DISCLOSURE: AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES. THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS, MEANING I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS, AT NO COST TO YOU. THESE ARE ALL PRODUCTS I HIGHLY RECCOMEND. I WOULD NOT PUT ANYTHING ON THIS PAGE THAT I HAVEN’T VERIFIED AND/OR PERSONALLY USED.

Every Travel Adventure is Different

I would like to start this toddler travel essentials blog post by saying that parenthood is not a perfect science. It is a journey of learning, mistakes, and finally grasping something, all for your child to change what they like the next day. Being a parent is both challenging and beautiful all at the same time. That being said, we are sharing our toddler travel essentials to serve as inspiration for your upcoming travels with your young kiddos.

Every travel adventure my little family goes on, my husband and I learn a little more about traveling with a child. But after every trip I think, “next time I will do things this way” or “next time will be easier”. But to be completely honest, every trip is different or my son is in different stages of childhood/toddlerhood. He has changing preferences in toys, snacks, moods, feelings, and emotions. So we do our best to prepare with snacks and activities that will meet our son’s ever changing preferences.

Toddler Travel Essentials

This list of toddler travel essentials is a general guideline for the moms, dads, and care takers out there who have yet to travel with their little ones. Or for the veteran parents who just need some fresh ideas. As with anything in parenthood, do your very best to plan and prepare, but be kind to yourself when things do not go to plan or you need other things unexpectedly. Enjoy the experience and stay present in the moment, because there is nothing more amazing than watching your child experience a new place and new things.

Travel Snacks

Variety of Snack Choices

Snacks can be tricky in general, at least for my son. One day he likes something, then the next day he will refuse to eat it. So when we travel we bring a variety of snacks. See below for some snack inspiration and ideas for your next family travel adventure.

  • Bring some familiar items: pouches, string cheese, clementines, berries, sliced apples, yogurt pouches, apple sauce pouches, kids bars like “go macro” brand, “that’s it” brand bars, pretzels, etc.)
  • Bring some items we do not stock at our house all the time: fruit snacks, gummies, lollypops
  • Bring a few completely new snack choices that would be new and exciting: Freeze dried strawberries, a new variation of cereal, fruit leathers, “simple mills” graham crackers or cheese crackers, etc.

I love filling a bag full of snacks and then also bringing a little tower like the one pictured above and linked here (Amazon). I fill snacks in the tower, and my son enjoys opening each one to see what we brought. And remember if you don’t pack enough of something you can always stop at a grocery store or a local Target to grab some extra items once you arrive at your destination.

Note, when we fly, we have no issue with bringing the snacks noted above for our child. We kept everything in a separate bag. But check TSA requirements for particulars. We also bring an empty water bottle through security so we could fill up at water fill up stations at the airport or at restaurants, on the trip. For road trips with more space you can bring a cooler or a larger bag full of snack varieties.

Toys and Entertainment

Tablet & Headphones

We do our best to make our trips screen free, but at times using our child’s Amazon Fire 7 Kids Tablet (Amazon) is essential for his calmness and ours. It is a decent option and definitely gets the job done. We download the shows and movies my son likes from Netflix or Disney plus. Also, there are a few games that are fun on the tablet, but we prefer using our ABC Mouse kids app to keep things educational and engaging for him.

We also bring our son’s Clever BTH12 Kids Bluetooth Headphones (Amazon) that we purchased on Amazon. They are specific for kids and don’t get overly loud. There is no judgment about screen time. For our family, some times screen time is necessary and sometimes it is not.

Toys, Books, & Activities

Toys are a good thing to consider bringing when traveling. Here are some ideas of what to bring as far as toys on your next travel adventure.

  • A mini etch-a-sketch
  • Educational flashcards (try the dollar tree here too)
  • Mini cars or trucks (hot wheels, or the dollar tree)
  • Packs of stickers and small blank notebook
  • Coloring books
  • Activity packs that have stickers and little activities (Target or The Dollar Tree)
  • Little miniature dinosaurs, army men, or figurines from the dollar store. These are inexpensive and okay if they get lost on your travel adventure.
  • Puzzles
  • Suction cup animals or little inexpensive fidget toys/gadgets (Target has a lot of these in their dollar section)
  • “Search & Find” style books that will take up time, like I spy books or this dinosaur one linked here (Amazon)
  • Reusable sticker books linked here (Amazon)
  • Mess free water art book linked here (Amazon)
  • Magnetic toy or activity set like this cute Bluey (Amazon) one similar to what we used on our latest trip
  • Mini set of Magnetic tiles linked here (Amazon)

I do love to go to the dollar tree before we travel and pick up any of the items above. This keeps things new and exciting for my son which keeps him engaged for longer periods of time. Or Target dollar section at the front always has fun ideas and options for toys to bring along on your travels.

Other Important Carryon/ Easy Accessible Essentials

There are many other items that are considered essential for our family. We always have a pack of wipes on hand for when snacks get messy. We also use dry wipes with our branch basics minis. Branch Basics is a non toxic cleaning solution that you mix with water to create different essential cleaning sprays or soap. We always travel with Branch Basics. When I am in a pinch I have even used the foam or spray as hand sanitizer. It is the best of the best and has transformed my home over the years. See below for all of our other essentials:

toddler travel essentials

The above list is mostly for carry on plan items or items that need to be easy to access on a road trip. We mostly pack these in my son’s diaper bag and a little mini backpack he has too.

What we pack in our Toddler’s suitcase

Other essentials that are packed in the suitcase because they are not needed during the flight or drive of the travels are noted below.

We like to keep things simple and minimal so we do not go over board with the outfits. We focus on the simplest and easiest items when we pack our toddler travel essentials. Your list may be longer if you have a younger toddler or a baby and need to bring medicines or breast pumping supplies, etc. Note that there are also companies out there that rent travel cribs and car seats, but we have chosen to bring ours when we have flown. I will say that it is a challenge to bring these bulky items on flights but we have checked them in right away so it’s not so bad. If you bring a stroller you can check it in at the gate too. So that is a nice option.

Safe Travels Ahead!

We hope this list of toddler travel essentials brings you some comfort and inspiration. It’s a continuous journey of learning how to travel with children and what to bring. The essentials that worked for a trip in January may look different than another trip in November of the same year. So I like to be flexible and adaptable with what we bring on each trip. Happy and safe travels ahead. And remember what is most important is the beautiful family memories. Stay present and go with the flow.

DISCLOSURE: AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES. THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS, MEANING I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS, AT NO COST TO YOU. THESE ARE ALL PRODUCTS I HIGHLY RECCOMEND. I WOULD NOT PUT ANYTHING ON THIS PAGE THAT I HAVEN’T VERIFIED AND/OR PERSONALLY USED.