20 road trip essentials for kids
Last updated on December 18th, 2025.
Road trips can go one of two ways: they can either be extremely fun or extremely tedious.
And, when you add kids to the equation, the challenge to keep younger passengers entertained becomes even trickier.
It’s hard enough keeping adults entertained. On our road trip from Agrigento to Palermo, it was a retro 80s/90s playlist that made the time pass quicker.
On another road trip from Sicily to Perugia, we relied upon streaming services, sleep and lively conversation.
So, with summer vacations coming up, I thought it’d be useful to list some useful road trip essentials for kids.
Many of these items work for long periods of time in the car as well as for everyday use.
The list will split between practical items to bring on the road and road trip entertainment for kids. It’s time to wave bye-bye to boredom and hello to entertaining and educational family road trips.
Jump to:
Practical road trip essentials for kids
1. Kids travel tray
Keep your kids happy (and distracted) by filling this useful kids travel tray with all of their favorite things.
The dry erase board tray doubles as an activity area, as well as a space to eat. Easy to clean with a damp towel or wipes, the travel tray’s ideal for any young backseat passenger.
Extra features
Other features of the kids travel tray worth noting is the secure tablet stand and the several zipper storage pockets. Useful for keeping toys, crayons or snacks, family road trips will be more enjoyable and well organized.
Compact and completely adjustable, the kids travel tray attaches to car seats, as well as strollers and high chairs.
2. Backseat organizer
If space in the car’s a little restricted, a travel table may not be the best solution. However, a backseat organizer like this one achieves the same goal, just without the practicality of an activity area.
Fixable straps easily fit around the headset and at the bottom of the front seat. A decent length at 16in x 24in, the multi-storage organizer holds everything from toys to drinks.
A pocket for tablets at the top (up to 10in) comes with a clear touch-screen window. Machine washable and water-resistant, it’s a road trip savior for restless parents.
3. Car headrest holder for electronics
Like them or not, smartphones, tablets or consoles are a big help in staving off boredom on a road trip. And, whatever you have to keep the kids entertained for a few hours, this car headrest holder will help.
The holder’s compatible with Apple iPad Pro / Air / Mini tablets, as well as Nintendo Switch and smartphones.
4. Car power inverter
Incredibly useful, and portable, for family road trips, this car power inverter will keep backseat passengers entertained for hours.
Charge your kids tablets, along with other electronics, safely using this multi-charging inverter. It comes with 4 USB ports and 2 AC 110V outlets.
Weighing around 8oz, and about the size of a passport, it’s one device you’ll use for more than road trips.
5. Kids travel pillow
I’m no stranger to having a few good quality travel pillows at home. I find them useful not just when traveling, but also for lounging.
And, when it comes to choosing the right travel pillow for kids, this one from BCOZZY wins hands down.
Unique design
Suitable for children aged 3 to 7, its unique patented curve molds to your child’s neck, supporting their head while they sleep.
Soft and machine washable, the BCOZZY comes in different colors ranging from light purple to light blue. Its built-in snap strap makes it easy to take on the go, and to attach to cabin bags.
6. Disposable toilet seat covers
As much fun as road trips can be, the same can’t be said for the bathroom experience.
But, when they — or you — gotta go, you gotta go. And, when the urge beckons, these disposable toilet seat covers can help make the bathroom experience less pleasant.
The pack contains 24 seat covers in total, which toddlers, kids and adults can use. An optional adhesive strip keeps wriggling toddlers in tow, and a resealable package keeps them good for the next trip.
7. 2-in-1 portable potty
Be prepared for any potty emergencies on the road with the OXO Tot 2-in-1 Go Potty. Suitable for babies and toddlers aged 12 months and above, it opens quickly and easily when needed.
The leg stands fold in, making it completely portable, and soft flexible flaps hold disposable bags in place. The OXO Tot 2-in-1 Go Potty also comes with its own sanitary storage bag.
8. Portable elephant leakproof travel potty
With a fun design, and available for boys and girls, this portable elephant leakproof travel potty sorts out bathroom emergencies.
The container holds 500ml and comes with a seal valve to prevent any leaking. Very handy for keeping in the car, and on road trips when there’s no time for a bathroom stop.
9. Munchkin Snack Catcher
Help your kids keep their snacks in their container, and not on the car floor, with the Munchkin Snack Catcher.
No spillage
Soft flaps at the top of the container allow for easy access and zero spillage. Each catcher holds up to 9oz of snacks and fits most standard car cup holders.
Bisphenol A (BPA) free and dishwasher safe, use these snack catchers on road trips as well as for every day use.
10. Motion sickness chewable tablets
I was that kid that always used to get sick on car, plane and boat trips. If only my parents had had these Dramamine motion sickness chewable tablets for kids when I was younger.
