How to entertain a 10 month old on a 3.5 hour flight....ideas please!

[Sallypuss]

Anyone got any top tips for toys which will fit in my handbag or other means of entertaining a very active (crawling and almost walking) 10 month old DD on flight to Italy next week....am having cold sweats just thinking about it

We have to fly long haul too often and found:

A torch - play with it under the blanket.

Pretend purse - For some reason mine likes old credit cards in it. Also cut up one of those really small 3" X 3" books and put them in the card holder bits. She loved it.

A few tips which have saved out bacon.
If you are travelling with someone else order a special meal. The special one usually comes at least 30 mins before the other so you both get to eat without your hands full.

Don't give her milk etc until you are hurtling down the runway taking off. I've been duped before thinking the taxiing is only a few minutes from take off and then sat on the runway and she's drank the milk and we're still on the ground.

If you are taking calpol as back up, make sure its in the seat pocket in front of you and not in the overhead locker - screaming child and the seat belt sign for turbulence for an hour straight after take off don't mix!

Lie to the air stewardess about her weight/size to get a baskinett. Even if she won't go in it it's a great easy to reach dumping ground for all her paraphenalia!

Good luck with the flight. She may just love it and be in baby heaven - sitting on mums lap as much as she wants with food usually on tap to keep 'em quiet!

I was going to say food too

Other suggestions (10mth old was a long time ago with my two, so apologies if any strange suggestions age-wise!) noisy books, cars, bricks, old mobile phone. Also agree with things in bags for them to discover and take out and put back in. A cheap plastic rucsac with baby spoon, bowl, etc kept dd occupied for ages (was from woolies[sob]).

A cheerios book - where you can put cheerios in little spaces on each page. Along with a large pot of cheerios, of course.

Try to eke each toy out for 10-15mins and only bring out one at a time.

Don't take anything that you don't want to lose. If something rolls under the seats, you won't feel so bad about leaving it there if in-expensive.

It probably won't be as bad as you are expecting. I went armed to the back teeth with toys and stuff when I flew with my crawling ~8 mo but all he wanted to do was play with the tray on the back of the seat infront, the safety card and the window blind!

If you are very lucky, the droning noise might even send her off for a short nap.

Thank you. Yes, food seems to be a consistent theme (and one very close to my DD's heart!). Never heard of a cheerios book but have been on Amazon and ordered one (thanks) and am so chuffed as I now have something to do with the ginormous box of cheerios sat in my kitchen cupboard....

Just pray for good-natured fellow passengers. I once had a fab experience on an 8-hour flight when the people in the seat behind played peek on and off the whole way. Don't let the sourness of any other fliers get you down, and don't get anxious if baby fusses/cries/throws up/pulls toupee off head of passenger in front (yes, I speak from experience). Your calm vibes plus simple finger foods and an assortment of new quiet toys and little books will go a long way. Good luck!

Ooh, thanks. I have been that sour faced passenger so I guess I'm in for a taste of my own medecine....

Is she into tv - we uploaded a bunch of baby einsteins which came in useful. Would echo the old credit cards being a hit

One time as a fallback with no toys in hand, I just pulled off DS's socks, slipped them on my fingers and acted out a little sock puppet scene - he loved it. Also a couple rounds of 'This little piggy'.
Well at least that'll use up 5 minutes, and on a long flight every increment counts...

There was a 2 year old boy freaking out on a flight I was on a year ago (with my 2 kids). The air stewardess gave him a straw, an empty paper cups and some ice cubes. She started stirring the ice cubes with the straw, then gave it to him to do. He calmed down instantly. She said it works every time! Good luck; it probably won't be as bad as you think.

stickers from a stationary shop! Put them on her clothes / seat in front / your arms etc and she can just sit and flick her fingers at them.