Traveling with toddlers can be challenging, but entertaining your little one on a long road trip or flight without a screen is possible with a little prep work in advance.
Why screen time is bad for toddlers
As a former teacher, I’ve unfortunately seen the negative effects of too much screen time. With the uptick of short, quick fix videos and reels on apps like TikTok and Instagram, my students in the 2020s had drastically shorter attention spans than in years past. I struggled to enforce classroom technology policies as students exhibited addictive behavior to their phones..
As adults we also struggle with phone addiction. How often do you find yourself mindlessly scrolling on Facebook while your children play or when you need an escape after a long day at work? Social media releases a quick fix of dopamine in the brain, activating our brain’s pleasure center and giving it highly addictive properties. Digital media and blue light have also been shown to increase anxiety, depression, and insomnia according to the World Health Organization. If we as adults, with fully developed brains, struggle with our own use of technology, why would we subject our babies, toddlers, and young children, whose brains are developing rapidly, to excessive amounts of digital content?
The AAP recommends no screen time for babies under the age of 18 months, since screen time has been proven to have a negative impact on brain development, impulse control, and concentration.
All research that has been done, as well as my own anecdotal observations, suggest that too much screen time on developing brains has harmful consequences. We live in a time where we feel it is our job as parents to keep our kids constantly entertained, but boredom is excellent for kids. Boredom spurs creativity and sparks imagination. Boredom teaches young children problem solving skills as they find new and innovative ways to entertain themselves.
As a society we have also begun to look down on kids for simply acting like kids, rather than behaving like miniature adults. If you’re flying on a plane full of strangers it may be tempting to give your toddler a tablet to placate them, keep them quiet, and avoid bothering other people. It’s important to remember, however, that children will never learn how to behave in public or while traveling if they aren’t given the opportunity to practice. Toddlers learn social skills by interacting with other people, looking at faces, and watching body language. None of these things can happen if we put them in front of a screen. Parenting is hard, but it’s an investment in the future. Let your toddler sit with boredom now so that they can learn to enjoy travel without a screen. And remember, a toddler behaving in a developmentally normal way is not an indication of bad parenting.
Traveling with my toddler
My parents raised me homeschooled and road tripping across the United States in a truck camper. As an adult, my husband and I also traveled frequently before our son was born. We didn’t want to give up our adventurous lifestyle when we became parents and I wanted my son to be able to experience the joy and educational values of travel the way I did growing up. At two years old our little tater tot has lived in multiple states and traveled across the United States both by car and plane.
Our first flight with Moose at 18 months old filled me with anxiety. I worried about keeping him occupied, tantrums, boredom, and what other people would think. He had been on several road trips and frequently rode in the car for 3 hours once a week to visit Grandma and Grandad. He did well in the car with books and toys, but I knew he would be more difficult to entertain in a new and different environment.
The majority of the tips and product suggestions in this post were put together for our first flight, but would work equally well for toddlers on long road trips.
My favorite toys for screen free traveling with toddlers
If you’re planning a long road trip or a flight with your toddler, I highly recommend investing in some new toys that will keep your little one entertained. You’re going to want toys that aren’t regularly played with at home to keep your child’s interest over all the new and exciting things happening around them. (You want them to engage in their environment and with the people around them when appropriate, but you also don’t want a tantrum because he or she isn’t allowed to run up and down the aisle of the airplane exploring and investigating all the new sights and sounds.) I also recommend investing in a variety, because it seems like the toys that you think will provide the most entertainment will be the least played with, and the toy that you least expect will end up being the favorite.
Montessori Toy Crab
The toy that got the most enjoyment during our flight was this Baby Montessori Toy Crab. This was a last minute addition to our shopping cart. I didn’t expect that Moose would love it so much, but figured for $5.99 I would give it a try. It was a huge hit on our flight and we continue to use it on every trip we take. The colorful buttons in the middle can be pushed down and moved around, which has provided our 18 month old with countless hours of entertainment. The pinchers and feet can be pulled back and forth and there’s a pull string that makes the eyes wiggle back and forth. Moose gives this one a 10/10.
Suction cup fidget spinners with pop sockets
Our next favorite toy for traveling with toddlers are these suction cup fidget spinners. This pack comes with 3 fidget spinners that suction to the window of the airplane or car. Your toddler can spin them or pop the pop socket bubbles back and forth. Moose loves these for both flights and road trips, but struggles to reach them on the side window from his rear facing car seat.
