Our Favorite Travel Essentials for Kids (+Toys On The Go) - At Lifestyle Crossroads (2024)

Posted by Anna | Mar 1, 2024 | My Travel Tips, Family Travel | 0

Wise packing is often the key factor that makes or breaks a family travel experience. Let me share our favorite travel essentials for kids!

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Traveling with kids

Based on our 5 years of Family travels, let me share the full review of our travel essentials when on the road with kids.

In this post, I will also talk about our favorite travel toys and will give away a few useful tips. My children are currently 4 and 6 years old, but I will also mention things we used back when they were toddlers. Especially, since many games & travel essentials are still working for us.

Our Travel Essentials For Kids

What we used on the road with toddlers:

• Yoyo stroller
• Travel Crib by BabyBjorn (+ Extra foldable mattress and Travel Crib Fitted Sheets for Baby Bjorn)
• A portable high chair

Travel essentials we still use (after 6 years of travels with kids):

• Cybex Car Seats (+ Car Seat Protectors), but I also like Wayb Travel Car Seat
• Waterproof Wet Bags
• Backseat Car Organizers
• Kids Travel Trays
• Car Seat Travel Belt
• Water Bottles for Kids
• Kids packing cubes

Creams and Essential Oils

If you have read my articles about Travel Beauty Essentials and Hiking Essentials, you might already know a few of my favorite eco brands on the go: Weleda, Pranarom, Burt’s Bees, 100% Pure, Dr. Haushka, Ringana, Urtekram, and Sebamed.

A few favorite products we still use after all these years are Badger Night Night Balm, WaterWipes Plastic-Free Original Baby Wipes, Weleda Baby Calendula Body Lotion and Shampoo-Body Wash Bundle, Burt’s Bees Baby 100% Natural Multipurpose Healing Ointment, Sebamed Baby Bubble, and Urtekram Spray Conditioner.

Books

No matter what happens during the day, I try to read new wonderful stories with my kids every night. This tradition is part of our going-to-bed ritual (even on the road). So, I always pack a few travel-sized books. Although lately, I try to bring with me – The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep or The Little Elephant Who Wants to Fall Asleep. These are sort-of guided meditations for the little ones, really handy after the overexcitement from new experiences on the go. Let me clarify, it is not the favorite book of my girls (the little one says it is boring), but both of them fall asleep so fast while reading it (even my husband does lol).

Also, depending on the type of trip, I love adding books about ships, planes, cars, forests, and national parks. You can check the books we enjoyed before the Mediterranean Cruise in this post.

Kids´ Kindle is another great alternative for those who love traveling light and want to have access to a wide range of stories.

For more ideas, check my post about Favorite International Illustrators and Spain Books for Kids.

Toys & Games

Toys and games on the road have evolved a lot over the past 5 years of traveling with kids. Yet, some of our favorites seem to be eternal:

• SmartGames IQ Puzzler Pro (used from 4+)
• SmartGames Travel Noahs Arc (used from 3+ with an adult)
• Travel Tangram Puzzle (used from 3+)
• Usborne sticker books (used from 2+)
• Spot It! Classic Card Game(used from 3+)
• Timeline (used from 4+ with an adult)
• Waterproof Jungle Speed Beach (used from 4+)

I would like to highlight the importance of movement games on the go. Spending hours inside the car is tough for the little ones. During our road trips, I often bring either an Ankle Skip Ball or an Agility Ladder (you can find lots of ideas on how to use it with kids on YouTube). Every time we make a stop, I make kids jump or invent a few active games: this way they simply behave better inside the car. For flights, I love using the Gigamic Yogi Card Game (we do not play it by rules, I pre-select the cards we can use while sitting in a plane).

Here you have more ideas for active games on the go: Mattel Games ​UNO Junior Move, Fun Fitness Dice for Kids, Hopscotch Ring Game, Animal Action Cards, Fun Exercise Cards, Wackadoo Dice Imagination Act Out The Action Game (my girls love Bluey), and BOHS Egg and Spoon Race Game Set.

Also, I always have some sensory toys and dough balls on the road and find really useful a Puzzle Ball (this one never lasts, my girls break it all the time). Speed Cubeis another great alternative.

You can check my IG stories Motherhood for more inspiring ideas. Looking for more tips on Spain board games? – Head to this post.

In the picture, you can see the cards with the world´s most famous paintings: I printed these from the internet alongside the portraits of the painters (kids need to match a painter with his artwork). The green bag is full of finger paint: my girls draw on it with their fingers (I bought the bag they could not open alone).

Travel Backpacks

Since a very young age, I have encouraged my girls to pack their personal Travel Essentials For Kids for every trip. I remind them to take one emotional toy (usually a cuddy toy – these make them feel at home anywhere) and something from their favorite things for sleep – T-shirts, PJs, cozy blankets, or even bed sheets (night is usually the moment of fears and worries – so my kids need to get extra cozy on the go).

Having their own backpacks embraces their personality, and makes them feel a part of the travel team.

Other Travel Essentials for Kids

• Car Seat Belt Travel Strap (to convert your car seat and carry-on luggage into an airport car seat stroller)
• Portable Door Lock ( useful if your little ones are extremely active and love exploring: this way you can make sure the kids won’t be able to exit the main door without an adult)

Pin it:

For more Spain travel tips and itineraries check myPinterest boardsBest of SpainandSpain Travel Collection.

• Accommodation: For short stays, I usually book via Agoda, Booking, and Hotellook
• Tours&excursions: My favorites for guided tours are GetYourGuide and Viator
• City breaks&sightseeing: Go City helps to avoid multiple entry fees and paper tickets
• Travel Insurance: find the best trip insurance plans via VisitorsCoverage, EKTA, and Insubuy
• Flights: To find the best deals I like WayAway and Aviasales
• Airport Lounge: Get independent airport lounge access worldwide viaPriority Pass
• Train&bus tickets: Currently, I book via RailEurope, Omio, and Busbud
• Car rental: To find the best deals I use Rental Cars, Discover Cars, and GetRentalCar
• Transfers: For individual transfer services I like Kiwitaxi
• For Foodies:Eatwithis great for finding culinary experiences with locals
• Suitcases&Luggage: To eliminate problems of early arrivals/late departures I find helpful Radical Storage
• Compensation for delayed/canceled flights: AirHelp is useful for all flight cancellation or delay claims
• To avoid roaming fees I use Airalo eSIMs around the world
• Budget-friendly stays: CheckHostelworld to find the best deals around the world
• Events: To find the best offers I useTicketmasterandTicketNetwork
• Renting Bikes: to find motorcycles, scooters, quads, and bicycles I useBikesBooking
• Package Tours: head toCheapOair,Expedia UK,Tourhub, andloveholidays
• For Bloggers: To monetize my blog I use Travelpayouts