5 Packable and Portable Toddler Toys for Holidays Away from Home

Reuniting with faraway family for the holidays can be wonderful, emotional, and… exhausting. When you’re traveling with little ones, all of that is amplified. Schlepping bags full of toys and gifts-from-the-grandparents through the airport is daunting, but it can be managed! Use this Sago Mini packing list to save space while keeping kids entertained with toys that spark imagination and curiosity. Plus, you can forward this wishlist to Grandma and Grandpa. (Our favorite is the pillow that doubles as a playset.)

While you’re on the road to Grandma’s house, this cute black-and-white patterned pillow comes in handy for naps. Then, when you get there, it unfolds into a doctor’s office, play kitchen, or dollhouse for creative, open-ended play. All the plush parts fold up into one neat and comfy package, and it’s made of a durable poly-cotton blend. And no worries if peanut butter gets on the play kitchen—the pillows are all completely machine-washable.

Robin’s Farm —a barnyard that folds up into its own kid-sized carrying case—is so well designed that it’s sold at the MoMA Gift Shop. The set comes with a farm stand, tire swing, red barn, and of course a variety of barnyard animals. It’s designed for intuitive play, meaning no instructions are required, and kids are encouraged to make up their own stories and scenarios.

The Road Trip Collection includes three vehicles, which are also sold separately: Harvey the dog and his Veggie Dog Car, Neville the penguin in his Ice Cream Truck, and Hugbot the robot with Kiki the raccoon in their Fire Truck. Kids can take them along as friends on a trip, and act out adventures as they travel together in cars, planes, or trains.

We’re all trying to find the right limits of children’s screen time, but air travel is no time to go cold turkey. The kid-friendly Sago Mini World app collects more than 25 games in one place that kids can download and play on a mobile device without Wi-Fi or internet, so it’s perfect for plane rides. From fairy tales to robot parties, everything is designed for young children. Details prompt questions, stories, and ideas, so both parents and kids can interact and learn together.

Walk and Play Finger Puppets are small enough to fit in a kid’s backpack but flexible enough to spark imaginative storytelling. Children can use one finger to make them talk or two fingers to make them walk. Harvey the dog and Jinja the cat also come with a hopscotch mat, bicycle, and skateboard that kids can use as props for puppet shows.

Need more ideas for holiday travel, apps, and gifts? Check out Sago Mini—the award-winning company is devoted to learning through play, and offers plenty of apps and toys for preschoolers worldwide that are thoughtfully designed to spark imagination and curiosity.

Be road-ready for the holidays and shop Sago Mini on Amazon.

^{This post is sponsored by Sago Mini and was created by the Apartment Therapy Creative Studio. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Apartment Therapy possible.}