Even though some airlines offer children's meals, you should never board a flight with your child without carrying the neccessities of a meal and drink of choice. You don't want to discover that your specially requested children's meal never got on board, and the only alternative is a roast chicken meal your hungry toddler won't even taste.

Pack sealed snacks for your toddler - these can be easily tossed into carry-on bags, and used for later snacks should they not be needed.

Pack your child's favorites. Even though you may not want your child to eat a particular favorite snack you believe is unhealthy, if they can be used as a keeping quiet bribe, go for it.

Pack a variety. Air travel can make a usually happy toddler react in funny ways (confined place, many strangers, etc) so he or she might not want a snack you thought of as a "sure thing".

Pack extra water or juice. Airplanes are very dry, and your toddler could be much thirstier than usual. Never rely on the airlines to have a particular juice. And try and choose juice in plastic bottles (or put it into plastic bottles yourself) so you don't have to worry about accidentily breaking a glass bottle. However, due to air regulations, you will need to purchase these after passing through security.

Always pack enough extra just incase you are left stuck on the airplane during a flight delay. Many airplanes do not have enough "extras" on board to hand out snacks in the event of a delay.