Tips for travel with toddlers and small children: what to take on the long plane ride

Staying busy on a plane is difficult for adults but it can be even more challenging for kids.  Here are some ideas for passing the time without losing your mind because the kids are going crazy.

• Let your kids do something scandalous.  The first 15 minutes
  of being on every plane ride involves Ethan standing on the armrest, turning the overhead lights off and on.  We have a strict rule not to touch the flight attendant call button (usually orange) and he is very good about not doing it. He alternates between turning the lights on and opening and closing the vents.  Oh, the JOY!!!  Sure it's annoying but he gets it out of his system and doesn't spend the next 6 hours asking or trying to mess with the buttons.
• Bright lights.  My sister bought Ethan a spinning top that lights up when you give it a turn.  We had space issues (it got a little crazy spinning it on the tray table) but we got lots of laughs from it.  Anything that lights up is interesting.  You can probably even get away with something that makes a little noise because the plane is usually so loud.
• Variety is the key.  If you have a toddler, odds are that you are only going to get a few minutes of entertainment with each item.  As soon as your child loses interest, put the item away and move on to something else.  Just because Ethan grew bored with his cars doesn't mean that he won't be interested again in an hour.  Taking something away also adds a little novelty when you bring it back out again.  Before you go, take a trip to the dollar store and pick up stickers, coloring books and inexpensive silly toys.  I found silly glasses and a silly nose for Ethan to wear.  It was actually funnier on Dad and it was a great distractor when remaining in our seats got a little old.  We also packed up Playdoh (which made it through security with no problem) for emergency modeling and getting out extra energy by prodding, pulling and exercising little hands. 
• Rely on old favorites.  If your child likes a special book, do yourself a favor and bring it along with you.  Ethan loves his Goldbug book and it manages to keep his attention for 30 minutes when you read it with him.  That's about 100 years in toddler time.  Large it is but it is well worth the happiness and attention he gives it. 
• Bring a special blanket that reminds your child of home.  Sometimes it's nice to snuggle up with the smell of "home" against your cheek.  A small stuffed animal can also be used a pillow to rest weary heads on mom's or dad's lap. 
• Take a walk.  Some will argue that there is nothing grosser than a plane lavoratory.  That being said, there is NOTHING more interesting to a small child (other than the cockpit) for that same child.  I took Ethan on a little field trip to the lav after the first hour of the flight.  I figured that it was relatively still clean (it's all relative, isn't it?) and the best time for an adventure.  I let him turn the water off and on for a minute or two and look at himself in the mirror.  Before we left the lav I used a baby wipe to wipe away all the grime he may have picked up in there.  Had his father known what I was doing, he probably would have been mortified, but that 3 minute trip bought us 30 minutes peace afterward. 
• Videos/movies.  If your child likes the tv, this can be a lifesaver.  Saving a special or favorite movie for the trip to play on a laptop or portable dvd player may give you a couple of hours of peace and quiet.  Getting your child used to using earphones is a good thing to work on in advance.  Investing $10 on a splitter/sound enhancer is a great investment because you can hear better and it allows multiple headsets to be plugged in.  Maybe Elmo isn't normally something you would watch but you never know how bored you may get.  Ethan isn't a big fan of movies so it doesn't work for us.  He does like to listen to music so we managed to get him dancing to one of the music channels offered on the airline entertainment system.  Apparently he is a big Beatles fan.  Who knew?

These are just a few tips that we have used.  What works for you?