Best Toys For Airplane Based on Your Child’s Age (Infants and Toddlers)
What are the best toys to take on an airplane? Here are the toys that worked best to avoid in-flight boredom and restlessness in my children.
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What are the best toys for an airplane trip? Those will vary depending on whether you’re traveling with an infant, an 18 month old or an older toddler. I wrote this article to help fellow parents who will be traveling on a plane with children under 4.
As a mom who's been on numerous long-haul flights with my daughter since she was just 5 months old, I've learned a thing or two about keeping an infant or toddler happy and occupied on airplanes.
I'm going to walk you through everything from picking the best toys to take on a plane, to free distractions onboard, to figuring out how many toys you actually need based on your flight time. Plus, I'll share some of the pitfalls to avoid when it comes to entertaining toddlers with toys on a plane.
What Are The Best Toys to Take on a Plane?
In my experience, the best toys to take on a plane are:
And here's a fun fact – cheaper toys often do as good a job at keeping their attention than the pricey ones.
However, every child is unique, so consider your child’s interests when choosing toys to take on an airplane. Ideally, select toys that usually hold their attention for longer periods.
How Many Toys to Take on a Plane?
Figuring out how many toys to bring on a plane can be tricky. Here's what I found works for me:
- For flights shorter than 6 hours, I aim for one toy per 45 minutes of my child's awake time.
- For flights longer than 6 hours, one toy per hour of awake time is ideal.
It's not that my infant or toddler will play with the same toy for 45 or 60 minutes – in fact their attention spans don't stretch that far.
But this rule of thumb has served me well, considering the frequent 15-minute intervals where no toy is needed, like during meal times, walks down the aisle, screen time, or playing with a window screen or armrest.
| In-Flight Awake Time | Number of Toys |
| 3 hours | 4 different toys |
| 6 hours | 6 different toys |
| 9 hours | 9 different toys |
I bring fewer toys per hour on longer flights because I can reintroduce them after a few hours. Plus, long flights often include two meal times and more opportunities for aisle walks, so that’s more awake time with no toys being needed.
The goal isn't to overload your child with toys on a plane but to have enough variety to keep them engaged.
I should point out that before they hit 3, my kids weren't into watching shows for too long. Once they crossed that age, though, flights became much easier. The Amazon Kindle started giving me a lot more ‘me time' on our trips.
Best Toys for Plane Travel
When it comes to kids, what works today might not tomorrow. Their interests change quickly as they grow.
To help you out, I've grouped my most successful airplane toys by age, from infants to toddlers up to 3-4 years old.
Many of these toys have been a hit with my own kids. For those I haven't personally used, they're included because they're favorites among my friends' toddlers.
Here's the rundown:
Best Toys for Infants on Airplanes
When flying with an infant, simple toys work fine. At this age, they find joy in the basics – grasping, shaking, and bringing objects to their mouths… Based on my experience, here are some of the best infant toys for airplane:
Pacifier clip
As it turns out, a pacifier clip serves more than just its intended purpose. For us, it became a favorite airplane toy. When my daughter was an infant, she would grab and vigorously shake it, keeping herself entertained for long stretches of time.
Textured Books
Textured books are excellent toys for infants on a plane. This one has soft, crinkly pages perfect for little hands to grab and shake. It has built-in teething sections and bright colors to effectively grab an infant’s attention.
Colourful Ring Links
Colourful ring links are a fantastic toy for infants on an airplane. They're also great to clip onto the stroller or baby carrier during layovers. They’re perfect for little hands to grab, shake, and bring to their mouths.
Cheap dollar shop toys
Cheap dollar shop toys are a treasure trove for finding toys to take on an airplane. Pick something inexpensive that catches your eye, and chances are it’ll be good enough to entertain your infant on the plane for a little while.
Budget tip
For free entertainment, don't overlook your empty plastic glasses and cups on the plane. Infants love to squish them.
Best Toys for 18 Month Old on Airplane
Moving beyond the infant stage, keeping a 1-year-old or 18-month-old entertained on a plane requires a touch more creativity. At this stage, they begin to engage more with interactive toys that stimulate their developing skills.
Check out the next section too, where you'll find toys that will stand the test of time and be fun now AND at 2 years old.
Below are my top toy recommendations for an 18-month-old during air travel (any age between 1 and 2).
Touch and Feel Books
Back when my kids were infants and toddlers, these sensory books were a big hit. Their pages, full of different textures and vibrant colors, never failed to captivate their attention, even when I brought out the same book multiple times during a flight.
Washi Tape
Washi Tape is a surprisingly fun airplane toy for an 18 month old. I found them particularly handy at takeoff and landing. My daughter used to stick them on and off the armrest and table tray, over and over. Taking the washi tape rolls out of the bag and putting them back in was a game in itself at that age.
Erasable Drawing Books
This erasable drawing book turned out to be an unexpected hit with my children. While coloring was enjoyable, they were equally, if not more, fascinated with the cleanup part. From around 18 months old to 3 years, I'd give them a wet wipe to clean the pages themselves, and they'd have a blast rubbing the crayon off. Definitely one of my top recommendations for plane travel toys.
Water Wow Drawing Books
Water Wow Drawing Books are for no-mess drawing, so they’re a good toy for plane travel. Just add water in the refillable water pen, and the drawings appear on the page once in contact with water. Can be reused once pages are fully dry and the colors have disappeared.
