I always pack our baby a few favorite baby travel toys any time we travel whether it’s by plane, car or even for the stroller. After several family trips with a baby, I’ve learned what will keep a baby’s attention and which baby travel toys aren’t worth packing. While I’m certain these baby travel toys will work to keep your baby entertained, just choose a few of these toys for traveling with a baby that will easily fit in your carry-on luggage or diaper bag.
When flying with a baby, space is an issue, so you’ll want to pack just a few toys to distract your baby and keep her occupied for short spurts of time. For road trips with a baby, you’ll have more space so you can pack a few more. Just make sure your baby toys for car travel are safe to let your baby have in the car seat without any choking hazards.
As your baby grows, he’ll spend more time investigating toys. Babies love toys they can pick up, shake, bang and toss, as well as moving parts like spinning wheels. You’ll find a ton of these travel toys in our list.
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If you are nervous about your first trip with a baby, I’m here to help. I’ve got lots of great tips on flying with a baby, tips for a road trip with a baby and have shared all of my recommended baby travel gear.
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Best Baby Travel Toys
The best toys for traveling with a baby and keeping your baby entertained on a flight are sensory toys. Your baby is discovering the world and will be interested in toys that make noise, feel different or that shake.
Best Baby Toys for Airplanes
Here are my favorite baby toys for bringing on an airplane. These travel toys for babies on planes will keep your baby occupied and don’t make any sounds to annoy other passengers.
Just make sure to attach the toys, so you aren’t always picking them up off the floor! Babies love to toss toys!
Indestructibles: Baby, Let's Eat!
The best travel toys for babies are "indestructible," and it gets extra points if its a book! The Indestructibles books for babies are made to survive drooling, chewing, flailing, ripping, crumpling, wringing, pulling, fighting, and more! All they need is an occasional wash, wipe and dry in the sink to keep it good as new.
Silly Spinwheel Toy with Suction Base
By encouraging imaginative play and better hand-eye coordination, the Nuby Silly Spinwheel promotes cognitive development and a fun time. Attach the suction cup to an airplane tray, high chair tray or stroller tray and let your baby play. A small tip is to slightly wet the suction cup for keeping it firmly in place.
Lamaze Peek-A-Boo Forest Baby Book
The Lamaze Peek-A-Boo Forest Soft Baby Book is an engaging and interactive cloth book designed for infants, featuring colorful pages and crinkly flaps that promote sensory exploration and hand-eye coordination.
One of the best travel toys for babies over 6 months old, this book is a fun way to spend quality time with your baby when they get cranky and bored on those long plane rides.
Visual Quiet Book for Babies
Can you tell I love soft books as a baby travel toy on airplanes? The "Visual Quiet Book" has lots of activities, contrasting colors, textured pages, and even sounds to capture your 0-12 month old's attention and make reading fun.
Melissa & Doug Take-Along Shape Sorter
Melissa & Doug make great baby toys! Baby travel toys should be compact, easy to pack, and engaging, like this cute & soft shape sorter. With flaps, crinkly textures, and colorful shapes to explore, it’s perfect for improving hand-eye coordination while keeping little ones entertained.
Fat Brain Toys Original Dimpl Brand Baby Toy
Fat Brain Toys makes some pretty cool toys for babies. This colorful travel toy is perfect for curious babies aged 10 months and up, encouraging tracking, reaching, and hand strengthening. With no lights or sounds, it’s ideal for sensory-sensitive little ones and keeps travel peaceful for your fellow passengers.
Lamaze Mortimer the Moose
Mortimer the Moose is the ultimate travel companion, with teething antlers, crinkly feet, and a soft, cuddly body to comfort babies. Its handy clip makes it perfect for strollers or bags, making it a must-have for airplane rides and family trips.
Our baby loved the Lamaze giraffe clip-on toy! It made such a great baby travel toy.
Little Bambam Giraffe Teether Toy
A gentle toy to calm a fussy baby, this teether makes one of the best travel toys for 8 month old babies (or any baby over 6 months who's teething!). Its different angles help to soothe baby’s teeth, and the textures are perfect for keeping their gums healthy.
Silicone Chew Necklaces
It's a great idea to bring along a baby teething necklace when traveling with your little one. If you are spending some time with your baby in the carrier on the flight or even while breastfeeding on the airplane, it gives your baby something to play with.
Baby Stacking Nesting Cups
This versatile baby travel toy is a great pick for the entire first year, being lightweight, compact, and easy to pack. Durable and safe with no sharp edges, it’s one of the best travel toys for babies, perfect for airplanes and hotel stays.
Fisher-Price Rattle 'n Rock Maracas
On long trips where you’re traveling with a little one, these soft maracas can come in handy. They aren’t actually loud or noisy, and are good at keeping little ones distracted as they chew on the soft cushioned side. A perfect baby airplane toy!
Hello, Baby Animals: A High Contrast Board Book
High-contrast board books are perfect for infants aged 0-6 months, as the bold images help stimulate their developing vision and focus. Reading together not only supports early listening and vocabulary skills but also makes books one of the best baby toys for plane travel.
