Best travel toys for an 18 month old...HELP!!

[Fedupandfuming]

We're off to Florida soon (via Toronto!) and although I've just read someone else saying that they think 2-3 years is the worst flying age, I've got a frightening feeling that it is actually at around 18 months, when they're too young to be occupied with anything for long and just want to be exploring/ climbing/ destroying. And they're too young to reason with in the slightest.

So bearing all that in mind, has anyone got any tips please?

Any help much appreciated!

Many, many snacks, in small packets

Take buggy ties for toys and attach them to the seat/belts so that you are not constantly fishing around for them under peoples feet.

Small buggy books don't take up too much space.

face the fact though that you will spend a good portion of the flight walking up and down the aisles (along with all the other parents of small toddlers)

What kind of thing does your dc like to do normally?
Lots of snacks and nibbles.. don't rely on airline food
Try and stagger everything out over the flight even things like food and nappy changes out so each thing is an activity.
Books
You can get mini aquadraw mats - just need water in the pen and they can scribble.
cars and dollies - the usual becomes more exciting in a plane
Some airlines have preschooler tv onboard..

Try picture cards, small figures, crayons, cars, stickers books/magazines. Small snacks and drinks,even fun size treats. Agree with scrappy, stagger it using lots of separate bags.
I did Manchester to Paris followed by 91/2 hr flight when my son was similar age. Alone, just me and him. Worried about it lots but turned out to be far less stressful than I imagined.
Pack one more fresh outfit then you think you need. My son was sick on first leg (despite having flown a few times before) so the fresh clothes I'd packed for arival were used up before we even got to Paris.

Oh yes stickers - just buy a packet of random ones that they can stick on a piece of paper or the resuable kind that stick to windows..

Thanks so much for the advice, some really good ideas. Unfortunately my son is awful at sitting still unless v tired...mostly he wants to rampage around doing his thing.

Stickers, crayons, aquadraw etc definitely make sense (as well as the copious snacks!) That, and resigning myself to traipsing up and down the aisle.

We went to LA with our other 2 three years ago, when our older son was 16ms but he was v placid and happy to sit still watching telly, so a different kettle of fish. I do remember though, how cramped the plane was (or seemed to me!) and how often the damn food trolleys were going up and down, so not sure there's as much scope for walkies as I'd like!