Best Buys-Travel
Travelling with a baby, toddler or child is not for the faint hearted! Here are some of my best buys to save your sanity!
Remember to Click on the images to take you to the online store with the best price. Links are Australian. If you are from the US please dm me on Insta and i can send you a link for that store :)
I love sharing best buys that i adore; to help inspire others.
If you love my guide or tip i share on Instagram and want to say thank you please click the link below to shout me a coffee… I truly do appreciate your support!
If you have a product recommendation that you think we should try please contact me via Instagram by clicking on the symbol below.
Scooter case
We bought this for Maisie for Christmas one year and it has been amazingly handy! The scooter part folds up transforming it into a normal carry-on, perfect for airplane activities and snacks. Being able to scoot through the airport not only helps small children get out pent up energy before a trip but it also leaves parents hands free for extra cases, travel cots, prams and all the other luggage that comes along with travelling with kids. Worth its weight in gold!
Trunki
Younger toddlers and babies will enjoy a Trunki. This cabin sized bag has a multi functional strap allows parent to tow tired children on their luggage or conveniently carry it over a shoulder.
Carseat strap
Did you know that most airlines allow you to check baby items for free? A lot of families opt to take their own carseat on holiday, if they are planning on using a hire car. The only thing difficult about this is having to carry a baby, the carseat and your suitcase through the airport to check in. This strap is a game changer! it allows you to safely transform your suitcase so that you can move with easy!
Carseat bag
Keep your checked carseat clean with this cover. It also makes it easy to spot on the conveyor belt on the other end. Taking your own seat and having a bag like this is so much cheaper (and better) than hiring one with your hire car!
Gate check pram bag
My number one travel trip for flights is do not check your stroller! Most airlines will let you take it right up to the gate even if its not a compact travel stroller! A compact travel stroller can be taken on board but i actually find gate checking it even better! Basically you take it right up to where you get on the plane and hand it over to the flight attendant as you board and they take it down and put it on with the luggage under the plane. On the other end they will get it from the top of the pile and bring it up right away so it’ll be ready and waiting for you as you step off the plane! There are some real advantages to doing it this way. Not only do you get the convenience of having a pram to wheel around your child (or your mountains of hand luggage), but also your pram is less likely to sustain any damage as it’ll be the last thing on and first thing off and not crushed mountains of other bags! This red gate check bag protects it from germs and dirt, as well as making it really easy for the baggage people to spot on the other end.
Travel Tray
Use it over laps to create a sturdy place space for car travel or without the legs on airplane tray tables. This tray includes a zipper compartment to store pens or snacks, as well as a handy tablet pocket ensuring devices dont come crashing down mid journey.
Kids airplane bed
This airplane footrest is perfectly aligned with the height of the airplane seat, meaning you can transform a seat into a bed for your little one. The double valve allows for fast inflation and deflation. Some brands charge hundreds of dollars for identical products!
Wireless kids headphones
Wires and kids don’t mix well. Save the frustration by opting for a wireless option for your trip. These headphones have 20hours of battery life, have kid-safe sound limits and a buddy link meaning multiple kids can be listening to the same song or watching the same movie on one screen!
Kids neck pillow
For long haul flights or road trips, neck support is a must for everyone in the family including the kids.
Freeze dried fruit
Looking for the perfect plane snack? My kids are obsessed with freeze dried fruit! This is the variety we buy. It comes in individually bagged packs and is 100% apple, mango and pineapple. Maisie calls it space fruit because she thinks thats what astronauts eat- maybe she’s right? As soon as these snacks hit your mouth they begin to soften making them great for babies and toddlers. They are the perfect snack to have at the bottom of your nappy bag as they last for ages!
Mess free snacking
If you have a baby you’re probably already familiar with these. They are the perfect mess-free snack, ideal for travel. Maisie is almost 4 and still loves them! Although available at most supermarkets they’re often marked up pretty steeply. We get ours from amazon for under $2 a box (free shipping with prime, if you dont have a prime account get the free trial to save on shipping then see what you think of the streaming-we love it!)
No-spill snack cup with lid
Not all snack cups are made equal. It actually amazes me how many of them don’t come with lids! This one is our fave! It comes in lots of colours and has both the non-spill inner and a proper clip lid so you can confidently throw it in your bag. Fill it with puffs, cereal, sultanas etc and baby can snack on the go!
Avoid pouch spills
Pouches are convenient for travel as they are often shelf stable and sucking can sooth bub’s ears on airplane take offs and decent. What isn’t ideal is when they squirt out everywhere in the plane due to airplane pressure of baby squeezing them too hard. These nifty little tops fit onto any baby food pouch! They have a flow-control valve meaning they wont spill even in the roughest little hands. They are soft on gums and dishwasher safe! They even fit on yoghurt pouches and we often use them in the car at home!
Subo bottle
This was so great on holidays! You can fill it with any soft food like weetbix, oats, chia pudding, even risotto or tinned spaghetti! Being able to have these available for the kids on days when we had check-outs and long drives ahead made breakfast time a breeze. They are incredibly easy to wash and the non-squeeze body makes them mess-free.