Baby Rattle Toys Activity Ball
My son LOVED his activity ball - he'd never put it down! This brightly colored rattle is a perfect baby travel toy, offering sensory play, sound, and discovery to keep little ones entertained. With moving parts, a mirror, and engaging noises, it’s like a mini activity station for on-the-go fun.
Lamaze Sensory Baby Toys
Although this isn't technically a baby travel toy, it will keep your little one occupied for a long time on the plane. This soft silicone teething mitten is perfect for uncoordinated teethers still learning to hold toys. It keeps little hands busy and off the dirty airplane floor, making it ideal for plane rides.
Baby Buddy Secure-a-Toy Straps
Why are these straps on a best travel baby toys list? Imagine a flight where you are endlessly picking up baby toys in the cramped space beneath your airplane seat - I've been there - it's not fun...
These colorful straps are a must-have companion for baby travel toys, preventing accidental drops and keeping toys secure during plane rides.
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If you'd like even more options for your family flight, don't miss my post on the best airplane activities for babies.
Baby Travel Toys for the Car
Looking for travel toys for babies in cars? Here are my favorite baby car travel toys for a long road trip with a baby:
Taf Toys Toe Time Infant Car Seat Toy
If your child screams bloody murder whenever he has to sit in the car, this is the baby travel toy that’s perfect for you. It's designed to be placed high enough so he can’t grab it yet low enough for him to kick and play with.
This baby travel toy for car seats is an ideal toy for those long road trips. It even comes with a cute attached mirror that will make your baby's eyes light up!
Melissa & Doug Soft Activity Baby Book
This adorable fabric book is a perfect baby travel toy, featuring colorful scenes, animals, and interactive textures. With soft pages to flip, a squeaker to squeeze, and peek-a-boo fun, it’s engaging, easy to clean, and ideal for family road trips.
Haakaa Palm Teether
The Haakaa Palm Teether is perfect for teething babies aged 4 months and up, with a large, easy-to-hold design that can be secured with a strap to stay clean. Its drool-proof design, textured surface, and “fingers” that reach back gums provide safe and soothing relief for achy mouths.
Baby Einstein Plush Musical Take-Along Toy
This car travel toy is perfect for errands, running for 15-20 minutes with calming melodies and light patterns that can even help soothe babies to sleep. Active babies will love shaking it to "wake it up," while younger ones enjoy its gentle, soothing features.
Infantino Peek & Seek Discovery Cube
The Infantino Discovery Cube is a perfect baby car travel toy, with vibrant colors, engaging patterns, and fun activities on every side. Its clacker rings, mirror, hidden ball, and squeezable design keep babies entertained during family car rides.
Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes Musical Toy
Another excellent travel toy by Baby Einstein. The Take Along Tunes Musical Toy is a compact, engaging option for traveling with your baby. Its easy-to-press button toggles through seven classical melodies, while colorful lights enhance the music, promoting auditory and visual development.
Munchkin Baby in-Sight Car Mirror
The Munchkin Brica Cruisin' Baby In-Sight Car Mirror is a perfect baby car seat toy, combining safety with entertainment. Its shatter-resistant mirror lets you keep an eye on your baby, while the lights and soothing melodies engage and calm little ones during car rides.
Baby Travel Toys for the Stroller
A great travel toy for babies is one that your baby will like to play with no matter where you are. From baby toys for plane or car rides to in the stroller, most of these toys listed are versatile enough for every scenario.
Here we have a few of our favorite travel toys for babies in strollers:
Sassy Fishy Fascination Station
If your baby is sitting up in your stroller, then this bestseller suction-cup toy is perfect for your stroller tray. The Sassy Fishy Fascination Station is an ideal baby travel toy, designed to keep little ones entertained with spinning, textured elements and vibrant colors.
Bright Starts Easy-Grasp Rattle
Designed for small babies, this rattle is easy to grasp and is light and hardy. It lets little ones play on the move, work on their coordination, and even use it for teething.
We recommend attaching the O-ball to your travel stroller with some links so you aren't constantly picking it up off the sidewalk.
Manhattan Toy Rattle & Sensory Teether Toy
If you are looking for a stroller toy for your baby that also travels well, this is what you need. It’s super easy to hold onto, shake, and has a pleasing sound to keep your baby easily entertained in their stroller as you walk.
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Are you in the market for a great travel stroller? Check out my recommended travel strollers for infants.
Final Thoughts on Baby Travel Toys
Before you go and buy a ton of these baby travel toys, don't forger that your baby will also be interested in plastic cups, plastic bottles, the seat belt and everything around them (pack some wipes to get it clean first!). The best travel toys for infants are ones that your baby can easily grasp and suck or chew on.
While I know that the plane ride can be the most stressful part of traveling with a baby, just remember that's it's a very small part of your trip.
Read my post on why I don't recommend handing out baby's first flight bags, try to keep your focus on your baby rather than other passengers and don't overpack!
With any luck you'll get your baby to sleep on the flight and it will be over before you know it!
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Looking for some family travel inspiration? Why not check out this list of the best places to travel with a baby in the USA, or for the best places to travel with a baby around the world.
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This post was written & edited by:
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.