Travelling with little ones isn’t always smooth sailing, but with a little planning (and packing the right kids travel items) it can be a hell of a lot easier and more fun! Here are 20 items – tried and tested – that we recommend for taking away with you.
I absolutely love going away on holiday with the kids. Of course, I know there are going to be stressful times – and it’s very different to the travel of my 20s when I was single, childfree and carefree! But I’ve discovered a bit of preparation goes a bloody long way when travelling with kids. Over the years I’ve tried a plethora of different products to try to make the whole thing easier and smoother, so below I’ve listed the top 20 I really believe in to make things a bit easier – whether you’re hopping on a plane or planning a roadie.
Now, travelling is already expensive enough as it is, so this is not to say that you need every one of these items, or that you need to by entirely new things. One of the things I’ve found has always made a difference when travelling with kids – particularly when they’re very young – is having some consistency with things they recognise and are comforted by from home. If we’re going on a road trip and have the space, I like to take their pillow and duvet from home. If a plane ride is involved, I’ll at least take their favourite pillow case (it’s comforting having something that smells like home!), a couple of their favourite books and toys. If there are things they love at home that keep them entertained or soothe them when they’re feeling strung out – if they can fit in a suitcase, take them!
Here are 20 tried and tested kids travel items that have made my life easier:
Bubbles!
Bubbles are my go-to if things start getting tricky or we need a little distraction – they are FANTASTIC to have in your arsenal for travel! If things are going pear-shaped, or you’ve got a queue to wait in, or someone’s getting bored or cranky – they’re fab to pull out, whatever age your kids are!
Plus, they’re crazy cheap and easy to pop in your bag (just make sure they’re under 100ml if you’re catching a plane?!).
Set of six assorted bubble wands (35ml), $6.50 from Kmart
Camping Light
This camping light is one of my absolute travel must-haves now – which is particularly impressive (and odd?) seeing as I’ve never taken the kids camping (yet!). This thing is genius. It’s essentially a light – but it’s so much more, with eight different modes. You can use it as is, and push the button to have a handy but powerful light (or different levels of brightness – many of which are perfect for a little night light). But then you can also pull out the tab and unwind out the 10 metres of string waterproof fairy lights inside (which you can have flashing or just glowing). It brings instant magic!
It’s easy to charge via USB and has a handy hook to hang it up from, or the back is magnetised. I took this on a cruise with my toddler for a night light (plus some festive lights over Christmas!) and it was one of my MVPs of the trip.
Camping String Lights, $15.99 from Amazon
Inflatable Foot Rest
If you’re flying with little folks and worried about whether they’ll be able to sleep – this is the next best thing to a sky couch. It’s a foot rest pillow which you inflate and then pop in the space between your child’s seat and the back of the chair in front. It means they can pop their feet up with some extra space to lie on, that hopefully translates to more zzzzz’s. Just have a check with your airline before you take it to make sure they allow these!
Koala Kloud Inflatable Foot Rest Pillow, $23.97 from Amazon
Car Tape
If you’re short on space and need a toy or activity that is mighty small but can offer maximum entertainment, this may very well be exactly what you need. It’s simple, but smart. It’s tape (that somehow still comes off surfaces easily and doesn’t leave any weird residue) that looks like a little road. Bring along a little Hot Wheels car or two, and you’ve got yourself hours of entertainment. Whether that’s laying down tape on the tray table on the plane, or in the bathroom of your Airbnb, if your kiddo is cars obsessed, they’ll love this.
PlayTape Road Tape for Toy Cars (5cm wide by 914cm), $11.97 from Amazon
Car Seat Organiser
The day I invested in a backseat car organiser was a game changer for family road tripping. These things are pretty cheap, but pay serious dividends. You just secure them to the back of the front seats (there’s handy straps and clips) and then it sets up a space to slot in an iPad (yes, sometimes screen time is essential!), toys, snacks, drink bottles, tissues and whatever the heck else they need to survive. It’s fab in many ways – including the fact your kid doesn’t end up hunched over watching a screen on their lap, plus it saves your shoulder/rotator cuff from injury constantly reaching back to give them with whatever snack/toy/drink is suddenly essential for their survival.
ONE PIX Backseat Car Organizer, $12.99 from Amazon
Busy Book
When we took our then 15-month-old on his first plane ride I did a bit of girl math and decided that because we weren’t forking out for an airfare for him to Fiji (yay for under 2s flying for free!!) that I could buy a fancy busy book as a treat. It’d last for ages!
