Travel Pillows for kids; Getting kids cosy on the move

Pick the perfect kids neck pillow that actually works!

We know just how important it is for your kids to be comfortable and well-rested if you are going to undertake long journey’s, be it by plane, car, train -anything that involves hours of sitting!

For us, a big transition stage has been moving to booster seats, without the head support that they are used to with more structured car seats. Kids necks still need supporting for good rest on the go.

In this post, we take a more in-depth look at some of the best children’s neck pillows on the market to get kids and toddlers comfortable, as well as comfort items you can use on long-haul flights.

• Best travel pillows for kids
• Best toddler travel pillows
• Best seat belt comforters
• Airplane sleeping pillows

This post is part of our travel products review series – for all the latest innovations in the family travel space.

Got a product you think fits the bill?  Head to our “Work With Us” page

Best Travel Pillow for Kids

Whatever form of transport you are on, a travel pillow can help children feel more comfortable by supporting their head for sleeping.

What to look for when purchasing a neck pillow for kids

• Many brands are not ideal to be used with a child’s car seat as they may not fit within the existing head support;  Kids neck pillows work best in cars once a child has graduated to a booster.
• Foam-filled pillows may be too firm and bulky for smaller children, look for more flexible microbeads with younger kids.
• Check how breathable the material covering is and is it machine washable.
• How light and flexible is the product to carry, can it slip on to your luggage?

Here’s a buyers summary guide for neck pillow products we like for preschoolers through to pre-teens. You can see them described in more detail below.

Product	Image	Material	Weight	Colours/Designs
BCOZZY Kids Chin Supporting Travel Pillow		Outer fleece, filling siliconised microfibre	4.2 oz	7 standard colours, 24+ patterened designs
Trunki Yondi Travel Neck Pillow		Outer made from spandex, velour, nylex; Microbead filling	4 oz	7 animal and colour designs including Monkey, Owl, Lion, Fox, Dino
Critter Piller Kid’s Neck Pillow		Outer polyester. Filling hypoallergenic fibers made from recycled materials	6.4 oz	23 different critters to choose from
Cloudz Kids Pillow Plush Animal		Outer polyester, filling premium polyester fiber	4.8 oz	13 animal designs
Nido Nest Neck Pillow		Outer stretchable polyester & cotton liner, inner polyester microbeads	4.2 oz	Ladybird, Bumblee Bee, Frog, Owl and Pig
MemorySoft travel pillow		Outer washable velour, filling memory foam	13.4 oz	Navy Blue

Let’s look at each of these in more detail

Our Winner: BCOZZY Chin Supporting Travel Pillow

Great for all forms of transport, this is one of the most practical designs.

Coming in both adults and kids sizes, we love that this product completely contours the neck, wrapping under the chin to stop chin bobbing with a snap strap that allows you to attach it to your bag.

There are only a limited few designs (though more than there used to be!) in the kid’s size, but the overall range of colours and designs is huge if you’re looking for something fun and stylish for yourself too! Click here to see the full BCozzy range.

Trunki Yondi Travel Pillow

From the makers of Trunki, a great addition to their family travel products suite and our top pick for the best combination of soft filling, weight and appealing design.

In typical Trunki style, they come in lots of cute designs and colours including Fox, Lion, Dino, Owl and Monkey.

They are easy to transport with a small clip for attaching it to your bag.  They hold together well around your child’s neck with magnetic ends.

One of the best value for money and lightest, comfortable kids products on the market – check out the full Trunki range here.

Critter Piller Kid’s Neck Pillow

This is a great choice for kids looking for a bit more fun with their neck pillow.

The manufacturers say suitable from 3 years old, but note this one is a little bulkier than some products so it wouldn’t really suit being used in a car seat, but ideal on planes and trains where there’s no other head support.

The cover is polyester while the filling is hypoallergenic fibres made from recycled materials.

There are a massive 23 different critters to choose from though so if your fussy one is looking for a particular animal this could be your best place to find it!! Click here to see the Critter Pillows range.

Cloudz Kids Pillow Plush Animal

One of the most lightweight options that comes in a huge variety of animal designs for a bit of fun from crocs to tigers, and even unicorns!

The animal design does make them a bit too bulky to fit in a car seat but they’re perfect for on the plane or when used with a booster. You can see the full range of Cloudz Kids Plush Animals here.

Nido nest neck pillow

Another made from soft microbeads, these great squishy pillows also come with an appealing matching eye mask. The super stretchy material is machine washable (which not many do) and the snap clasp holds the pillow firmly on your child’s neck.

Critters available include Ladybird, Bumblee Bee, Frog, Owl and Pig – You can see the full Nido nest neck range here.

Memory Foam Travel Pillow by MemorySoft

Once kids have started to outgrow the novelty products this is a great graduation to a more adult brand.  Made by MemorySoft, the same makers of Memory Foam mattresses renowned for being the sleep comfort experts!

Slightly heavier and bulkier than the light microbead products but does come with its own clip and bag to hang from your hand luggage and is one of the most highly regarded brands on the market.

Travel Pillows for Toddlers

For slightly smaller children, our top toddler neck pillow picks are those with a little more flexibility to fit within car seats and a lot of cuddly fun that can also we machine washed!

