
This is precisely what makes toddlers, over all other ages, so challenging to handle on flights. In my experience flying with toddlers, I can tell you that a little planning goes a long way. It also never hurts to pack these toddler travel essentials along with a selection of my favorite toddler toys for airplane travel.
I’ve learned that the key to success on a flight with a toddler is to pack a selection of particularly engaging airplane toys for toddlers. I always tried to pack a variety of small toddler airplane toys in my carry-on bag, so I can easily rotate between them.
Keep reading to learn how a few toddler toys for airplane travel can make all the difference, and get ready to have an amazing vacation with your toddler!
This post contains compensated links.
Toddler Travel Toys for the Airplane
When choosing the toddler airplane toys for your child, just remember that they need to be light and compact enough to fit in your carry-on bag or your toddlers travel backpack.
The best toddler plane toys should be easy to carry, take out and put away quickly, and durable enough to handle the rigors of travel. Bonus points, of course, if they have an educational aspect to them!
I know, it’s a tall order. But don’t fret, because I have distilled my years of family travel experience into a curated list of my favorite toddler toys for airplane travel. When reviewing my list, consider your child’s personality and select a variety which will appeal to your child the most.
Vinyl Gel Clings
A perfect toy for flying with a toddler! These reusable Gel Clings Stickers feature cute animal designs and can be easily stuck to (and peeled off) airplane windows.
Melissa & Doug Puffy Sticker Activity Books Set
My kids loved playing with Melissa & Doug Reusable Sticker Books on family trips, but sadly they are too big to qualify for my list of the best toddler airplane toys.
Luckily, Melissa & Doug also makes these smaller puffy sticker activity books which are the ideal size for the airplane. Your toddler will love creating and recreating the scenes.
Melissa & Doug Water Wow! Activity Books
The Water Wow! activity books are another of my all-time favorite airplane toys for toddlers! My kids loved ‘painting‘ the reusable pages with the refillable water pen. The combination of small size and a mess-free activity earns the Water Wow! books a high spot on my list!
Molding & Sculpting Sticks
Made of nothing more than yarn covered in food-grade, non-toxic wax, these colorful, soft and pliable sticks stick to each other with ease to allow for hours of 3-D creativity.
I once made my son a homemade version of this toy with pipe cleaners and an empty spice jar. It was a hit, but to be honest, these look so much better for inflight entertainment. I really like these toys for airplane travel!
Finger Puppets
How cute are these Animal Finger Puppets?? A toy with endless possibilities for creative play, finger puppets are an excellent travel toy for toddlers on an airplane. Their compact size makes them easy to pack, and they encourage imaginative play, helping to keep your toddler engaged and entertained during the flight.
Buckle Toys
If there was a toddler airplane toy Hall of Fame, the Buckle Toys would be in it! Toddlers just love playing with the six colorful buckles with different clasps and the zipper pocket. Buckle toys develop fine motor skills and problem-solving abilities and , most importantly, occupy toddlers for long periods of time.
Crayola Color Wonder Activity Books
A fun twist on the Water Wow! concept, Crayola Color Wonder sets are one of the best toddler toys for plane travel. The mess-free pens only work on the special Color Wonder Paper, making them super safe to use on-the-go no matter where you are.
Once my kids outgrew the Water Wow! books, the Crayola Color Wonder books were a great next step in their creative journey.
My Plane Trip Coloring Book
Talking to your toddler about an upcoming flight is an excellent way to prepare them for the experience. This fun travel themed coloring book helps prepare them for the flight, and then helps occupy them during it.
Crayola Anti-Roll Crayons
I think whoever invented anti-roll triangular crayons is a genius! I used to spend half my time on family flights picking up rounded crayons off the floor – these triangular crayons simply lie flat and do not roll. Amazing!
It’s hard to beat Crayola crayons, but if your child likes bigger crayons, check out these jumbo triangular crayons from Melissa and Doug.
Mini Trucks and Race Cars
My son LOVED his mini cars and trucks! I’d give him some Cheerios to haul in his trucks and he was entertained for a long time!
Wooden Lacing Apple Threading Toys
I love this apple threading toy as it’s a small and versatile toddler toy for airplanes. This simple pocket-sized Montessori lacing toy is guaranteed to keep your toddler entertained on the flight. See the curiosity in their eyes as you help them lace the caterpillar through the different holes in the apple block for the first time.
Toddler Busy Book
Another excellent Montessori toy, this toddler busy book features 9 different activities that children will love interacting with through touch and feel. This is fantastic news for parents, because sensory play otherwise tends to be quite the messy affair.
With lots of cute, attached elements like zippers, buttons and buckles, your kid will get to use this book to engage in activities like matching shapes and getting dressed, without even having to get out of their seat!
Doodle Drawing Board
When my kids had their doodle boards, it’s like they ceased to exist. They’d sit for hours drawing new creations, over and over and over… For creative kids, this is an ideal airplane travel toy.
My First 101 ANIMALS Padded Board Book
I spent a lot of time on our family flights with picture books just like this. What a great opportunity to teach our kids some new words, all while keeping our toddler entertained during the flight.
Munchkin Snack Catcher
Ok – I realize this isn’t a toddler airplane toy, but if your goal is to keep your toddler occupied on the flight, trust me on this – a snack cup is worth its weight in gold!
Plane rides with toddlers require plenty of snacks! Fill your snack cup with small snacks that require fine motor skills (like Cheerios), and you’ll have a happy, well-fed, entertained toddler. Win-win-win!
Our toddler carries his snack cup EVERYWHERE! It’s literally in every single family travel photo we have of him as a toddler.
Getting Your Toddler to Sleep on a Plane
If your family trip involves a long flight, then keeping your toddler entertained will be only half the story. If you need you child to sleep, don’t miss my tips on getting your toddler to sleep on the plane! A sleeping toddler on a flight is a true gift. Take it from me, having an airplane toddler bed is so helpful for this!
Travel Toys for other age Groups
As there is often similarities between age groups, why not take a moment to read my posts on the best baby travel toys and best travel toys for 2 year olds. You also will find some of our screen-free toddler travel toys make perfect travel toys for two year olds.
Finally, if you want some suggestions for apps for young toddlers, we’ve shared our favorites in our airplane activities for toddlers – don’t forget to practice using toddler headphones before the flight!
Come Join Us!
We love answering questions in our Baby Can Travel Facebook group. Come ask all your baby travel related questions and share advice with other traveling parents!
Found this post useful? Share it with your friends!
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.