I saw these gorgeous Wondertivity fabric busy books online and they are gorgeous! They definitely keep the little ones entertained (it was great for not just the plane, but for restaurants and anywhere with a queue), plus, it was during a stage where he liked to rip books (a crime!) so this was a fab, rip-free option!
Wondertivity Lucky Lion Toddler Book, $88
Blackout Sleep Tent
If you’re travelling with a baby or toddler, this could be a very smart move. I researched a sleep tent when our youngest was a baby, on several occasions but never committed (for us, it didn’t quite make sense because we were only travelling only a night or two which didn’t make the cost worth it!). But, I did borrow a friend’s one for a one night stay in a hotel room. if you’re going to be sharing a hotel room with the little ones and you’re wondering how it’s going to work (do you all go to bed at 7pm?!), a sleep tent might can be a game changer. It creates a little black out tent for the cot or air mattress to fit inside, for youngsters under five. That means you can keep the lights on, read your books, watch TV (with your headphones on – these things are light-proof, not sound proof!) while your little one sleeps. It’s also very handy for daytime naps!
SlumperPod Blackout Sleep Tent, $379 from The Sleep Store
Mess Free Colouring Book
I’ve bought a few of these Melissa & Doug Water Wow books over the last few years because they’re great to have just around home, but they’re also fab for travel. They’re reusable colouring books that come with a little pen brush that you fill up with water – the water magically reveals the colours on the pages. Then you dry out the pages and start all over again. This one isn’t likely to keep your kids entertained for hours – but it’ll hopefully give you a break long enough to eat something or get through a chapter of your book.
Melissa & Doug On the Go Water Wow! book, $8.99 from Amazon
Snack Spinner
I bought the small version of this snack spinner before that first plane ride too and have used it on most car rides ever since. I only wish I’d invested in this bigger version so I could fit bigger snacks! Essentially, this snack spinner keeps the kids entertained in two ways: they get snacks to eat, and secondly, there’s a bit of a game to get them. It’s like snack roulette – you push the button in the centre and it spins around the snacks – only one door opens so you only get access to one of the compartments at a time. It’s kinda genius.
GoBe Large Snack Spinner from The Sleep Store, $53.95
Magnetic Tiles
God, magnetic tiles are one of my favourite toy inventions. The kids can build so many different things with them and as they’re playing, the kids are learning about physics, spacial awareness, creativity, cause and effect – the works! One of my favourite parts about them though is they really take up very little space, which also makes them perfect for travel. We normally just take the small Kmart set (Magnetic Blocks Playset, $22), but there are specific little ones for travel. The little Magnatiles tin is perfect for taking on a plane!
Magnatiles Micromags Travel Set $49.95 from The Toy Box or Magnetic Blocks Playset, $22 from Kmart
Tray Table Cover
Speaking of playing on planes – if you have a long flight coming up and a kid that is going to want to bring along a bunch of toys, it could be worth investing in a tray table cover. Essentially, you just strap this on to the top of the tray table, and affix the sides, and you have a little space with sides for the kids to play with. It means things don’t just automatically roll off the sides of the tray table like they always tend to (which leaves you trying to scrounge around trying to find them on the floor, or, working out how exactly to find them while your own tray table is down with a hot meal and cup of coffee and the seatbelt sign is on but your child is still screaming for their lost crayon – yes, I am speaking from experience here).
They also work great on the top of a high chair so you can get a bit more peace and quiet at dinner time!
Airplane Tray Table Cover, $29.99 from Amazon
White Noise Machine
If you’re travelling with a baby or toddler, you’re going to want to take a white noise machine – particularly if you use one at home! They’re fab for promoting sleep and for just masking noise. I’m a fan of this Yogasleep Hushh Continuous White Noise Machine – it offers continuous play with consistent, adjustable sound. There’s bright white noise, deep white noise or gentle surf to help them sleep, no matter where you are and what’s going on. It’s portable, with a baby-safe clip you can use to attach it to a stroller, car seat or any surface – plus, it has a handy amber LED nightlight!
Yogasleep Hushh Continuous White Noise Machine, $59.95 from The Sleep Store
Caddie
On my 5,098th day of throwing up while pregnant with my son, I decided I deserved to buy something nice and ordered a proper Bunnie Caddie. It was $159 back then (I was still only pregnant, so I hadn’t drained my bank account with all the other things you need with a new baby!) but they’ve come down in price now to $123, likely because Kmart and the likes of Temu have ripped them off and are selling caddies for a 10th of the price.
