UPDATED July 2020: When traveling with kids you want to make sure that they are comfortable and safe. A special travel pillow for kids is one of the travel gadgets you should get your child when you take a lot of road trips or spend a lot of time on planes, buses or trains for that matter. I was never a person to travel with a lot of travel gadgets but since I have a daughter and travel as a single parent, I’ve come to realize that having a few travel gadgets for children at hand will make our trips a lot more comfortable and my life a lot easier too.
Find HERE a list of my favorite travel accessories for babies and toddlers.
Can’t find the perfect car seat for travel for you child? Check HERE our Buying Guide for the Best Portable Car Seat for Travel.
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Introduction to The Best Travel Pillows for Kids
Sleep is very important for children so if my Rosie can be more comfortable by having a good neck support pillow, I will definitely buy it for her. For moms-on-the-go like me buying a good travel pillow for kids is very important to make sure my child is comfortable while she catches some sleep on our many road trips throughout Southern Africa and the rest of the world for that matter. We just had to cut short our trip to South America because of the Corona virus threat. As we left in a big hurry we forgot Rosie’s travel pillow for kids so our last flight for a while wasn’t very easy..
It was only last year when I bumped into this great kids travel pillow that fits around the car seat belt- check it out HERE which turns out to be perfect kids car pillow for our loooooong road trips all over South Africa when Rosie often falls asleep in the back of the car. I had never seen it before and just bumped into it online and I immediately bought this seat belt pillow for Rosie. Sometimes we simply don’t know what are handy travel gadgets for kids until we see it somewhere with another family, right? The seat belt pillow you can also get in great animal designs like this unicorn seat belt pillow- find your favorite design HERE.
Travel pillows for air planes I always assumed were not necessary as the air plane provides you usually with pillows and I make sure to always ask for extra ones to make Rosie as comfortable as possible. However, they don’t offer great neck support because they’re usually just flat and end up in your back or on the floor as soon as you move. Not an ideal kids travel pillow for a much needed nap for your child on long haul flights.
The last time we took a long haul flight from Cape Town to Amsterdam Rosie pointed out one of the travel pillows for kids at the airport shop and we got her one in the shape of a strawberry – get it HERE.
She now often even uses it at home in bed as well and it doubles up as her doo-doo to cuddle. This kids travel neck pillow is cheap and cheerful which is probably not the best option in the world that’s why I decided to put some research into finding the best travel pillow for kids hence the writing of this article.
I discovered that travel pillows for kids come in many shapes and sizes and there’s a wide range to choose from which might often confuse parents. Hopefully this article will help you a bit in finding the best kids travel pillow for your children.
Comparison chart travel pillow for kids – a quick overview of travel pillows
To get a quick overview of the best travel pillow for kids, we have compiled this handy table. The best travel pillows for kids are featured in this table.
To order a travel pillow for your kids on Amazon you can simply click through the images and the links to find out more info.
[table id=7 /]Different types of kids travel pillows
Kids travel pillows come in many different shapes, sizes and fabrics. What the best travel pillow for kids for your kid is, will depend on the season you’re traveling in, how are you traveling, by car, train, bus or boat and of course what your kids prefer. In general you could look at the following categories to get a better idea what neck support pillow you will need for your kids.
The neck ring – Travel Pillows for kids
The shape of this type of travel pillow for kids is basically the same shape as the adult version of a neck support pillow. The cheap version of these neck support pillows are the small inflatable ones that fit in your handbag. This travel pillow fits around your neck all the way to the front so that the chin rests on it as well. It is literally a ring around your neck this travelrest pillow. When you child falls asleep in either car or plane, this travel pillow for kids will prevent the head from bouncing forward which could prevent possible strains on the neck. PROS: These kids neck pillows come in many different forms and shapes and your child can choose his/her own. It often doubles up as a cuddly toy because of the soft material.
Seat belt pillow – Travel Pillows for kids
The seat belt pillow which easily wraps around your car seat belt is ideal for long road trips where your child tends to fall asleep and needs to support her / his neck. I bumped into this kids travel pillow while browsing online and thought it would be perfect for Rosie since we go on long road trips all the time and I always see her head against the seat belt where she’s trying to rest her neck.
PROS Kids Neck Pillow: this kids car pillow is easy to use, easy to wash and soft on the skin. CONS Kids Neck Pillow: This kids travel neck pillow is not suitable for the airplane because you simply can’t attach it anywhere. This kids travel pillow can also be used when kids are still using a bumper seat because it easily attaches to the seat belt.
