My favorite travel gear with kids
Travel with infants and toddlers can feel daunting—even terrifying! But some strategic investments in travel gear can make the process go a lot more smoothly and keep your travel enjoyable. I have had the opportunity to travel quite a bit with our daughters, often without my husband, and through trial and error have found some great travel items that make my life so much easier.
Keep in mind that there is a LOT of travel gear out there, and I mention just a few items that have worked well for our family. This doesn’t mean that other items don’t work or wouldn’t be helpful, but I only review the ones that have made a big difference to our travel experiences personally. One of my favorite travel resources is @whereisbriggs on Instagram, and I highly recommend checking out travel tips and recommendations there before you jet set with your little one.
P.S. This article contains affiliate links. I may earn commissions on qualifying purchases made directly through these links at no additional cost to you. All of these products were selected based on my own independent research, not gifts or sponsorships, so you can trust that they are genuine.
Guava Lotus Travel Crib
The Guava Lotus has been one of our most used and most loved pieces of travel gear. It one of the few non-toxic options for travel cribs—most are treated with chemical flame retardants and contain other less than desirable materials such as PVC and heavy metals, whereas the Guava Lotus is GreenGuard Gold certified and committed to remaining free of any of those nasties. It is also much lighter weight and more compact than nearly all travel cribs on the market, weighing in at 15 lbs and folding up small enough to fit into a backpack that can be carried through the airport. I have also fit it into our larger checked bag to reduce items of luggage. Its design accommodates larger toddlers than other brands, and Miss F used it until she was three. Both of our girls have slept well in it during extensive travel. After over three years of heavy use, ours is still in great condition.
SlumberPod
While the SlumberPod may seem unnecessary, if you plan on traveling much with your little one I consider it a must-have. It provides a totally blacked-out environment around your baby’s travel crib (like the Guava Lotus) and has been extensively independently tested for breathability and safety, beyond standard regulations. You can read more about the product testing and safety here. If your little one is used to sleeping in a blacked-out environment (which I recommend!), the SlumberPod can make the difference between normal sleep and terrible sleep during travel. While we rarely travel without it, we’ve found it most handy in hotels where we are sharing a small room with our children (who wants to go to bed at 7pm when they do?). We did not get our SlumberPod until Miss F was one, and the difference in travel before and after it is night and day.
Travel Blackout Curtains
While you don’t need both travel blackout curtains and a SlumberPod, each can be helpful in different environments (although if you had to choose one, I’d go with the SlumberPod!). We use these curtains at grandparents’ houses when the girls are in their own bedrooms but the windows aren’t as blacked out as at home. They are very lightweight and fold up compactly into travel pouches. While they are made out of materials we typically avoid (polyester), our girls’ exposure to them is so infrequent we don’t worry about it. Also, I was impressed that when we first opened them they had no off-gassing smell. There are some similar pricey options on the market, but these inexpensive Amazon Basics options work really well. They suction around all four sides and have hook and loop sections between each suction cup to customize the size of the curtain to the window.
Hushh Compact Sound Machine
Sound machines can be helpful for sleep in any environment, but I am especially fond of them while traveling. If your little one is used to a sound machine at home, replicating his or her environment as much as possible on your trip will minimize sleep interruptions. In addition, travel environments are often noisier than homes, whether you’re in a hotel with other guests, a relative’s home with extra family members, or an Airbnb with different house noises. We’ve had a Hushh since Miss F was born and still love it. It is very small and lightweight, easily clips on a car seat for road trips, and is battery operated so you can use it when camping or if power goes out. After over three years of use ours still works great; only its battery life has decreased slightly.
Gathre Mini Play Mat
When you’re traveling with an infant, having a clean area to set him or her is a game-changer. Whether you’re killing time at an airport gate, having a picnic on vacation, or entertaining your little one on a hotel floor, the Gathre Mini Mat is incredibly useful. Not only do the mats come in a variety of beautiful colors and patterns, but they are very lightweight, durable, waterproof, wipe off easily, and fold up extremely small (I often carry mine in our diaper bag). A variety of sizes are available, but the Mini has worked well for our family. While the mats are made of a blend of leather and synthetic material that I usually would avoid, they are all California Prop 65 compliant which is a very high standard.
Umbrella Stroller
At home I absolutely love my Uppababy Vista and BOB strollers, but they are extremely bulky and difficult to travel with (not to mention I don’t want them to get damaged by airlines). An umbrella stroller is a great idea for travel—it is lighter and more compact, and ultimately easier to throw in the car or on an airplane. There are lots of luxury options available with some really cool features, but since one of our primary criteria was to not care about damage, we went with the less expensive Summer 3Dlite Convenience Stroller and have been very happy with it. It folds easily, has a handy carry strap, weighs 13 lbs, and has a larger undercarriage basket than many umbrella strollers. My one complaint is that it does not fit in the overhead bin of an airplane, but we’ve gate checked it many times and it has held up well.
