I suppose I'm as good a source as any. Between the time Keilana was 3 weeks old and 17 months old, I flew with her five times, three of them by myself (once by myself and 6 months pregnant, with very crowded planes, three flights each way, and three different delays roundtrip). Then when Dylan was 14 months old and Keilana was just a few months shy of 3, I flew with both of them by myself. That trip was only two flights and one layover, but the plane that we were supposed to take out of Salt Lake to fly to Fresno got stuck in a snow storm in Bozeman, so our hour and a half long layover turned into a 3 and a half hour layover (all past bedtime, of course).
Here's a few things I've learned: flying with babies is (mostly) a piece of cake. Especially little babies. They will frequently sleep for large chunks of the flight, if not all of it (this was even true for my non-sleeper). They tend to be bothered by the fast change in altitude, but are usually easily soothed by nursing, a bottle or a pacifier. We flew from LAX to Newark (as you can imagine, that's a LONG day) with Dylan when he was 8 months old and it was so easy that I frequently forget he came along.
With toddlers, long flights can be difficult because, lets face it, most toddlers hate being confined. But in a plane, they can't get away. Flight attendants are (mostly) well-trained and disposed to deal with little people, so they can't really cause any damage. And even if they do end up screaming at you, even the most determined toddler can only scream for so long before their body will give out, and chances are you'll never see any of those strangers who are shooting you nasty looks again.
No, the real trouble with toddlers is layovers. There are so many people and so many things going on in an airport, they are places of much interest to these little people who are just discovering the world. I recommend packing as lightly as possible for carry-ons and bringing a leash so you are free to roam the airport without too much trouble or fatigue.
So that being said, a few essentials to pack in your diaper bag/backpack/purse:
Funny books or activity books: Peek-a-boo or lift-the-flap books are great, but ones with buttons, velcro, zippers, etc. are even better. I do not, however, recommend coloring books--who wants to be picking up crayons off the floor between those crowded airplane seats?
Graham crackers are good, but Teddy Grahams are better. Especially if your kid doesn't usually get them.
Suckers or jelly beans/M&M's--trust me, even if you usually feed your child is organic produce, those moments when the books aren't interesting anymore, the toys have been discarded and the kids would rather kick the seat of the snobby co-ed in front of him or play a violent game of peek-a-boo with the grumpy old man behind you who just wants to read his book and be left alone can be quickly salvaged by offering to practice colors with a handful of M&M's or eating a dum-dum and pointing out all the neat stuff you can see (or pretend to see) out the window.
A change of clothes for each child you are traveling with. With infants, especially if they're breastfed, you're bound to have a giant poop explosion at some point. With toddlers, a diaper may leak, or they'll probably spill juice all down the front of their clothes at some point. And if you use the M&M distraction method mentioned above, you should be forewarned that a toddler can somehow turn a single M&M into a giant chocolate orgy that cover their entire body (and half of yours).
And always, always, always bring more diapers than you think you could possibly need.
Now the last item I have never actually traveled with myself, but being the mother of two children who both love to run, are extremely good climbers, and one who would leave with any stranger who smiled and offered him a lollipop, I think its invaluable: a backpack leash. Most small children love to wear backpacks--it makes them feel grown up. If you get one that is also a leash, you both win, and a stranger with lollipops does not have an opportunity to steal your child.
All that being said, we have a 20 minute fueling stop in Sacramento where we don't have to deplane, and that's our only stop. Three and a half straight hours on a plane and we'll arrive in Spokane. NO LAYOVERS!!!!! I'm so grateful for that. Wish us luck!