Suitable for kids aged 2 to 12, these grape flavor tablets treat and prevent nausea, dizziness and vomiting. Packaged in a compact travel case, these chewable tablets will come in handy on any kind of travel trip.
11. Trip Wipes antibacterial hand wipes
No road trip with kids (or without) is complete without any form of wet wipes. These Trip Wipes are individually packaged and ready for any kind of travel.
Alcohol-free and antibacterial, Trip Wipes kill 99% of germs, making it ideal when traveling with kids. With a refreshing citrus scent, these wipes are biodegradable, environmentally safe and cruelty free. Each box contains 30 wipes.
Entertainment road trip essentials for kids
12. LCD writing / drawing tablet
Keep fingers and thumbs busy on the move with this LCD writing tablet.
The 10in multi-color screen lets kids draw or write to their hearts’ content. Use the tablet’s attached pen, or any other hard material — like a spoon — to create whatever they want.
An erase button will delete the whole screen, while a lock key keeps the picture until you unlock it. The tablet comes with a protective, and shock resistant, case — handy for fidgety toddlers.
Environmentally friendly, this tablet saves a ton of paper, not to mention the mountain of crayons and pencils.
13. The Ultimate Travel Journal for Kids
Fuel your kids’ wanderlust and road trip excitement with The Ultimate Travel Journal for Kids. Packed with plenty of travel-related activities and fun games, there’s enough to keep them occupied for a few hours.
Suitable for kids aged 6 to 9 years old, the journal also gives kids a break from electronic devices.
14. Our Moments conversation cards
Turn family road trips into some solid bonding time with Our Moments Families conversation cards. The Families edition of the game has a variety of conversation starter questions in which everyone can participate.
One for older kids — road trip essentials for kids
Ideal for older kids and younger teens, the game allows for open and honest dialogue. A fun way of getting to know one another, it’s also a chance for everyone to put away their phones.
15. Quiet cloth book for toddlers
Get your little ones learning on a road trip with this quiet cloth book for toddlers. Exactly as its name suggests, the book has a range of soft activities to help develop their basic skills.
These include, learning how to tie a shoe, zip up a dress and how to tell the time. All parts are attached to the book, so there’s no risk of losing anything.
The book comes with its own zip bag, which you can throw into the washing machine without a second thought.
16. Scavenger Hunt for Kids game
The ultimate game of search and find, Scavenger Hunt for Kids travel cards are a whole lot of fun. A game that makes the most out of a road trip, kids get to learn more about their surroundings.
The pack contains 54 cards and instructions. It’s a fun family activity, and it also means time away from the tablet or smartphone.
Food road trip essentials for kids
17. Healthy snacks care package
Undoubtedly, one of the best parts of taking a road trip are the snacks. And for kids, having a balance between junk food and a healthier choice is essential.
Containing 20 assorted snacks ranging from fruit bars to vegetable chips, this Healthy snacks care package is a great choice.
Handpicked and shipped in a variety box, it’s up to you which snacks you choose to bring.
18. Snack box variety pack (40 count)
You can’t have one without the other on a road trip, and this snack box variety pack ticks that box.
Unlike the healthy snacks package, this 40-count variety pack leans to the more indulgent side. Consisting of 4 texture groups (gummy, chewy, crunchy and crispy), expect plenty of chips, cookies and candy.
Though tempting to take everything on the road, choose sparingly and balance out the healthy snacks with the indulgent.
19. Portable oven (12V)
Re-heat your family’s favorite home-cooked meals on the road with this handy portable oven. Perfect for car road trips, you can use the oven as a microwave, or to cook raw food.
It comes with an automatic temperature control, meaning you don’t have to worry about the oven overheating.
Three ways to carry
The straps on the portable oven make it possible to carry by hand or as a shoulder bag. Alternatively, you can attach it to the straps of a backpack and be completely hands free.
20. Portable mini fridge
Compact and super useful when on the move, this portable mini fridge will become an instant road trip staple.
It has a 4-liter capacity, which, to give you an example, can hold 6 12oz cans. A removable shelf also makes it easy to store other items such as food, medicine and breast milk.
Available in 5 bold colors, the fridge will cool within 1 to 3 hours, depending on your desired temperature.
Remember to only power the fridge when the car’s running so you won’t drain the battery.
What do you think of these road trip essentials for kids? Is there anything that would make your journeys go a lot smoother, and potentially quieter?! Let me know in the comments below.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that I’ve recommended. Thank you for your support.
Like this post? Pin it!
A great list for travelers with kids. I was looking for an iPad for kids which I see so many have. Any thoughts?
There are ipads, not specifically for kids, but you can install parental controls, locks etc
As a parent to a toddler whom I bring along on road trips, everything in this list is golden. I'll definitely be acquiring many -- if not all -- of the items listed.
