Most travel-inspired baby gifts turn out to be more to the parents rather than for the tiny traveler. Holiday gift guides suggest everything from portable playpens to rolling bags with a car seat attached, and babies sure do get stuck with a lot of practical instead of fun. Of course, we love any type of gear that helps families enjoy their travels, but these baby gift picks will help you to instill a love of travel within your little one at a very early age. We do, however, recommend leaving the nifty baby travel gear on your list (or “gifting” it to yourself—no shame). 

For the active baby
Chances are your travel-loving ways have already filled your home with maps of favorite places and places you plan to travel. Bring your love of maps to your baby’s level with a colorful map that doubles as a floor mat like the eco-friendly world map play mat by Colorful Sunshine. Made from giant rubber puzzle pieces, the map can serve as a toy or a soft surface on which to play (and explore the world). Whether your baby is already on the move or just beginning to sit up, this rubber play mat will add a travel element to your playroom.

For the reader
Bedtime stories (or really any-time-of-day stories) are a staple of nurseries. Use your daily storybook routine to instill a love of travel in your baby right from the start. Travel-themed books that feature illustrations and photos of other cultures and places are the perfect way to familiarize your baby with sights and sounds they may not see at home. We love the books from the Good Night Our World series, based on the classic children’s book Good Night Moon, which features destination specific stories for places around the world.

For the snuggler
Plush toys are always a crowd pleaser among the infant set, but a plush toy that doubles as a snuggly travel pillow makes for a gift that is both entertaining and travel-friendly. The ‘Bear You’ve Been’ travel pillow by Kikkerland starts the day as a curious brown cub ready to join your baby on their next adventure. By naptime, however, he has transformed into a comfy pillow that can support your weary little traveler as they recharge on the go.

For the bilingual baby
Foster your baby’s language skills with these blocks from Uncle Goose. These traditional, wooden building blocks feature brightly colored words, images and letters on stackable blocks that are made to fit tiny hands. Available in a variety of languages, the blocks are the perfect way to expose your baby to more than one language from the very beginning.

For the music lover
Take your baby’s favorite, soothing nursery sounds with you on the road with the help of sound toys by CloudB. These plush toys come in a variety of precious animal shapes, but the best (and most travel-friendly) feature is the soothing sounds each critter emits. For the baby who loves to fall asleep to calming noise, the CloudB sound toys offer an on the go sleep aid that doesn’t involve packing additional plugs or draining the battery on your iPhone.

For the lover of lights
If your baby loves falling asleep to the mesmerizing lights of a favorite lamp or mobile, then he will adore the CloudB sight toys. A spinoff of the original CloudB sound toys, these light toys are a cute and highly portable way to travel with bedtime lights. A dazzling display of soothing lights project from plush toys shaped like bugs and sea creatures—helping your baby to slip to sleep effortlessly no matter where your family lays to rest that evening.

For more information visit:
Foam floor map 
Travel bear pillow 
Uncle Goose Language Blocks
CloudB sight toys

Meghan Miranda has worked with a number of travel and lifestyle publications including Little PINK Book and Four Seasons Magazine. She is also the World Events Editor at Pure Wander. Learn more about her losing battle with the travel bug by connecting with her on Twitter @Meghan_says