Ultimate Travel Gift Guide for Families and Young Children

The CARES restraint is a safety essential for children under age 4 when travelling by plane. It’s been approved by Transport Canada and the FAA as well as other air authorities around the world. When children reach age 2 they must have their own seat. Younger children can also have their own seat if paid. If you do not bring their car seat, their little bodies risk being harmed during turbulence. The CARES restraint is easy to attach over the seat and uses the airplane’s own seatbelt. It provides a three point harness and the safety of a car seat without the bulk. My kids were young when this was approved and we had two of them. NOTE: This is NOT for use in a car or any vehicle other than an airplane!

Do you remember the classic card games like Crazy Eights, Go Fish and Old Maid? This fantastic pack has all those and more. It’s the perfect gift to keep your little ones entertained.

Our family just loves UNO! It’s a great card game for younger kids as well as older.

Tiny and easy to squeeze into a backpack or crossbody, this card set is a perfect gift for children who travel, whether by car, airplane or train.

Who doesn’t love Barbie?! What better way to enjoy the movie than as a UNO game. It reminds me of when my boys were young and we had a Disney Cars version.

This is a great card game for kids over 6 years old. It’s easy to learn and short to play but so much fun. What better gift for children than one that was actually created by a 7 year old!

This is a great gift for the little Mario fan in your life! Colourful and easy for the smallest kiddo.

Bananagrams is a classic gift for children who are a little older and able to read.  We even used it for letter recognition when the kids were younger. 

Everyone loves a game of memory and this one is perfect for travel. My kiddos just loved it and bonus, no cards to lose!

Snakes and Ladders is a great game for all ages. Easy to play and no reading required. This little set is magnetic and closes to hold all the pieces. As the kids got older, we also had a chess set like this. 

Whether playing Old Maid, Crazy 8s or Uno, this is a great little device for tiny hands. 

Filled with classic paper games like Tic Tac Toe and Hangman, this game pad is a super fun gift for children, for both at home and for travel.

If you’re flying or travelling by train, your kiddos should have a set of headphones. The iClever headphones, with over 10k reviews, can plug in to all their devices or the airplane entertainment system. If you’re looking to plug them into an Apple device, you’ll just need an adapter. What a great gift for your little one!

LeapFrog makes such great learning toys for toddlers. The learning book is small enough for a carry on bag but with enough activities to keep your little one entertained for the full trip.

Our kiddos started doing travel journals as young as age 5. At a young age, drawing a photo of their favourite daily activity is always fun and as they get older, they can write their own account of the day. I love looking back at their old travel journals, even if the spelling is so bad I can hardly read it .

Babies love having a phone to play with. This is made especially for them with fun songs and ‘apps’.

Wax Craft Stix are great! We often used them during long car rides. These bendable sticks can be made into almost anything! They make a great gift for children to enjoy either at home or away.

Paint by Sticker books are fantastic. Each photo comes with their own set of stickers that you add to the spots to ‘paint’ the photo. You can also get more difficult versions of the same book for older children.

If you’re looking for a kid safe tablet for your toddler, this is it. Built for children ages 3-7, it comes with a free one year subscription to Amazon Kids+ and even has parental controls.

This portable little tray is great. It can easily fit on a airplane or high chair tray and has sides that help keep all their toys from falling.

All kiddos want a watch like mom and dad. The VTech Kidizoom Smartwatch has learning games as well as the ability to take quality video and photos. 

I love this pillow. It comes in its’ own case and actually wraps around the little one’s neck for full support.

No matter what time of year, airplanes are chilly. This blanket is tucked inside a carry bag that makes it into a pillow. Your little one can carry their pillow with them and open it for the blanket if they find it cold or just want to snuggle.

Every kiddo I know, no matter the age, loves pulling their own roller bag. Pack it full of toys, entertainment and snacks and they’ll be set for the voyage.

Your little one will love this inflatable bed. It’s bright and colourful as well as comfortable. It’s the perfect gift for children who travel to grandparents or for parents who need their children to have a little more sleeping space on their next holiday.

