As somebody who travels often and wants (or needs?) to bring my toddler, I find certain products essential to make sure that my toddler is happy, safe, and has everything he needs and makes my life easier while traveling.
Listed below are my top travel products for toddlers. Whether going on a huge adventure or just visiting the grandparents, these are fantastic products that I recommend, use, and would absolutely buy again.
If you travel with a toddler and want to make things run more smoothly, keep reading to find out which travel products will make everyone's life better on the road.
8 Top Travel Products For Toddlers
1. Spill-Proof Snack Container
Having a spill-proof snack container is hugely beneficial when you’re traveling with a toddler. You need to keep them full of healthy food with a few different options, and you don’t want to have to stop to find something while you’re trying to get somewhere, and an unhappy toddler does not make a good travel mate.
The Munchkin snack catcher is super cheap and doesn’t too large, so it fits in any cup holder in a car, but it still holds enough snacks for most of the day. In addition, it’s BPA free which is critical for kids, and you can throw it into the dishwasher without having to worry about hand cleaning anything.
The downsides are that it’s pretty basic and doesn’t have cool characters on, and it’s not completely spillproof from what I hear, but it depends on if your toddler is very destructive or just normal destructive, so I don’t have any spill issues with mine.
Based on the low price and easy use, I find it’s useful for travel, and when not in use, it’s light and compact to put away.
2. Spill-Proof Cup
A spill-proof cup is critical when traveling with a toddler; you need to watch out for spills on them, spills on the ground, and spills everywhere. Of course, the actual drink isn’t a big deal; you can get a bottle of water or juice anywhere and fill the cup up.
I splurged a little on this spill-proof cup and got some characters for my toddler, so it’s a little more interesting though the price is still under $10, so it’s a good deal. Also, it’s insulated to get the drink colder, which is great for the hotter days as my toddler does not like the heat.
I’ve seen some reviews indicating it’s not completely spillproof or that it’s tricky to drink from. My toddler has no issues drinking from it, and I haven’t had any spills, so it may depend on how harsh the cup is treated, but that will be an issue with any cup.
My only minor issue is that they’ve included codes to scan and pictures to take, which your toddler can’t really do by themselves, and it’s a bit of a marketing ploy, but that’s my fault for looking to get an interesting cup, rather than a plain cup.
3. Travel High Chair
One of the top travel products for toddlers has to be a travel high chair, and if you’re staying anywhere, you’re almost certainly not getting a proper high chair. So a travel high chair that can convert a normal chair into something safer for your toddler is amazing.
You can get your toddler seated at a hotel or someone's house on a chair or even take them to a restaurant if you’re brave enough. It’s small to carry and quick to slip over a regular chair and clip them into place. It’s also machine washable which you almost always need after a feeding frenzy.
The only downside is that it would be good to have a replaceable front panel if you’re traveling and can’t easily wash everything. You can put your own cover there if you need, so it’s not a dealbreaker.
4. Inflatable Toddler Bed
Traveling with a toddler and sleeping overnight requires a safe place for them and an inflatable bed is perfect for giving them their own space and your own space. It's fantastic for short trips or traveling away for a while, so it’s well worth buying.
The travel bed can be used by toddlers over 18 months who are under 300 pounds, which covers you for some time. It’s also possible to just keep using this until your toddler or kid outgrows it, and at 300 lbs, that’s going to be a while.
Super compact to travel with and inflates quickly, apparently it’s very comfortable, and you can easily fall asleep on it. Technically I’m under 300 lbs, so I could test it out but haven’t yet.
The only downside is that I initially thought this would fit in a plane seat, but I was mistaken, that would be much better, but that’s not part of the design. Also, a few people in reviews suggest it can have leaks, but the company replaces it with a lifetime guarantee, so it’s only a short inconvenience until you get a replacement.
5. White Noise Machine
White noise machines are fantastic for traveling with toddlers for a couple of reasons, and this one comes with a nightlight which is extra helpful in an unfamiliar place.
The white noise machine cancels out any noise from an unfamiliar environment, and it helps your toddler fall asleep with a more gentle sound than whatever is in the background, which is likely Netflix. One of the best things is the price, it’s right around $25.
You can pick from 6 different lights and 32 different sounds, so you can choose depending on what your toddler feels like listening to. You’ve got 5 kid's songs which aren’t ideal, but you’ve also got 11 nature sounds which even I like to fall asleep with. You can also set a timer to either play all night or turn off after 15-120 minutes.
The only real downside is that you can’t program too much into the device, so new sounds aren’t possible or updates from the company, and you need a power supply, so it can’t run off batteries which is a downside if you’re camping or not near any power.
6. Travel Stroller
Travel with a toddler provides a few challenges, and one of them is moving around somewhere when your toddler is tired or if you need to get someone fast. Having a travel stroller means you can easily fold up and travel with it, but once you pull it out, it is a full stroller that lets you zip around as needed without breaking your back carrying your toddler around.
It’s only 13 lbs, so easy to travel with, including into an overhead luggage compartment on a plane. It’s got a 5-point harness for safety and a full-coverage canopy for sunny days. It’s got good storage space, so you don’t need to carry anything else around, and the wheels lock so it can’t run away if you need to stop for a while.
It’s a pricier item at around $300, and the wheels don’t make it ideal to do much offroading, so stick to paved sidewalks. If you have two toddlers or a lot of stuff to carry, you’re going to be out of luck.
7. Travel Toddler Carrier
Travel toddler carriers are ideal for zipping through airports or getting your toddler anywhere quickly when you don’t want to deal with a full stroller or don’t want to pay the higher price for a travel stroller.
When toddlers are traveling, they often become bored and don’t want to move; this is an easy way to get them from a to b without much effort or drama. It also lets you go more places than a stroller, which will be bigger and more cumbersome moving around.
You can use this for front or back carry, depending on what’s easier for you, and it's a single carrier that you can use from baby to toddler, which is unusual for carriers to let you do that and saves you money later on. Machine washable for any filth that gets on it, and because it’s for a range of sizes, it’s fully adjustable to make sure your baby or toddler is snuggly fitted.
The waistband goes from 27” - 61” depending on which one you get, so it should fit a good range of people, and you have a removable hood to cover your toddler from the sun.
The downsides are that the toddler versions only have front-facing carry; I’d prefer if my toddler could look out front as we’re walking, and depending on the size of your toddler, it maxes out at 45 lbs for most of them, though that may be enough for most people.
8. Travel Toddler Gate For Stairs
This is critical and not just one of the top travel products for toddlers if you’re going anywhere to a home with stairs, with is becoming a bigger problem as I use AirBNB more often when traveling, and many bigger homes do have stairs that I don’t want my toddler trying to climb up and hurt himself.
It’s a very portable mesh gate that weighs 5 lbs max, which can be put up and taken down quickly and doesn’t take up much space. In addition, you don’t need to drill or use any tools to put it up, so it’s not going to damage anything.
It’s a required travel product for toddlers, but it’s a little expensive at around $70, but you also don’t want your toddler falling down or off stairs, so it’s worth the cost.
It will only fit up to a 45” opening, so anything bigger and you’re out of luck. They also suggest that it only works for toddlers up to 24 months, so if your toddler is taller, they may still be able to get over this, though I’m a little doubtful on that.