Stickers
From around 12 months all the way to age 3, cheap stickers are a good distraction for kids on an airplane. They’re especially good at takeoff and landing when you can’t use the table tray for activities that need it, like coloring books.
Budget tip
Instead of buying stickers, try using traditional office post-its. They're almost just as fun and can save you a bit of money.
Best Airplane Travel Toys for 2 Year Olds
Good airplane toys for 2-year-olds should encourage interaction, exploration, and spark their creativity.
While you'll find some great options in this category, it's also worth looking at toys from both the previous and the next age groups. Many of these toys can be excellent choices for 2-year-olds, offering variety and keeping their interest on longer flights.
Fidget Spinners
These Fidget Spinners are a hit on flights, especially for window seat entertainment. They stick well to windows but can also cling to armrests, just not as long as they would on a window. So, even if you're not by the window, they're a great choice to keep little hands busy and eyes fascinated.
Finger puppets
Does this really need a description?! The Baby Shark finger puppets became a staple for all our plane and road trips at that age. For my children, these were the absolute BEST toys to take on a plane at 2 years old.
Multi-sensory toys
The MOBI Zippee is a good plane travel toy for 2-year-olds. It keeps a toddler independently engaged for long stretches, by having them pull on the different sticks on either side of it.
Pop-tube Dog
The Pop-tube Dog is a straightforward, compact toy, perfect for travel. It's simply a sausage dog with an extendable tube body. Beyond its basic function, this toy animal is great for pretend play, keeping kids entertained with imaginative scenarios while on the plane.
Squish Fidget Toy
The Squish Fidget Dinosaur toy, which pops out a dino when squeezed, is a fun toy for plane travel at 2 years old. Its entertainment value skyrockets with a parent pretending to be scared of the dino, sparking lots of giggles and interactive play during the flight.
Open flap books
Open Flap Books are an excellent toy for 2-year-olds on a plane. At this age, they have the dexterity to open the flaps. These books are especially great if they're new to your child. If they have never seen it before, they will be more excited to discover what's behind each flap and more likely to go through the book multiple times.
Best Plane Toys for 3 Year Olds to 4 Years Old
Make-a-Face Sticker Book
At two years old, stickers remain popular, but now there's a growing need for more creativity and interaction. Make a Face Sticker Books became a real hit with my kids at this age. They were a good toy for airplane travel.
Dino crayons
Crayons are a good toy for flights, but I particularly liked these Dino crayons, as they double as toys.
Kids Headphones
If your child will be watching shows or movies on the in-flight entertainment system, you'll need kids headphones with a cord for compatibility with airplane screens, as Bluetooth alone won't work. We chose these because they have both.
Buckle Toy
The Buckle Toy is a fantastic plane travel toy. It's a flat toy, so it doesn't take up much space in your carry-on. Its design even allows it to clip onto a bag. Beyond its practicality, it's an excellent educational toy for the plane.
Fruit cutting
A fruit cutting set, though it breaks the one-piece toy rule and had me picking up pieces occasionally, is still a must-mention for travel. In my experience, it's one of the rare toys that kept my kids engaged for over an hour on long flights. And no, the plastic knife has never been an issue at security.
Tattoos for kids
Kids' Tattoos are a hit on flights – I've used them plenty of times. A wet wipe is all it takes to apply them, easy enough even in a cramped plane seat. They're great for getting kids to sit still for a bit, which is always a win on a plane. Just a heads-up, you'll probably end up with a couple of tattoos on your own arms before the flight's over!
Stamps
Stamps are good toys for planes. They are light and compact and will take minimal space in your bag. Remember to bring along some paper on the plane, else you’ll be covered in them by the time the plane lands.
How to Maximize Excitement with Plane Toys?
A crucial tip is to be strategic about when you introduce each toy. Space them out! I never let my toddlers pick a toy from the ‘toy bag' themselves. Instead, I present each toy myself. Each time, it's a brand-new surprise they've never seen before, to maximise their excitement and interest.
Other Activities to Keep a Toddler Distracted on a Plane
In my travels, I've found that the novelty of being on a plane itself offers numerous ‘free' activities to keep an infant or toddler distracted. Simple things like playing with their seat belt, exploring the hand rest, or using the TV touchscreen can be quite engaging.
On Air Canada flights, I've spent time playing Angry Birds with my daughter on their screens. They also have an animal discovery game where kids can twist and turn animals – that was a hit when my daughter was 2-3 years old.
The key is to approach the journey with the mindset that keeping your child entertained is a top priority. It requires effort and can be tiring, but this approach often leads to the smoothest experience.
In conversations with other moms who've traveled solo with their toddlers, many of us agree that our little ones tend to fare better than expected on planes. It’s easier on a plane than in a car in many respects. We think one contributing element is that they have our undivided attention given we can’t or don’t use our phones.
Let's support each other! Your insights on plane-friendly toys and tricks could literally save the trip of another parent. Please take a minute to leave a comment. Thank you in advance!
About the Author
Anne was born and raised in Quebec City. She is our resident expert for the city of Quebec and other popular regional destinations such as Charlevoix and Gaspésie. Having travelled to every corner of the province with her children, she is also our expert for family related topics on Quebec Wonders.