Product	Image	Material	Weight	Colours/Designs
Skip Hop Zoo Little Kid & Toddler Travel Neck Rest		Outer velour, filling polyester	7.2 oz	Dog, giraffe, ladybird, owl, monkey
Panda U-shaped Neck Pillow		Outer soft plush fabric, filling polypropylene cotton materials	6.4 oz	Panda
Convertible Neck Pillow Stuffed Animal		Outer polyester, filling polyester bland	5.6 oz	Panda, bear, cat, dog, giraffe

Let’s look at the best toddler travel pillows in more detail:

Skip Hop Zoo Little Kid & Toddler Neck Pillow

A pillow that doubles us a soft toy makes this one ideal for the toddler category – designed for 2 to 4-year-olds.   They are made of polyester with a velour finish.

Bonus add ons!  The gorgeous Skip Hop range includes insulated toddler backpacks, lunch boxes and reign backpacks which can be a great fun addition to your travel gear!

Panda Children’s Neck Pillow

This cute and cuddly panda cushion is ideal to appeal to the younger crowd (though we’d recommend given it’s quite a bulky one and is better used without a car seat).

With a plush soft cotton exterior and polypropylene filling, it gives a firm but comfortable U-shape.  It also comes with its own handy travel bag.

Convertible Neck Pillow/Stuffed Animal Travel Pal

Another cute and cuddle options these are the ideal pillow-to-teddy conversion pillows.

Easy to use, they come in a range of bright and colourful designs sure to entice your little ones to want to bring along their own pillow.

Seat Belt Comfort for Kids

When kids are graduating from car seats to boosters, we found that they were irritated by the belt rubbing on their necks. Anything soft and cuddly helps, even if it’s not a full head wrap but something they can wrap around the actual seat belt.

Here are our top seat belt pillow picks! Read more details below:

Product	Image	Material	Weight	Colors/designs
Seat Pets Unicorn		Felt	12.8oz	dog, cat, panda, unicorn
Bubble Bum Sneck Pillow		polyester microbead filling	2oz	Yellow/black
Cloudz Kids Plush Seat Belt Buddy		Soft plush	3.2oz	Cat, dog, rhino, unicorn
Apomelo Car Seat Belt Cute Pet		Cotton	9.9oz	Panda, dinosaur, bear, bunny, monkey
Zento Faux Sheepskin Seat Belt Shoulder Pad		Faux Sheepskin	0.34oz	Grey

Seat Pets Unicorn

Attaching by velcro to the seat belt, these cuddly pet comforters double as a pillow and include extra little pockets for toys and snacks.

As well as the pink unicorn design, they come in cat, dog and panda designs.

Their downfall is they are perhaps a little too large for everyday travel convenience (15 inches long), so you’d need to consider them in your luggage space. They also weigh 1.1 pounds, a fair bit more than most pillow products.

BubbleBum Sneck Neck Pillow

From the makers of popular booster seat BubbleBum, we love their neck pillows too!  A microbead-based product, it not only stops rubbing but works as a pillow too.

It velcros on to the seat belt and includes a small pouch for toys, Mp3 players.

At 5.6 oz it doesn’t add too much to your overall travel weight.  More variety of colours would be good to see though. Check it out here (UK only at present)

Cloudz Plush Seat Belt Buddy

This simple but cute and cuddly fun seat belt wrap can be the ideal light-weight solution while travelling.

They come in several design options including cat, dog, bear and unicorn and are machine washable, ideal for little droolers!  They work in both high backed and stand-alone booster seats.

Apomelo Car Seat Belt Cute Pet

Another cuddly critter design we really love these designs including monkey, bear, panda, dinosaur, rabbit & croc.

Again not the best for portability as they are 18″long but lovely and soft, height adjustable with velcro and machine washable.

Zento Faux Sheepskin Shoulder Pads

Ok not nearly as fun as the cute and cuddly type, but super practical and easily up for the job of stopping the neck rub.

Available in twin packs these really are practical and don’t like so childish for your slightly older kids who like to get comfortable. They are feather-light at under half an ounce so easy to pack away in the suitcase.

Airplane kids sleeping pillow

Last but not least, the other pillow and comfort craze to consider is not just kids necks but how else they can get cosy to sleep on a long overnight flight.

Plane pillows essentially allow kids to stretch out flat (though your legs may still need to be curled) for a more comfortable flight than being seated upright. 

We discuss these plane products in much more detail here (includes which airlines actually allow you to use these sleep devices and who prohibits them).

Product Name	Image	Weight	How it Works	Where to purchase
Leg Rest Travel Pillow by 1st Class Kids		0.5kg (1.1lbs)	Can be rolled or folded. Inflate my mouth or from ceiling air vent	Amazon US (in stock from Mid-June) or if overseas check distributors
Fly Tot		1kg (2.2lbs)	Folds flat and inflates with a foot pump - this adds bulk but saves time	Available on Amazon US
Plane Pal by The Happy Travel Co		1.2kg (2.6lbs)	Folds or rolls into its own bag, can buy with or without the foot pump	Exported from Australia Plane Pal Full Kit on Amazon US and Amazon UK(pillow only)
Kooshy Kids		0.8kg (1.8lbs)	Roll or fold flat in a carry bag. See our full product review	Amazon US or direct from the supplier in Australia
Flyaway Kids Bed		1.3kg (2.8lbs)	Inflatable bed with fully flat mattress and inflatable leg support. See our full product review	Available from the supplier Flyaway Designs

You may also want to check out the Jet Kids Bed Box – A hard case that doubles as a roll-along suitcase and sleep aid for long-haul flights

See all our favourite kids travel products in our guide to coolest kids travel gear 

Have you found any kids comfort products that you can’t leave home without?

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