Kids camera
This is perfect for the little photographers as it is durable camera that’s built to handle drops and tumbles, plus it’s easy to use with both rear and front cameras (perfect for selfies). Some other great features that I love about this camera include:
Photo Optimisation – when a photo is taken the camera actually takes multiple photos, chooses the best and saves that one;
Movie recording;
Creative options to enhance photos such as frames, stickers and effects;
Built in MP3 Player and speaker as well included headphones;
Games and Parent control – parents can limit the playtime for the games as well as disable the game setting; and
256 MB of memory or an SD card can be used.
Dry Erase activity book
The book has a spiral, so the pages lie flat, making it ideal for airplane tray tables. It comes with a dry-wipe pen, enabling children to complete and repeat the activities again and again, mess free.
Stow & Go
The Stow & Go is a durable storage case that doubles as a lap desk, making it ideal for car travel! It includes 12 pages of colour wonder colouring and 4 mini Colour Wonder Markers. Neatly pack away the markers and pages in their special compartments and take it on the next travel journey! The specially made ink formula allows the ink in each marker to appear only on colour wonder paper; not on skin, clothes, clothes, carseats or airplane tables.
Dry-Erase mazes
Another mess-free fun option for children 3-5yrs. Trace a path through the mazes or connect the dots to reveal pictures. Improve problem solving and fine motor skills while having fun.
Mini crayon set
This tiny set is ideal for keeping in handbags. Crayons clip in which is fantastic for preventing them rolling away in cars, planes or cafes.
Road Trip fun
This activity book a great option for long car trips if you have a slightly older child (6yrs+).
Travel Games Pad
Tear off one of 200 pages for fun activities anywhere, anytime. BYP pen or pencil.
Travel puzzles
Another fun one for older children. BYO pen or pencil for this one.
Water wow
This compact little set enables children to paint with water revealing 4 different images. Dry them out and use them over and over. Perfect mess free travel fun! Comes in 7 different themes! Even babies can have fun with this one, simply wet their hands and let them explore!
Colour by number
Colour by number is a great way to work on both fine motor skills and number recognition. This compact set is super handy for travel. The numbers on this one disappear once coloured making it even cooler!
Sticker faces
Maisie finds these hilarious! Use the stickers to create funny faces. This one has multiple themes to choose from as well.
Sticker by number
Children 6yrs+ will love this sticker by number book. It is quite time consuming so perfect for long flights!
Spot it
An absolute favourite in our home, this game packs up into a super small tin making it perfect for packing! Perfect for kids as young as three, but also fun for parents too. Each card has one animal that matches one other card. First to find the match wins the round!
Buckle toy
Toddlers will love fiddling with this buckle toy. Hand strength and fine motor skills will improve as they play. This one is nice and small and packs away neatly making it perfect for travel.
Pull it, pop it baby toy
I love this toy for travel as its very engaging! Babies can putt through cords over and over, pop the pop it bulges and chew on the rubber. It’s suitability for younger and older babies makes it a fantastic investment.
Play scarf
Play scarves are one of those things that are always packed for our family trips. They fold up so tiny that they are such a great addition to hand luggage. Babies loves playing peek-a-boo, older children love using them for imaginative play. It is such a versatile and long lasting toy!
Suction rattles
These are one of my favourite toys. They are small and easy to chuck in the nappy bag for on the go. In a car or airplane you can suction them to the window or shake them to make musical sounds. They are also perfect for sticking on highchairs when eating out.
Suction spinners
If you’re taking a baby on a long flight these are a great toy to pack. They have a suction base so can be stuck to airplane windows or cafe highchairs. You can spin them around and pop the little pop-it bulges too!
Mental Blox Go
Keep kids thinking on your car/plane journey with this fun and compact game. Includes games for one and multiple players. Sturdy carrying case makes storage and cleanup simple even on the go.
Travel Memory Game
This wooden travel memory game board includes 25 flaps, sliding scorekeepers and 7 double-sided, laminated, themed game cards.
I spy
Search for set objects or things or practise colour or initial sound recognition. Perfect for long journeys to encourage kids to stretch their eyes by looking in the distance.
Travel friendly learning
How often is it that you have uninterrupted one on one time with your child? Why not make the most of it these hours? Young children can use their journey to learn how to read and rhyme with these movable CVC word builder blocks. These can also be shared with younger siblings who enjoy spinning the blocks.
Travel tangrams
This magnetic tangram game is perfect for travel. Children can use the 7 shapes to make more than 360 different pictures. They can either use the prompts of get creative and make their own!
Charades for kids
This game is compact and absolutely hilarious! Perfect family activity for holiday evenings whether you’re camping or in a hotel.
On the go puzzles
This little set of one book and three puzzles is such a great one to throw in the suitcase for trips away. Suitable for 2-4year olds it’s been one of our favourites.
Airport sticker book
Kids love stickers and what better book for a plane trip!
Scratch art
A quiet activity perfect for bored kids waiting around hotel rooms while their parents get organised for the day!
Mess free colouring
Magic mess free marker that only makes marks on the special paper provided!
Travel Connect 4
This compact little game is ideal for holidays when children will be dining out a lot. Have a game while waiting for their food and keep boredom at bay.