Leg rest travel pillow – Travel Pillows for kids
The leg rest travel pillow for kids is something that I had never heard off and I only read about it when I started researching the best travel pillow for kids for this article. At first this kids travel pillow seemed very bulky but once I started reading up on it, it made a lot of sense and it seemed really easy to use for both car and plane.
The leg rest travel pillow is basically a big cushion you blow up and you can place it in front of the airplane seat of your child. If the child is still small, she can stretch out and can use the seat and cushion as a bed instead of needing 2 airplane seats. It is really very clever and you can also use it in the car as a leg rest travel pillow. Of course the child can’t stretch out in the car because of the restraints of the seat belt but having a good leg rest will avoid the strains on the neck.
PROS Leg Rest Travel Pillow for kids: It is not bulky and easily inflatable. The Leg Rest Pillow can be used in both car and airplanes of airlines who permit the use.
CONS Leg Rest Travel Pillow for kids: Not all airlines allow the use of the leg rest travel pillows on their flights so double check before you head to the airport.
The Best Travel Pillows of kids – details
Below you can find more details about the kids travel pillows. You can click the image or click the links to check the latest prices, delivery times and more details and of course to put your order in with Amazon. We hope you will find the perfect kids travel pillow for your kids and wish you lots of travel adventures for the entire family!
The BCOZZY kids chin support pillow keeps the child head from bobbing. The overlapping arms under the chin makes this travel pillow for kids very comfortable.
The travel pillow supports the neck as well as the chin.
It is very light weight and the build in snap strap for hanging the pillow will prevent that it gets lost.
Order your BCOZZY travel pillow for kids HERE.
This travel pillow for kids is particularly recommended for those kids who can’t maintain a particular position throughout the entire trip. For kids who like to move around a lot this kids travel pillow might be their best option because it allows them to move around.
It has 300T cotton and cluster fiber fill and is hypoallergenic.
Order your TRAVEL PILLOW HERE.
The TRTL Kids Travel Pillow has build in neck support. It is an ergonomic design and the perfect travel accessory for kids from the age of 8.
This wraparound travel pillow is designed with the help of elementary school kids to make sure that it fits all there needs and wishes.
If your would like to find out more and purchase the TRTL Kids Travel Pillow, CLICK HERE!
This is an adjustable, bendable roll travel pillow which will shape according to the way you sleep. We have memory foam pillows on our beds and I swear by them. Since I’ve been using this pillow my neck and back pain have completely disappeared and I feel super well rested in the morning.
CON: This might be quite a bulky travel pillow for kids but they could easily just carry it around their neck while your transferring on airports or train stations.
To order this kids travel neck pillow, CLICK HERE!
Cute pillow to use for 4 – 8 yrs old. The big advantage is that it comes in many different shapes and forms so you child can chose a neck support pillow which they love. It has a handy zip in the back so that you can take out the filling if it is too bulky.
To order your own Critter Piller kids travel neck pillow, CLICK HERE!
A favorite kids car pillow for many kids. This ergonomic design provides very soft neck and head support for kids 3 – 10 yrs old although we would suggest only from 5 yrs up unless you have a big 3 year old. The arms are kept together in the front which avoids the bobbing of the head. The memory foam makes sure to provide the perfect shape to be comfortable. The RESTCLOUD travel pillow comes in different colors.
Buy your own RESTCLOUD travel pillow HERE.
This seat belt pillow is of course only suitable for road trips as it wouldn’t fit in the airplane. However, you could probably use it as a neck support while you sleep against the window and it would ‘stick’ quite comfortable between you chin and shoulder. We have one for our road trips and Rosie loves sleeping against it in the car. Easy to use, easy to wash and easy to just wrap around the car seat belt. Even if you child doesn’t sleep, this seat belt pillow provides a soft cover for the otherwise rubbing seat belt.
Get your own kids’ seat belt pillow HERE.
Now this is a totally revolutionary way of creating your own business class seat for your kids where ever you go. Suitable for smaller kids up to 5 yrs old. This leg rest travel pillow fits in between the seat and the seat in front of you and you can create an entire BED for your little one. I wish I would have know about this when Rosie was still that small. It really looks amazing!
Buy HERE the leg rest travel pillow so your kids can sleep all the way!
This is a small size kids travel pillow for a neck circumference of 30 cm or less. We LOOOOOVE Trunki products and have been carrying around the Trunki suitcase for a couple of years now. The super handy magnets keep the arms together under the chin and make it easy for your little one to undo his or her travel pillow for kids.The cute Trunki Travel pillow comes in 5 different animal designs.
Get your Trunki kids travel neck pillow HERE.
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