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Family trips can be a great experience, as long as you always come prepared.
Being able to travel with your young children is a great experience. Just think of the memories you'll be making and the pictures you'll be taking. Imagine young minds being modled and shaped as they experience new cultures and see new sights. Picture the shouts of "Are we there yet?", "Stop touching me!", "I need a bathroom!"... Well, ok, not everything can be a great experience, but we've curated a list of great travel accessories that are sure to please any travelling parents. Whether you are preparing for an upcoming family trip yourself, or looking for a great gift for the parents you know, read on for our "must get" suggestions for travelling with kids.
One of the best things about travelling is all of the new sights and experiences that we have. Adults love to take pictures, and now kids can get in on the fun as well. This digital camera comes with a special silicone casing that makes it drop-resistant and shockproof. Complete with a lanyard for easy carrying, and a cute cartoon design, kids are sure to love this camera and will be able to capture their own memories.
The airport can be a stressful place already, so turn it into a fun experience by letting your kids ride around on these rideable suitcases. At 47L, this suitcase has plenty of storage space, while still remaining carry-on capable. Complete with padded seat, seatbelt, 360 degree spinner wheels, handlebars, and foot rests, this suitcase is perfectly suited for little riders. Available in a variety of designs, aside from the pictured firetruck there is a motorcycle, unicorn, and triceratops.
Plane seats seem to be getting more and more uncomfortable every year, and when you add a tired and cranky child it can be nearly unbearable. This inflatable footrest may not turn economy into first class, but by inflating it and placing it between the seat and seat back in front of you, you can increase your comfort. Even better, for the smaller children travelling with you this can turn the seat into a small bed. Do be aware that not all airlines will allow this, and you should be prepared to have the footrest deflated for taxi, takeoff, and landing. While the footrest is easy to manually inflate, if you want to reduce stress even further, I'd recommend getting a travel sized hand air pump.
Kids love to emulate the adults in their lives, and this camera is the perfect opportunity for them to do just that. Designed to look just like a standard DSLR digital camera, this kids camera is perfect for small hands while looking just like the cameras the adults are using. Not only does this camera look like a professional DSLR camera, it has many of the advanced features that typical kids cameras exclude. The lens actually rotates in and out, offering 10x digital zoom, and the camera has a working flash, allowing it to be used at night. This camera also offers a countdown timer, allowing for easy selfies. This camera is also one of our featured travel gifts for photography lovers.
Phones and tablets are practically a necessity, so why not get one that's designed with kids in mind? The Amazon Fire line of tablets are very popular, and their kids versions offer everything the full-featured tablets offer, plus a kid-proof case, parental controls, and a subscription to Amazon Kids Plus. Available in 7 inch, 8 inch, and all-new 10 inch pro models. Based on the Android operating system, the Amazon tablets have access to most of the apps kids are already familiar with, and it does not require a data subscription to use as long as Wi-Fi is available.
Kids love to be independent and do things for themselves, so these kids suitcases are perfect for travelling families. Available in a variety of different styles to suit any child, we particularly love this panda combo backpack and suitcase and the extra unique dump truck suitcase. The panda suitcase can be worn as a backpack or rolled around as a standard carry-on suitcase. It is also available in dinosaur and shark designs. The dump truck suitcase doubles as a toy, and can even be ridden with a maximum weight limit of 44 pounds.
Screen time is a great way to keep kids entertained while travelling, but the whole car may not want to listen to the shows and games. Normal headphones won't sit comfortably on smaller ears and can be easy to break, especially when being stuffed into bags while travelling. These headphones have a stylish pair of ears that will make them stand out, and the headband is both flexible and durable. Even better, the headphones are made with a volume limit of 85 decibels to stop kids from listening at too high volume and damaging their hearing.
Have you ever planned a big trip just to have your kids be bored or indifferent to the idea? Get them excited for their next trip with one of these travel guides specifically designed for children. Full of pictures, maps, fun facts, and ideas of things to do, these guides provide a fun and educational way for kids to get prepared for an upcoming trip. Currently there are 20 different destinations in the Flying Kids series, ranging from New York and Washington D.C. in the United States, to countries like Japan, China, Australia, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
Even at the best of times kids can be messy eaters, and the excitement and movement while travelling can just make things worse. While nothing can stop a determined kid from throwing food everywhere, these magical bowls can at least stop accidental spills. The innermost bowl can safely rotate a full 360 degrees around without spilling, and is surrounded by handles that are easy for kids to grab and carry. The entire item can be easily disassembled and reassembled, and is completely dishwasher safe for easy cleanup. With these gyroscopic bowls, cleaning up spilled cereal from under the floor mats just may become a thing of the past.
It's important to stay hydrated, especially when travelling, but bumps, turbulence, or general excitement can lead to some major spills. When travelling, it is not as easy to just stop and clean up a mess, so avoiding spills is even more important. These cups hold 14 ounces of liquid, are designed to be similar to drinking from a standard cup, and are auto-sealing to avoid leaks or spills. Although designed for toddlers, the comments are pouring in from adults who love this "miracle" design as well.