PackIt Freezable Snack Bag
If you have a toddler, you know the importance of snacks. Snacks are typically our primary entertainment during travel, and once we get to our destination they’re helpful when we are on the go. I have loved my PackIt Freezable Snack Bag to transport snacks that require refrigeration. It’s a compact insulated pouch with built-in ice packs that keeps cold snacks chilled for hours. It easily fits in a diaper bag, and if you need extra hours of chilling you can fit an additional ice pack in it with your snacks. I recently needed to fly with frozen breastmilk, and the PackIt with two additional ice packs kept the milk frozen during our day of travel.
My favorite toddler activities for airline travel and road trips
When I first started traveling with Miss F when she was an infant, I made the commitment to not use screens as entertainment. Before going any further, let me say loudly and clearly that I do not at all judge parents who do rely on screens during travel! I believe screen entertainment can be a very helpful tool when used correctly, and travel is a great time to break it out of the toolbox.
I personally decided to not use screens for two reasons.
First, I had the opportunity to travel a lot as a child (before screens were a thing!) and have so many fond memories soaking up every detail of the travel. I was enthralled by the flight attendants’ safety briefs, the Sky Mall magazines, the alphabet game on road trips, and so many other minute details that many kids miss out on today. Travel still feels magical to me because of this, and it is important to me that our girls experience it in the same way. Second, I didn’t want to create a habit of reliance on screens for entertainment for the entirety of the travel day. While I have no problem with our girls watching one movie or show, I knew that if we allowed that during travel, they would have a more difficulty transitioning away from the screen to a book or other activity. For us, it’s easier on everyone if the screen is never an option in the first place.
Because of our no-screen travel policy, I’ve had the chance to test out a number of non-screen toddler activities, and my favorites are below.
Note: I’ve included items we’ve loved at various ages and stages, so these will not be appropriate for every age of child! Please especially pay close attention to choking hazards. You know your child and their capabilities better than anyone!
Inexpensive and includes a stylus to draw in rainbow colors. Push a button to clear drawings and start over. Pro tip: use yarn to tie the stylus to the tablet.
Travel-sized kinetic sand “treasure hunts” can provide extensive entertainment. You can also make your own set by filling a small container with kinetic sand and hiding small toys in it. Or bring small construction vehicles for your kids to dig and push the sand. Note: this can get a little messy based on your child’s habits!
A Yoto Mini is a small audio player; you insert “cards” into it that contain audio files for music, stories, read-along books, learning tracks, etc. Kid-safe headphones can be plugged in making it the perfect quiet entertainment.
I loved MagnaDoodles as a child, and my children do still today. The drawing and tracing possibilities are endless, and kids always love the sliding eraser. A bonus is that they are very lightweight so they won’t weigh down your bag.
Melissa & Doug Colorblast Books
“Magic” coloring pads with a colorless marker that reveals colors and designs as the child colors. Not nearly as messy as regular markers, and super fun for kids!
These are consistently Miss F’s favorite entertainment during travel and will occupy her for hours. She’s added to the same notebook over the years, and I usually grab sheets of stickers at Hobby Lobby whenever they’re half off (which is pretty frequently!).
Similar to the Melissa & Doug Colorblast books, the Color Wonders include “magic” markers that can only color on the special paper provided within the kits. Each color reveals a different color on the pages for mess-free coloring.
Pip squigz are especially great in airplanes or airport gates because they’ll easily suction to windows (or seat back trays). They also are great for younger toddlers who still mouth things, because they’re made of food-grade silicone (note that they’re for ages 3+ though, due to their size).
Each tin includes a picture of a character on the front and back, and magnetic clothing and accessory items can be stored inside.
Fill the “paintbrush” with water and your child can “paint” pictures to reveal different colors and items. No mess at all! Flight attendants are happy to provide water if needed.
Magnatiles are heavy, so they’re a little better for road trips than airline travel. They provide opportunity for endless creativity, especially for kids who love building. Pro tip: bring a small metal cookie sheet to build on!
Whirly Squigz are basically an upgraded version of Pip Squigz; they’ll suction to windows and other surfaces, and then their spinners can be enthralling for toddlers.
These work great on the windows at airport gates while waiting to board, on airplane windows and trays, and on car windows. Amazon and Hobby Lobby typically have a good variety.
A few inexpensive new books can be fascinating to kids of all ages, whether you are reading to them or they’re just looking at the pictures. Little Golden Books include many classics and are typically inexpensive and easily accessible.
Similar to stickers, most kids love peeling sticky notes. They can be stuck on any surface in an airplane or car and clean up easily without any residue. While these entertain younger toddlers longer than older ones, the older ones still often enjoy them.
This is one of my favorite travel toys for younger ages; it’s safe for mouthing, and toddlers love “popping” the bubbles back and forth. Miss F will still occasionally pick this one up, but it was much more intriguing to her when she was younger.