Montessori Busy Board
I was really impressed with this Montessori Busy Book from Amazon. It’s small and light but contains multiple activities, which make it perfect for travel. The first page has different buckles, zippers, and shoe lace ties so your little can practice their fine motor skills. There are 5 different velcro pages including a velcro puzzle, ABC practice, numbers practice, and colors and shapes matching. There’s also a page that contains a dry erase board with a spot to store small dry erase markers. At 18 months this toy was a bit advanced for Moose. He still had a ton of fun playing with it, sticking the velcro items to the pages, and throwing the little pieces all over our seats. I would recommend taking the small velcro pieces apart and storing them in a ziploc bag before your trip so they are less likely to get lost. This would be a great activity for an older toddler who has begun learning letters, numbers, shapes, and colors.
Owl Sensory Buckle Pillow
This Sensory Buckle Pillow was one of my favorites. The back contains several different types of buckles and zippers for your little one to practice problem solving and fine motor skills, and he’s cuddly which is a huge bonus. At 18 months Moose wasn’t quite ready to figure out all the buckles yet for this flight, but now that he’s closer to 2 this toy keeps his interest much longer for long road trips.
Crayola Color Wonder coloring pages
These mess-free Color Wonder pages were made for traveling with toddlers. Because the markers only work on the pages, your little one can color without worrying about marking up the airplane tray table or the back of your car seats.
Books for traveling with toddlers
Moose absolutely loves lift-the-flap books. He gets so excited to see what’s underneath each little flap.
This Playtown Airport book was perfect for our flight. Each page had several flaps to lift and kept him entertained over a long flight delay.
We also love the Llama Llama books at our house, so I was stoked to find a flip tab version called Llama Llama Hide & Seek. The mirror under the flap on the last page really tickled Moose. He thought it was the best thing ever.
Other products and tips for traveling with toddlers
Toddler sized backpack
In addition to buying toys we also invested in a toddler sized backpack. Target has several fun options to choose from. Moose is at an age where he loves taking things in and out of bags. We packed a few of his new toys for the flight in his backpack. He was able to carry his own bag through the airport and had fun unpacking his new toys on the plane.
Food, snacks, and meals
Another item that we found helpful were these silicone snack cups. They have a lid and the petal top is spill proof.
For flying with toddlers who are no longer using a bottle, I also recommend bringing along some baby food pouches. During takeoff and landing the pressure changes can cause ear pain for littles. Sucking on something, such as a bottle or pacifier, can help equalize the pressure and relieve discomfort. We gave Moose a fruit pouch to suck on at takeoff and landing, and he wasn’t bothered in the slightest.
One of my baby shower gifts was this clip on high chair. I absolutely fell in love with it and take it everywhere. Occasionally we dine at a restaurant that doesn’t have high chairs, or we end up with a high chair with broken straps. We never have to worry about that with this travel high chair. The brackets slide over the restaurant table and you screw the brackets to clamp it. I always keep this in my car so its available for a night out, a road trip, or to grab on the way into the airport.
Safe sleep while traveling with toddlers
For safe sleep while traveling, if your little is still small enough for a crib, we use this Dream On Me Travel Light Playard. I loathe traditional Pack n’ Plays. I have the most difficult time setting them up, taking them down, getting them to fit back in their original bags, and they’re unnecessarily heavy. The Travel Light Playard is super light and easy and quick to put together and take down. The base unfolds easily, the legs pop into the base, put the mattress down, and it’s done. This is easily my favorite travel purchase of all time. Moose will be outgrowing this sooner than I’d like so I’ll update with my favorite option for older toddlers once he’s transitioned out of a crib.
Road trip recess when traveling with toddlers
When we take a several hundred mile road trip my husband and I sit down in advance and map out our trip. We then use Google Maps to find parks along our route. We aim to stop approximately every two hours, unless Moose is napping, to do a quick diaper change, have a snack or picnic lunch/dinner, and move our bodies. We might take a quick walk, have a mini dance party, or play on a playground for a few minutes. This helps my toddler reset, burn some energy, get his wiggles out, and sets us up for success upon getting back in the car.
Did I leave anything out? What are your favorite products and tips for traveling with toddlers? Let me know in the comments!
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- Montessori Toy Crab
- Suction Cup Fidget Spinners
- Montessori Busy Book
- Sensory Buckle Pillow
- Crayola Color Wonder
- Playtown Airport Book
- Llama Llama Hide and Seek Book
- Toddler Sized Backpack from Target
- Silicone Snack Cup
- Baby Food Pouches
- Clip On High Chair
- Dream on Me Travel Lite Playard
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