How to keep a baby amused/occupied on a long plane trip?

Lots of food and games sweetie. Yep they are bound to get bored on that long journey. Part if not most of it will be at night though wont it? Maybe you could keep bub up instead of letting him have is normal day sleep before departing LA. Also you could bring with you a little bottle of Lavender oil (if you are allowed!) and dab a bit on bub's forehead, temples and back of his neck. The vapours will help sooth and relax him. If you are not allowed to bring a little bottle of it with you, dab it on before the flight. Helps my 21 month old sleep at night and smells beautiful. Good luck, not a fun flight for a toddler or a mummy with a toddler but you'll be fine sweetie, I'm sure the stewardess will help where they can too. Good luck and safe flight.

I'll be traveling from Germany to the states in about 4 weeks, with my then 16 month old. The only thing I can think of is bring some toys, rattles, a few books for him to look at, and enough food/diapers. My son is usually a good car traveler. And sleeps most of the time he's in his car seat. But Our flight is usually 8-9 hrs. Yeah... I plan on bringing some books... maybe even a few magazines for yourself, and just read the articles to your baby, not that he'll care, but it'll be entertaining that you're talking to him and he can look at the pictures. Good luck!!

Oh, wow!

Snacks:

small boxes of raisins

fruit cups (individual ones)

goldfish crackers

vanilla wafer cookies

sippy cup of milk (take it in a clear container or buy milk at airport)

juice box

dried apple bits

dried fruit snacks (these are yummy and healthy, made by gerber)

any other particular snacks your child likes.

Put the snacks in fun containers, and only get one out at a time.

Get your child a few novel books and toys. Small-ish things are great. The fisher price little-people are good, as are some trucks or cars he can make "go" on the tray table. You might find some quiet books that have zippers and buttons and velcro and such on them. If you have some toys he isn't playing with now, pack them away until you leave. They will be almost like new to him. A few of the bigger lego-type blocks might be nice for him as well, since you can both put things together and pull them apart.

He might not like the noise of the airplane, so you could take a portable DVD player with some children's TV shows, or your ipod with some noise-cancelling headphones. (just be careful to keep the wires from tangling around him).

You may also want to get an aisle seat so you can run to the restroom to change diapers and walk up and down the aisle with him if necessary to keep his wiggles out.

If it is naptime or bed time, you might want to see if he will sleep :). (You can only hope). Benadryl (ask your doctor for dosage) can help them relax and get to sleep.

Good luck!

We've done some very long plane rides with ours. Bring a lot of toys and make sure you get the front seat of your cabin so your little one can stretch out (it also stops him from kicking any seats in front of him - as kids often love to do, much to the displeasure of the person in front). I recommend buying him a few new toys so he will stay occupied for longer - his old toys won't be as exciting.

Wow i just gotta say your brave, 14 hours on a plane with a 17 month old.