Playskool's Latest Space-Saving Toys Perfect for Travel

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Playskool.  I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

With an almost 2 year old toddler travel companion, I can't travel without a few toys in my suitcase and diaper bag.  The only problem with the toys is - of course - space.  Space is always at a premium when you are trying to travel light.  As a result, I'm always searching for toys to take along on our trips that are compact and lightweight but that are still high-quality, engaging, and educational.

That's why I was excited to hear that Hasbro's Playskool just released a line of "Play. Stow. Go." toys that are designed for portability and families on the go.  These are not low quality miniature versions of regular toys like many "travel toys."  Instead, the Playskool line is designed to be the only toys you need both at home and on the road.  They smartly fold up in ways that take up less space, which is perfect for travelers like me as well as for all of us who are always short on storage space at home.

Playskool sent my family five of the toys in this line to try out with my almost two year old son.  He had a blast as a toy tester for a day - it was a job that he could get used to!  So what did the little guy think?  Here are the details on each toy we tried and a quick video demo of a few of the options.

ROLL ‘N GEARS CAR (Age: 12+ months) - Retail Price $9.99

What my son thought: This car was truly THE runaway hit with my 23 month old son.  He is still returning to play with this toy every day, time and time again.  The car is flat and compact and opens like a suitcase to reveal 5 plastic gears inside.  The gears are easy for a toddler to manipulate and can be turned together as well as stacked on top of each other.  My son alternated between stacking and turning and then chose to fold the car up and roll it along a flat surface as well.

What I loved: At under $10, the price is truly a great value for such a high-quality toy.  The car is also small enough to fit in a diaper bag or airplane carry on bag.  The Roll 'N Gears car is easily going to be our new go-to travel toy.

STACK ‘N STOW Cups (Age 9+ months) - Retail Price: $7.99

What my son thought: Like any almost 2 year old, he loves stacking things, but he ADORES knocking things down.  This toy had its highest value use when mom did the stacking and he played Godzilla.

What I loved: This is the most compact toy in the bunch, so it is truly easy to take on the road or in your diaper bag for daily use.  The cups nest closely together in the lion base when stored.   Be aware that packing it up takes a little practice and definitely needs to be done by a parent.  In addition, even though this toy is meant for toddlers, my 6 year old daughter enjoyed it as well - I had a hard time keeping her from swiping it from her little brother!

POP-UP SHAPE SORTER (Age 18+ months) - Retail Price: $12.99

What my son thought: My son is very interested in shapes as he nears his second birthday, so the educational value of this shape sorter was very high (not to mention the value for improving fine motor skills).  He adored pretending to put the shape in the wrong opening and then surprising me by quickly correcting his "mistake."  His favorite part was opening the bottom (mom or dad will need to help with the latch) and shaking all the shapes out to start again.

What I loved: What impressed me most as a parent was the ingeniously compact and smart design.  There are two of each shape (heart, triangle, star, and circle) and they fit together as one single piece when stored.  The entire drum of the sorter collapses and pops up, giving you a full size toy when in use but a very slim toy for storage.

DRESSY KIDS Assortment (Age 2+ years) - Retail Price: $19.99

What my son thought: Who doesn't love a huggable pal?  Our "Dapper Dan" got plenty of hugs.  My son's favorite was definitely zipping and unzipping the doll's jacket.

What I thought: This toy has a lot of value for older toddlers learning to button, zip, and tie.  This is one we are going to continue to enjoy in coming months.  I loved how big the toy is when in use but how it can be stuffed into a really small space.  You can also choose between a boy and a girl.

FOLD ‘N GO ELEPHANT Toy (Ages 3+ months) - Retail Price: $24.99

What my son thought: This plush elephant is targeted at little ones a bit younger than my son, but what toddler doesn't love a cuddly stuffed animal too?  The various elephant features (rattle, squeaker, crinkly ear, etc.) make noise and can be manipulated to keep little ones busy.

What I loved: Again, the foldability and design had me impressed.  This is the perfect toy for babies needing something to entertain them during tummy time on the go.

Win Playskool Prize Packs!

Want to try these toys for yourself and your little ones?  Influence Central is hosting a contest for the new Playskool on-the-go line.  The contest runs from September 9, 2015 and closes September 30, 2015.  Enter using the tool below.  Influence Central will randomly select five winners from all program entries and will handle fulfillment of the winning prizes.

Playskool Audience Engagement Tool

Thanks to Playskool for sponsoring this post!  As always, all opinions are my own.