Thank you Juan! I made this list for parents who understand the challenges of bringing toddlers on a road trip, or on any car journey! Please let me know how you get on with your purchases 🙂
A great list for families traveling with children. I can only imagine how useful all these items could be on a road trip. Children get bored so quickly that it is important to make their trip more attractive. Driving comfort is also important, so a travel pillow is a must.
I have so many at home! You're right with the kids, they need a lot of entertaining especially in the car
It was such a happy experience going through the items. And some of them make me want to go back in time and wish they were available when our kids were young. In that way the kids of today are blessed with so many lovely options that the parents can pack for them.
Very true! There are some useful items for kids and parents
These are all indeed go-to essentials we must prepare for in having a road trip. These are all so helpful. Thank you for sharing.
You're welcome! Glad you find it helpful 🙂
I love that travel tray and backseat organizer. So efficient, and everything so handy! Beats scrambling around in a carry-on (like I always do) when the kids need something!
They're both so helpful for any kind of car ride!
I love the items you have listed here. They would definitely be super useful. I especially love the travel tray and toilet seat covers.
Thank you Natalie, I'm so glad you like it! I wrote it to help restless parents 😀
Travel and road trips are all about connecting....and that Our Moments game really caught my eye. I think we need less screen time and more conversation time....heck we went 100 years without having a digital screen on road trips, why do parents think it suddenly the only way to keep our kids from crying.
So true Mike! We need to all learn how to switch off digitally and connect again
I have never done a roadtrip with kids but I know from friends how challenging this could be. So I will forward them this great list for sure to make their next trip easier. The backseat organizer is a great idea - never heard of it before.
It makes a big difference to any kind of road trip!
Wow such an extensive list and some of these products are surely very helpful. I think products like backseat organiser are good products to have while being on road trips even when you don't have kids. Thanks for this list, I have made a note of few of these things that I want for my next road trip.
You're welcome and I'm glad you enjoyed the list! You're right that many of these items are good for people without kids too
I got one of those back seat organizers for my grandaughter and they have been using it for years. She just loves it and her dad does too.
They're so useful for storing everything, I think every car with kids needs one 😀
We just had a little boy about 4 months ago and we are already looking forward to some epic road trips together as a family. We have some of these items already including the backseat organizer, but ours looks NOTHING like that photo. I feel like we need to pump up or organizational skills haha! This was a super helpful article. Thanks for sharing!
Lol, don't worry, there's no judgement from me! I'm so glad you found it useful
Man are the kids lucky these days with all that you can take for the road trips. First of all... I LOVE road trips and drive for my vaca as much as possible. BUT I was a kid who did road trips with my grandparents in the 80's and I had to settle for coloring books, activity books and stuff like that because we did not have all of the amazing tech and such that these kids today do. Thank you form sharing 😉
You're so right, kids are very lucky today! There are some old school activity books in the list; it's important to have a digital detox for kids too 🙂
Love road trips especially those too spontaneous. There are a lot of items here that i am not too familiar that they exist but agree they are essentials.
Thank you, I'm glad you found it useful!
yesssss to road trips!!! I love them!!! I need to get that portable oven, it is so cool!!!
It's very cool and a really great price 😀
We let the kids bring their Nintendo Switches on long drives, but those backseat organisers seem like a perfect addition to a car, even when you aren't going on road trips!
Super handy! And perfect for every day errands
This is a great checklist. It is so handy to have because we always for chargers. Then we would end up buying them at a random gas station.
Thank you! This one is so handy, and you're doing your part for the environment by not buying a new one each time 🙂
These are great items to have! Some I had not even thought of before!
Thank you! I'm glad you found it useful.
This is the ultimate travel post for essential items for kids. This year we are doing local staycations so have 2 road trips planned with our kids. So will be bookmarking your post so that we don't miss anything
Thank you so much! There are a lot of great and practical items, I hope you have a great trip!
I do remember those days of a separate checklist of things for road tripping with kids. I love the idea of the travel tray to keep a bunch of things close at hand. That would even help me when I try and work while we travel. I wonder if a travel journal would help create new aspiring travel bloggers! Certainly my blog came out of early travel journals.
That's a great idea Linda! There's no harm in starting them off early 🙂
I need to get one of those headrest holders. It would be great to pop a tablet into in order to keep the kids entertained on long journeys.
They're so helpful! Especially when you need a bit of a peace 😀
I didn't know that these fun disposable toilet seat covers existed! Wow! I am definitely ordering some because that's the part I dislike the most about road trips and using public toilets, and lately, we are doing lots of road trips. Thanks so much for sharing!
You're welcome! I'm the same when I enter a public bathroom, especially now with the pandemic, you never know!
What a great list. Love the look of that kids travel tray. We definitely need to invest in one of those!
They're so helpful and so easy to clean up too!
You've got some excellent items on this road trip essentials list. Only thing we don't have yet is that mini fridge.
Thank you. The mini fridge is perfect for home and on the road 😀