Hellobee Boards

Something to help with the pressure change during takeoff and landing. My son doesn't always need help with swallowing, especially if he is asleep, but I am always prepared to BF him. If you are not BF, then I suggest having a pouch ready (but be careful about opening it due to the pressure), or milk or juice in a sippy or bottle. You can take liquids and pouches through security in a baggy for your LO, but will have to show them.

Buy kiddie headphones for her if you are using a tablet for entertainment. We have these and both of my LOs don't mind wearing them.

http://www.amazon.com/Hakd5Y-Tiny-Phones-Stereo-Headphones/dp/B005OQ5GPY

Oh yeah good point, I always wear a shawl instead of a jacket when we fly for snugs and if he needs a little darkness to snooze. And we pack his lovey too.

Mine is nearly 17 months and we take a 1.5 hour flight very regularly. 99% of the time I'm doing it solo!
- LOTS of snacks. As in variety. When all else fails I pull out a new snack and he is distracted and excited enough to buy me another 10 mins or so of sanity. This is not the time to worry about nutrition, haha.
- variety of shows on an iPad. I make sure to have 2-3 episodes of 3 different shows (for us it's Thomas, Mickey and Curious George) because his attention span for tv is pretty short.
- buy a couple of new, small toys for the plane. Bring some old faithfuls, of course, but if you have a couple of new ones it's exciting for them to discover. Nice distraction! (Avoid noisy toys for sake of neighbors). I've been told window clings/gels are a hit but haven't done that yet. I bought the travel tegu blocks as a new toy and they were such a hit that they are now an old faithful. I've also bought toys AT the airport right before the flight. A little stuffed animal or a book. New books are a hit. A new pack of crayons and small coloring book are also great.
- I second @gingerbebe to have a small bag for diaper stuff so you aren't hauling the whole bag. And have it handy. I have a small men's toiletry bag that fits 4-5 diapers, travel wipes, a blanket and ointment perfectly. And it has a loop for my wrist. Blanket is a must, use a cheap one you may not mind tossing. I was on a flight last week that had no changing table! I had to change him on top of the planes toilet seat. Gag-o-Rama. I had a cheap flannel receiving blanket (gerber) and covered the toilet seat with it. I threw it away immediately after because ain't no way I was putting that back in with our things.
- spare clothes for yourself is a must. I also got poop on my shirt once and thank goodness I had a spare tshirt.
- pack each "category" in its own gallon ziploc. Snacks, spare clothes for baby, spare for you, toys, books, sip cups, blankets, and so on. It's so helpful to not have a hodgepodge floating around.
- especially for when I'm solo I make sure I ONLY bring one carry on on the plane. I have a small duffel bag from PB kids and that holds everything we need. Multiple bags with a toddler is torture. ETA: I lied. I also have a miniature Mickey backpack that I use to carry some smaller things. Pacifiers, lovey, a couple books and toys, sippy cup. It's "his" bag and he loves it.
- lovey. Always bring the lovey. But guard with your life.
- just know that something will go wrong. Baby will poop as you're waiting to take off. He will kick your neighbor. You'll be delayed. Something will happen and all you can do is roll with it.
- all the pacifiers. (If LO uses them). We are strict about pacifier only in the crib or carseat at home. But on a flight, he can have it the whole time if it'll keep him calm.
- surface wipes all day. I also have those sticky placemat things to put over the tray table.
- agree with gingerbebe to change diaper right before the flight boards. If you can get through the flight without a poop then you don't have to change the diaper till you land and that's huge.
- if you have another adult with you, it's really helpful for both to go back for diaper changes. My husband (for the two flights he took with us) stood outside so that as soon as I was done I could hand him the kid and clean/pack up everything and go to the bathroom myself. That's all hard to do in a tiny airplane bathroom with a toddler who wants to touch everything.

Its honestly never as bad as I think it's going to be! And if there are two adults you'll definitely be ok! Good luck!

Just two things that have been mentioned before:

1. take the airsick bag out of the pocket, open it up and put your kid's water bottle in there, then stick it back in the seat back pocket.

2. carry a small plastic grocery bag for trash and pack a second small reusable grocery bag in your bag so you can just throw everything you took out during the flight in it without having to puzzle it back into your carry on.

My son is 5 and I still do this!

@MamaG: On the flight, bring "noisy" things like an empty water bottle for squishing, a half filled colorful soda (if she can't open the bottle), a pack of glow sticks, paper, and a soft book. Bring toys she has never seen before and that you don't need to worry about keeping.
For the airport, I highly recommend the ergo. Strollers are so unwieldy in a crowd (for me anyway).
And more snacks that you think you might want. Lots of snacks.
@MamaCate: agreed on the natural entertainment of the airport itself!

My only advice is to relax It's (almost) never as bad as you imagine it could be! You'll be exhausted from entertaining a tiny, demanding person in 60s increments, but she will do fine and probably will find a handful of ways to entertain herself that you didn't even think of -- stacking cups that they give you, crinkling the bag of peanuts, playing peekaboo with a neighbor, etc.

Have a blast!!