I’m still such a fan of our Caddie – and it’s still going strong more than four years later. These caddies have a firm, strong base and good quality felt with a leather trim. There’s removable dividers that mean you can section up the caddie however you want. This caddie was always in arms length when I had a newborn – stashing wipes, nappies, burp cloths, snacks and all the essentials. In the years since its had many different lives doing different things, but it always comes on a road trip. It’s such a handy way to have easy access to items for the kids – whether that’s storing nappies/clothes/essentials or carting around their toys.
Bunny Caddie in Classic Tan, $123
Magnetic Dress-Up
Yes, I’ve already raved about loving magnetic tiles – but this one is a little different! It’s a small tin and inside is are little princess backgrounds, plus a few different princesses to dress up with a bunch of different princess outfits, that all are magnetic. If you have a kid who loves doing dress ups, this is such a fab way to do it in on the go. I’ve taken this tin on a plane with our preschooler son and he was a big fan or dressing the gals up in their big dresses and tiaras.
Princess Magic Magnetic Dress-up, $18.25 from Amazon
Sticker Book
Sticker books are my absolute go-to when travelling – they’re compact, pretty light to carry, there’s no bits that can fall off and go missing, no mess, but they offer plenty of engagement and fun. We’ve gone through stacks over the years and the one I would recommend for all of time is the Paw Patrol Sticker Book Treasury (I hope your kid is a Paw Patrol fan!). I’ve bought plenty of sticker books that turn out to be very light on the stickers, but this one is the real deal. There’s 96 pages, with 350 stickers that are resuable. Every page has a new activity – there might be a counting game involved, spot the difference or having to work out a shape, or recognise a colour (which also makes me feel like the kids are getting to learn something as they play), or just a page to free play and create a little scene. This book honestly provided hours and hours of fun for our preschooler.
Paw Patrol Sticker Book Treasury, $13.99 from Amazon
Air Mattress
Look, air mattresses are one of my least favourite things. The weird squeakiness of them? The fact you wake up anytime you move? Or, the dreaded experience of waking up in the middle of the night to a half-deflated one?! Nightmare.
BUT, my opinion of them has certainly changed since we bought one of these air mattresses.
Shrunks to a range of them – from little toddler sized ones to adult, and they’re bloody smart. They have little bumper guard rails on them, meaning your kid won’t roll off the edge at 3am and wake you up. There’s NO squeaking – plus they have a little soft flocking cover over the them which makes them more comfortable. And, one of the best parts – they have a special ‘tuck feature’, which means you can tuck in sheets and blankets. They also come with a handy little pump and the whole thing can fold up into your suitcases or carry-on perfectly.
We’ve used ours’ on the go a few times now and I’ll definitely be packing it for an upcoming trip to Fiji where we could do with an extra bed!
The Shrunks Twin Air Mattress Travel Bed, $89.99 from Amazon
Draw and Wipe Tablet
If you’re looking for something to keep the kids occupied that doesn’t involve a screen, we’ve had great success with these draw and wipe tablets! They’re battery powered – you use the pen to create a mutlcolour effect drawing on the tablet. The kids can go wild creating pictures, or playing noughts & crosses – and with the hit of the button, start with a clean slate again!
Play and Learn 25cm Draw N Wipe Tablet, $20 from Kmart
Merino
Merino is your best friend when travelling with little ones. It’s magical in that it’s so lightweight and breathable, it dries quickly, plus it keeps kids warm in winter but cool in summer. I normally pack a few merinos in the 165gsm weight – it’s perfect for wearing as a base layer and it’s great on planes where it seems to either be stifling hot or freezing cold?
The Sleep Store All Seasons Merino/Tencel Long Sleeve Bodysuit (Newborn – 4 years), $39.95
Headphones
A decent pair of headphones can make the world of difference when it comes to travelling with kids. Whether it’s in the car, allowing them to listen to their own music (meaning you don’t have to listen to the soundtrack to Sing for the 8,000th time too!), having some quiet screen time in your hotel, or comfortably watching a movie on the plane – they’re a good investment. I was recommended this pair from Warehouse Stationery and I’ve since gone back to buy a pair for both kids. They’re specifically designed for young listeners – they’re comfortable to wear, with durable oversized controls for little hands – PLUS, my favourite feature is they won’t go beyond 85dB, so you know your kids’ ears are protected from dangerous sound levels.
JBL Junior 320 Wired On-Ear Kids Headphones Blue, $39.95 from Warehouse Stationery
Bluey: Where’s Bluey
If your kid has a bedtime book they’re particularly fond of, bring it! Having familiar creature comforts from home can make settling into a new space so much easier. I usually take a couple of small books from home, but then might treat the kids to a new book (or activity book!) for the trip. I’m particularly fond of this Bluey search and find book!
Bluey: Where’s Bluey, $18.73 from Amazon
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