Having the right toys for downtime on a vacation can really help you to relax and regroup after a long day. They also help on the plane, in restaurants, wherever really. If you’re out of ideas, then check out my list below for hotel and travel toys you haven’t seen yet.
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On our last trip, I was for once more than prepared with small toys and activities for our toddler and four-year-old. And trust me, it was a game-changer.
Compared to the time in Cabo when I didn’t bring enough, wrongly betting on the idea that the tablet would keep him entertained. Or the time that I brought too many things that he needed help with – mistake!
Bring plenty of toys that your little ones can do independently in case you are tired from travel, or jet lag, or just parent life. (well, with supervision).
You may not have the energy to build a 50-piece miniature wooden tractor from the Dollar Store. True story. That’s the last time I’ll buy a travel activity without closely examining it first. I had no idea what I had signed up for. A meltdown it turns out – that’s what I signed up for.
In an effort to avoid one of those, bring some of these:
Things You Already Have at Home
- Small, light ball: Elle loves throwing and chasing after it. This helped burn off some quick energy on our road trip stops
- Balloons: Blow ’em up when you get there and have a hit. How high can your little one count?
- Spice container and Q-tips: create a fine motor game with an empty clean container. Your toddler will love the challenge of putting q-tips into the holes, or even just screwing the lid on and off
- Anything magnetic: Jameson loved finding items that the magnet would cling to. Hand over that bottle opener… just don’t lose it kiddo
Items In Your Hotel or Vacation Rental
If you run out of toys or games, get creative with things already laying around
- Cups! Set up bowling or an obstacle course. Coin toss, stacking contest… Alright, that’s all I got.
- Toiletries: Jameson loves building towns and random things out of little toiletry bottles. Get that imagination rollin’!
- Kitchen items: What child doesn’t love a bunch of random kitchen items? Throw them in a box and let them dig through and have at it. See the truck mat picture below… next to it is the hotel “tower” he constructed with cups and plates.
- Build a fort! What a perfect place to build a fort. Pillows and blankets galore!
Spend-Worthy Hotel and Travel Toys You Haven’t Seen Yet
Alright, now for some ideas that are worth your weight in plastic.
Suction toys!!! One of my favorites!
Anything that suctions will hold a toddler’s short attention span. This suction toy has kept our little ones happier than any other toy (with the exception of the kids’ tablet, of course).
If you only buy one toy, this is it! Ella loved pulling the rubber suction thingamajiggies in and out of the egg holder and then suctioning them to the sliding glass door of our vacation rental.
See the Instagram reel of her cracking up. She actually watched that video about 30 times. No joke.
Jameson suctioned them all over the place also, but really loved building creatures and towers out of them. Very cool.
They had a blast with them in the bath also. Told you these were a travel mom’s dream. Another top rated suction toy (with over 4k sold last month on Amazon) are actually half off right now.
One place I would NOT bring them – the plane. I tried it and they just kept dropping to the floor. Not worth the stress. Window clings would be better.
If your little traveler is 15 months or less, I’d go with a more baby-friendly suction spinner toy.
Portable Drawing Tablet
This LCD Portable Drawing Tablet is my daughter’s new fave. She even sleeps with it now!
It clips onto her backpack so it’s easy to travel with, without taking up any extra space. It’s completely toddler friendly. She doesn’t need any help with it.
It’s durable and mess-free, erases effortlessly, and is perfect for on-the-go creativity. Good thing we have a blue one for my son so they aren’t fighting over this one.
Collapsible Beach Toys
Not only are these the perfect space-savers for the beach, but they’re also great toys for the bath, pool and hotel. Toddlers love piling stuff into a bucket. And doing it over and over again.
Pull-Back Cars
Friction-powered dinosaur cars are a great toy especially for siblings to race each other. They had a blast together. See the reel on IG. It also got them running off some energy.
I brought one for each of them on a long road trip, so we had plenty of space to bring them.
The mini travel size below is a bit more convenient, still just as fun.
The mat rolls pretty small as well. Jameson used to love this travel truck set at around 3 years old.
Window Crayons
A small part of me still gets nervous every time I whip out these crayons. But I’ve left them on our home windows for days, with no issues getting them clean after. You will need to clean the window twice, otherwise it leaves a foggy film. A wet towel and a dry towel do the trick. Nothing else needed.
Tattoos
Tattoos are the new stickers. Temp tattoos, that is.
I’m sure these cause the C-word or something, so be sure to read warning labels (yea, brilliant flying mum, those are aaaaalways honest and accurate).
But actually, our son loves applying tattoos to a blank piece of paper. While stickers can be fun, they can also be quick and mundane, especially if your child plays them often.
Tattoos will be a fun, new activity that keeps them occupied for a while. Pick up some fun dinosaur tats from the dollar store, cut em up, wet a washcloth, and get ready to take some fun pics.
Mess Free FingerPrint Coloring
This mess free fingerprint coloring set look so fun! On my list to get for both kids for our next trip. Safe to use in the Tesla???
Racing Tape
Bring a few classic small cars from home and some racing tape and you’ve got yourself a fun day at the track. In a jam and can’t wait the one-day delivery for Amazon Prime? Just bring some electrical tape or blue painter’s tape. They’ll have a ball just playing with tape, too.
Re-usable Sticker Sets
Colorforms Travel Sets are super thin and light, with all kinds of options like Minnie Mouse, Jurassic Park, Paw Patrol and more. If you have time, look for them at Target or Dollar Store where they will be cheaper.
I hope we put some sunscreen on those legs.
Scavenger Hunt
We actually have fun with this Found It game at home. My son loves it. Educational too! And what a great game for a rainy day on vacation! “Find something that starts with a letter “P”…
Magnetic Puzzles
These magnetic puzzles are thin and take up very little space, but they do have a bit of weight to them since they are magnetic. Jameson loves the vehicles version but they also have farm and princess themes.
(One of) The Most Versatile (and Controversial) Hotel and Travel Toys You Haven’t Seen Yet
If you only get one “toy” for a vacation, then I’d definitely pick a kids tablet.
***Reminder: If you are new to two playful kiddos, you might need double of some of these! Sharing might not be a lesson you feel like teaching after hiking 4 hours with a toddler on your back. Or your partner’s back I should say in my case.
Well, that should be enough to cover a pretty long vacation. Hope you got some fresh ideas. If you need more, my post on plane activities has a ton.
Leave a comment below with your child’s favorite travel toy!