Adorable isn't usually a word you'd use to describe a potty, but this special travel potty is just that. Easy to clean, and it closes up with a leak-proof seal, this potty is convenient and hygienic. Best of all, it does not require any potty liners, although you are still free to use them if you wish. Available in 7 designs, including penguin (pictured), bumblebee, ladybug, and fox, among others. With its cute design and easy carry handle, your little one will be excited to potty train, and take their special potty on trips with them.
Children are natural explorers, and when travelling to new and unfamiliar places they can easily get lost or distracted. Even the most attentive parent can lose sight of their kid, and if that ever happens to you having a GPS tracker can be a literal life saver. Small, waterproof, and durable, this tracker easily clips almost anywhere; popular options include on shoes, backpack straps, belt loops, or pants pockets. Not only for children, you can use these GPS trackers for elderly family members, luggage, or pets. A subscription is required, but it is well worth the peace of mind.
Being able to buy a souvenir from your travels is a great experience, and one that kids love as well. You won't have to worry about your kids asking for money, or wanting to pay the cashier themselves when they have their own wallet. There are a lot of different designs out there, but we really love this Puma wallet. The colorful design is fun for kids, but they won't outgrow it as quickly as some of the cartoon wallets. This wallet has a zipper pouch for any coins they get, and has a velcro closure to keep it secure. It has room for cash, coins, and IDs or cards, so they can carry anything that they need.
A journal is a great way for kids to track their travels and store their memories, and this journal comes with a dark blue linen cover to look just like a U.S. Passport. Each journal has 24 blank pages inside where kids can make notes, paste photos, or draw pictures. It also comes with a sheet of stickers for different countries they can use to decorate the pages. Also a great gift idea for teachers covering world geography, history, foreign language, or any other international focused curriculum.
When you gotta go, you gotta go, and with kids you don't always have a lot of warning. This bottle is easy to pack, easy to carry, and has a specially designed spout to make it easy to use without making a mess. Available with spouts designed for boys (pictured) and girls. With a capacity of 500ml, this portable urinal can be used multiple times throughout a day before needing to be emptied. Perfect for use in the car, while camping, in a store, or anywhere that public restrooms are not readily available or are too dirty. With its unique fun design, toddlers will be excited to use this urinal, a great benefit while trying to potty train.
Movies are a great way to keep kids entertained while traveling, the only problem is figuring out how to watch them. Phones work, but the screen is small, and there is the added risk of kids making calls, sending texts, or doing other things with your phone you don't want them to do. If you have more than one child, then you also have to worry about everybody being able to see the screen. This portable Blu-ray player solves all of those problems with a 12 and a half inch, full HD swivel screen. Aside from having a disc drive, the player also supports SD cards and USB drives for any downloaded videos you may have available.
Coloring and art is always a fun time for kids, but it can be difficult to do while travelling. Bumps in the road or turbulence in the air can cause their hands to slip, leading to mistakes on their drawing or messes. These coloring books, on the other hand, use a special water marker. Just fill the marker with ordinary water and as they draw over the page it will fill with color. No chance to make a mistake and ruin their drawing, and no chance to draw off the edge of the paper and make a mess. After about 10 minutes, the color will fade away, and they are free to reuse and repaint over and over again.
Computers are everywhere nowadays, and traditional laptops are expensive, bulky, and often only last a couple of hours between charges. Chromebooks, on the other hand, offer the convenience of a laptop but at a much better price point. With most Chromebooks costing under $200 and enjoying 10+ hours of battery life, your kids can be kept entertained for an entire day of traveling. Do keep in mind that most of the storage is online, so it is a good idea to also grab a high capacity flash drive, like this microsized option. You can also add on an external BluRay drive so your kids can watch their favorite movies on the go.
In the world of video games, Nintendo is known for their family friendly games and portable systems. The Switch Lite is the newest option from Nintendo, and is already a major hit. Optimized for handheld and portable play, the Switch Lite is cheaper than the original Switch and better suited for travel. Since the Joycon controllers are attached to the system, it is also better suited for children who may lose the loose controllers. Pair this system with a classic game like Mario, Animal Crossing, or kid favorite Minecraft.
Board games can be a lot of fun, but they do not really work well while traveling. Pieces can be easy to lose and games can be ruined if pieces move out of place. That isn't a worry with this 3 in 1 magnetic board. Kids and adults can enjoy playing chess, checkers, or backgammon with all magnetic pieces that are guaranteed to stay in place. The board folds up for easy portability and storage, with all the pieces fitting snugly inside the folded up board.
Car seats are expensive, awkward to carry, and bulky, but a lot of time you have to travel with them. Especially if you are flying to your destination and then renting a car, bringing your home car seat can be very important. Unfortunately, due to the size you need to gate check the car seat, and run the risk of it being damaged in the cargo hold or on the conveyor belt. This bag is a must have for anybody who has to travel even once with a car seat. It features both back straps and 360 degree spinner wheels so you can easily carry or pull. The interior offers soft, padded sides and wings to protect the car seat from damage, and it is made out of a durable and water resistant fabric.
Would you buy it?
So, what did you think? Have any of our picks been added to your shopping list for your next family vacation? Do you already use any of the items we picked out when travelling with kids? We would love to hear about your experiences or other travel accessories you can recommend for other parents.