This car travel pillow is amazing. In fact, I wish I had one of my own! They’ll finally be able to nap in the car without having their head fall forward or hit the window.

Wandering around the airport with young children is not an easy task. Between keeping a hold of your kiddos and rolling your luggage, both hands are taken. Don’t you wish you could grab a coffee? This device is the bomb! This drink holder slides easily over your luggage handle. Just grab a coffee, pop it in your holder, and travel to your gate with ease.

Those that know me know that I love real books. You know, those with pages and not a screen. The light is never good on an airplane and even if it was enough, with a little one cuddling up beside you, it’s not the best thing to have shining in their eyes. Enter this foldable book light. It clips to the top of your book and you can adjust the settings from amber to pure white. It’s also charged by USB so no running out of batteries. It’s also a great little item for the hotel room when everyone else is taking a nap.

I’m the photographer in the family which generally means I’m not in many photos. I discovered this little tripod last Spring and I really love it. It’s easy to set up and has a small remote that’s easy to just pop in your pocket. 

If you’ve seen our other gift guides you’ll already have seen this charger. We all just love it! It comes in a variety of colours but best of all, it charges by just plugging into the nearest wall outlet and it will charge both Apple and Android devices. 

Sydney and I both have an older version of this cross body bag. I started using Travelon and Pacsafe purses on our first trip to Europe with the kids. I knew I’d be distracted while keeping my eye on them. Since then, I always travel with at least one. It’s really nice to be taking photos and shopping and realizing that no one can grab your wallet or phone. You still need to be vigilent especially in places where grab and go crime is an issue because your strap won’t break with this purse and you don’t want to get hurt. 

I don’t have one yet but I love this device and it has great reviews. Most guys won’t really understand the need for it but I remember walking across campus in my early 20s and carrying my keys between my fingers. Syd now still does it. When travelling in a different country, especially when on your own with small children, even if you don’t need it this is a little piece of insurance, just in case.

We used to visit Disney World when the kiddos were younger and it was almost always in the summer. I had a rickety fan that barely stayed attached to the stroller. This stroller fan with bendable legs is awesome. Easy to attach and remove. Or even angle a different way .. like towards mom or dad!

Most hotels and airbnbs provide hairdryers but you never know what you’re going to get. If your loved one depends on a hairdryer to keep your mane under control, they’ll love this gift! The Conair Travel hairdryer is small and portable plus it has a built in adapter so it can be used in countries without the same voltage as North America.

Once the little one falls asleep on an overnight flight, that’s when mom and dad need to crash as well. They don’t know how long they’ll have! There are a few brands of wireless sound blocking headphones on the market. Beats and Sony perhaps have the best reviews but also the highest price. I really like the Infurture noise cancelling headphones

Many young children have trouble sleeping in a new place. Many others are used to white noise in their room at home. This little device can fit in the palm of your hand and is the perfect gift for parents that love to travel with their littles.

Trust me, life is easier with kids when they’re not trying to hold their own device when watching movies. Set this flap holder up in almost any location and it’s good to go. It can even hook over the pocket behind the drivers seat in the car or over the closed airport tray. 

I found this last year when we were going on a boat ride and love it.  As long as you can find water, you can use it anywhere to ensure the water is drinkable. Useful when on a boat ride, a country where tap water isn’t advised, or even a visit to an off the grid cottage.

The more organized you are when travelling the easier it is to keep the littles happy. I love this organizer bag for all the cords and chargers that come with daily life.

My boys have a similar one that they attach to their bicycles but mom or dad can just as easily pop it on that stroller or backpack for tunes on the go … even if it is Baby Shark!

These ballerina slippers are super comfortable and perfect for relaxing on the airplane. They’re also great for the hotel room or Airbnb. 

Like the Travelpro cross body above, I just love almost everything made by Pacsafe. I actually have three Pacsafe purses that I travel with, depending on the destination. There’s just something about knowing your purse is locked and protected from prying fingers.