Travel

Comfort Objects for Tiny Special Needs Travellers

Comfort objects are important to many kids. When you travel with a child who has special needs they can make all the difference to the transition process. We began travelling intentionally as a family when my youngest was about five. Why did it take us that long? Well, we were afraid to travel because my younger daughter has special needs. We thought it would be challenging, and it totally is. BUT, it is also abundantly worth it, and then some.

Watching my daughter make friends with children from all over the world, getting her hair braided in Haiti, racing down waterslides with her at Atlantis and hearing her talk about her adventures with pride, is respite from the daily chaos. So what helped and what changed? We figured out some strategies and comfort objects that helped her when we travelled.

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There was a process we went through to get to our special needs travel comfort zone. We built up to the bigger adventures by taking road trips. We had social stories in advance of the trip and rehearsed what would happen. One of the things that helped us most was remembering many strategic comfort objects. The comfort objects we packed, or carried made all the difference.

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So I thought I’d share a few of the items that always helped her with the transitions and the loudness of public spaces, and the tight, uncomfortable, noisy airplanes. And even the nights sleeping in a strange new hotel or resort, or cruise ship. Travel can, and should be, accessible to all. But it often requires more planning when one or more in your family have special needs.

My youngest daughter has sensory processing disorder and FASD, which I have written about here from time to time. We spent years trying to figure out her diagnoses and then years plugging in supports. Trust me when I say, if there’s a segment of the population that needs holidays more than special needs parents, well I have yet to meet them.

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My Picks for Comfort Objects for Tiny Special Needs Travellers

    • Headphones

    • These can be noise cancelling or otherwise. A really good, sturdy, kid safe set of headphones – preferably a set that collapses and folds up. Use where appropriate. On the van in the way to the airport. Headphones. Right after the flight attendant gives you the okay to put them back on. Headphones. Use a set with a cord because you will be able to use them for in flight movies or TV shows. Helps distract them too when necessary.

    • Blankets

    • The best ones we ever found were very simple Gymboree cotton swaddle blankets like these: Gymboree Fun Li’l Blanket. My daughter received two when she was an infant. She also got one for her first birthday and she had a matching outfit with poppies on it. Obviously she’s long since outgrown the outfit (size 1) and yet the blanket is still floating around a decade later – a bit worse for the wear but still as soft as ever. For some reason at 13, as a teenager, doesn’t like swaddling anymore. LOL. These are the softest I have ever found. Kids with sensory issues like soft things. For my girl, holding it and smelling it, and worrying the fabric between her hands, was calming.

(Clicking on any of the images or links will take you to Amazon and you can get them straight away.)

A Friend – Ours is called Wendy, a Build-A-Bear

  • Husband and I joked recently that Wendy has been to more countries and airports than most adults. The wonderful thing about our bear is that she has never been lost. She was always cuddled on landing and takeoff and also smelled of home. That mattered. Oh, and the thing about Build-A-Bear is that they are all registered with Find-A-Bear so you if one did get lost it could be reunited with your child fairly easily. Your friend could be any stuffed animal that is soft and loved.

  • Comfort Objects for Tiny Travellers – Quiet fidgets

  • We have a few quiet fidgets now even for the teens. Here are a few I like. These tangles are awesome!! They are actually my favourite and I fidget with them often during the work day.


  • Chewy Tubes

  • When Ainsley was little she needed to chew on things a lot. That’s common with sensory processing disorder. Here’s what we used and still have actually. They last forever. These P s and Qs are good for oral sensory feedback. Tiny special needs travellers will be less likely to chew holes in clothing, or blankets. And less inclined to gnaw on you too. These are excellent for day care or school too. Click on the image to find out where to buy.

Finding Magic in the Moments

Someone reminded me today that even though this is all so old to me, there are new parents every day trying to get away who have no idea about comfort objects for tiny special needs travellers. So, I hope this helps you to find the courage to explore with your child. Special needs travel is dramatically changing for the better. No need to stay home if you don’t want to.

I hope you find magic in the small moments of calm, with a little bit of unexpected excitement along the way. So many enjoyable memories are waiting for all of you to claim.

This post Comfort Objects For tiny Special Needs Travellers contains affiliate links as a service to readers. If you make a purchase I receive a small amount of compensation at no extra cost to you.

Mom of two beautiful active girls, traveller, fitness junkie, social media consultant, and keeper of the sanity.

11 Comments

  • Leah

    These are really great tips. When my kids were little, one of the things we always made sure we traveled with was a pair of headphones for each of them. That and their special blanket. The blanket was necessary!

  • Cherri Megasko

    We have a special needs child in our family – actually he’s not a child anymore. But when he was, I saw first-hand how difficult it was on his parents to travel. But they always brought along his comfort items. For him, they included headphones, his magnetic letters and a hand-held video game that taught him to spell. I’m sure travel would have been incredibly more difficult without those items.

  • Censie Sawyer

    So many great tips. traveling can be so stressful, even for someone that travels a lot. But for those that have special needs I can imagine it is even worse. Great ideas for kids.

  • Catalina

    When you travel with kids that have or have not special needs you really need some of these objects. We always have with us her Friend 🙂 that in our case is a soft horse 🙂 This soft horse is already a very important part of our family 🙂 and it is really a tragedy when it gets lost in the house. And we all pay special attention when it gets out! 🙂

  • lisalisa

    What a great post! My sister has a special needs son and she also travel with some of these items. I know it can be very stressful for parents especially when they travel. Just recently my nephew had a bad breakdown on the plane and she was able to get him to calm down by giving him his blanket.

  • Ali Rost

    I didn’t realize you had a special needs daughter. My goodness, I sure take my hat off to you. I have a friend in a similar situation and be honest, I don’t know how she has the energy. She too has headphones, different playlists at the ready, and sixth sense for when to pull them out. I couldn’t help but smile at the fidgets. My husband, I swear is addicted to them. x

  • Aileen Adalid

    This is such a helpful post! I have a cousin who has special needs and a weighted toy for example really helps her a lot. Thanks for your other tips here on this post, I know more about the things I can give her when she and her family will travel!