5 hours in a plane with a 2 1/2 year old

[2girlsR2good]

My twins are 4.5 now, but I flew with them at that age (by myself no less). Make no mistake, it is not going to be too fun and you certainly won't get to read any magazines. I have traveled with and without DVD players and with is better. My girls get to watch 1/2 hour of TV 3 days a week, so it totally enthralls them. I bet you could borrow one, I did before we bought one to make sure it would work. In fact, I think I did that after one particularly rough trip.

The sticker books are good, particularly re positionable ones. Play doh comes in small mini tubs. My girls couldn't/wouldn't really draw at 2. Books with flaps, textures, etc. are good. Get on the plane hungry, and that way you can have as drawn out a meal as possible on the plane.

Practice patience with a game. Put an M&M or skittle in your hand and close your hand over it. Count to three, let him have it. After it's eaten, hide another one in your hand and this time count to four with your hand closed, then let him have it. Repeat, making the wait a tiny bit longer, with as many M&Ms as you're willing for him to eat. My girls could play this for ages. Switch to "which hand is the M&M in" for variety.

Finger puppets are good, you can make up a story and act it out for him, putting some of the finger puppets on his hands too. You'll drop/lose them, so bring cheapies.

Good luck!