A portable dvd player and headphones! Talk about a life saver on long road trips and plane rides! Weve had ours for years. We charge it before we go and dont pull it out until the plane has leveled off. Out it comes with a selection of movies and by dimming the screen we can get around 3 hrs use out of the battery. Plenty for our flights, or if we layover, I plug it in to recharge it while waiting for the next leg. We also have a car charger that has a special adapter to use on planes that have plug-ins in the seat.
Food and drink are also necessities, especially during take off and landing as it helps clear the ears when swallowing. Skip anything that has several parts to it since if they fall on the floor, youre going to have fun picking them up all the time in such a cramped space! Books, coloring books, electronic games (with volume control or headphones) are other staples. Our son usually ended up falling asleep soon after take off too (we ran him around in the terminals before hand, and then he got so excited watching the planes, etc that he was tired). A favorite blankie or stuffed animal might be nice to cuddle up to in this case.
alison