Feelings book
Holidays can heighten emotions. Not only is this lift the flap book super engaging for airplane trips but its also very thoughtfully written.
See inside the airport
See behind the scenes at a bustling airport, as planes speed along the runway and soar into the sky in this fascinating book with over 50 flaps to lift. Young children will be fascinated to find out how an airport works, and see the equipment and machines, vehicles and passengers, all colourfully illustrated.
See inside a plane
Follow a plane on a journey around the world in this little book, and peep inside its cockpit, engine and even its wings to find out how it works. With colourful illustrations, flaps to lift and holes to peep through, there's so much to discover in this fascinating introduction to planes and how they fly.
Bluey lovers
I always seem to add Bluey merch to each of my lists because my kids are mad for it. This book is like wheres wally but for toddlers. Children can find their favourite characters in recognisable scenes from the show. A great independant travel activity!
Where’s wally
For children 4yrs+ you can’t beat wheres wally! This travel edition is the perfect size for packing!
Memory match snacks
Ok, this one is a bit extra but so fun! Children can play a game of memory with their snack box! find a match and eat the goodies! A fantastic tool for picky eaters too as it makes food fun!
Drink/toy strap
Use this strap to avoid lost drink bottles or toys thrown overboard from highchairs, prams or airplan seats! Best invention ever!
Pram fan
Keep bub cool in the car or pram with this handy pram fan. It is rechargeable making it ideal for travel. It slips to anything and has a cage meaning no more torn off foam fan blades!
Battery clip light
Heading away on a long car trip at night? We find it really hard to drive with the main interior light on and this is a great option. Little ones can continue working on their activities or reading their books with light that doesn’t disturb the driver. Also very handy on camping trips!
Head lamp
For older children a headlamp can be such a fun accessory. Whether they’re using it to read on a long car ride or find the toilet in a campsite, these will come in handy for many years to come.
Portable Potty
Use it as a potty or a child seat for adult public restrooms. We kept one of these in our car while Maisie was toilet training and it was a game changer! Compact enough to have under a pram or pack into a suitcase for holidays!
Travel spoon
Do you have a puree eating baby? This spoon is great for travel as it can fold into itself, keeping it nice and clean even when floating around the bottom of the nappy bag.
Travel highchair
Folds flat and safely clamps to any table, this highchair makes mornings in hotels a breeze!
Compact microwave steriliser
These travel and microwave steriliser bags give you a safe, quick and practical way to sterilise on holiday. Re-use each steriliser bag up to 30 times, using the check boxes on the back to keep track. It takes just 90 seconds to sterilise breast pump parts, bottles toys and dummies. The cool touch area keeps hands scald free!
Baby ear muffs
Often on holidays we go to shows and other places where the sound levels are not appropriate for tiny ears. These protect hearing, are super soft and have an adjustable headband for the perfect fir.
Portable black out blinds
The one thing i’ve learned about holiday accomodation is that their window covering as sometimes lacking and as a result, daytime sleep in particular can be a challenge. I’ve seen a lot of people advertising sleep pods which is essentially a tend you put around your portacot but to me these seem unnecessarily bulky, expensive and i worry about heat and airflow. We take our portable blackout blinds instead which suction to any sized window and block out any escaping light. They take 1min to put up and take down and fold up nice and flat. We actually use these inside out shutters at home too!
Get those family holiday snaps
Do yourself a favour and invest in this flexi phone tripod. You’ll be able to set it up so that you can actually be in your holiday snaps with the rest of your family! We find it easy to wrap it around our pram handle then all stand in front of the pram for a pic. You can also use it as a phone holder on the pram to watch shows… a lifesaver for parents with overtired, grumpy kids.
Portable projector
Upgrade your next camping trip with the addition of this super compact and robust portable projector. Enjoy movie nights together by using your tend as a screen, from inside or while sitting around the fire!
Kid-friendly full face snorkle
Beach holiday? Allow your little people to explore with ease ender the surface of the water with this anti-leak full afce mask.
Portable waterproof speaker
Whether your little one is stuck in the pram or playing on a beach or snowfields this durable portable speaker will allow them to hear their favourite tunes.
Portable charger
Getting stuck on holiday with flat phones or tablets can be a nightmare, especially if you have kids! This one is impact and temperature tested, can charge two devices at ones and holds power for multiple charges.
Kindle
When you have hand luggage full of kid stuff there is often little room for your own. This kindle is is not only super light but has unlimited access to over 1 million titles. It is also waterproof, meaning you’re free to read and relax in more places—from the beach to the bath.
Pill organiser
This pill organiser box made from eco-friendly, cereal shell fibre! It is compact and strong. The perfect way to keep medications organised during your travels.
Suitcase organisers
The perfect way or organise your suitcases to ensure everything can be easily found while you’re away.
Perfume container
Don’t waste precious suitcase space by packing all of your big perfume bottles. These nifty little devices fill with your regular perfume so you can take only as much as you need. Use them time and time again!
Reusable travel soap bottles
No need to pack your big shampoo and body wash bottles. These reusable containers are the perfect space-saving invention.
