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Great ideas! Any tips on keeping a 9 month old occupied during a 10 hour flight?

VIBI:

Portable DVD player saved our lives!

We flew to Vancouver last week with our 21 month old (from DC). We selected a flight purposely because it had a lay-over in Chicago, where they just happen to have a wonderful indoor play-area (safe and appropriate for toddlers). It gave us all a chance to stretch our legs and have a proper meal (since they don't seem to serve food on flights anymore!!). During the second (longer) leg of the flight we made sure to pack our carry-on with plenty of small toys our son had never seen before (little cars, a fake cell phone, stuffed animals). Whenever he started to get frustrated we would bring out a new toy and it would keep him happy for a while.

magna doodle was great for us, and a child size headphones, my daughter loved scanning through the airplane's radio stations. lollipops can be very usefull.

vibi,
A long shoelace. Seriously. You can do cat's cradle, you can wrap and unwrap your arm, you can dangle it and shake it, you can string things on it, you can tickle with it, etc.

It's so simple, but most babies aren't normally allowed anywhere near such a thing most of the time so it's a complete novelty. It's worked like a charm for both my kids at that age.

The other great novelty my kids saw for the first time on a flight was a lollipop. Totally messy at that age, but highly entertaining and kept them quiet for quite a while. Ironically, my son wanted nothing to do with it at first and I found myself having to hold his head still to get it near his mouth. I'm sure my flight companions thought I was crazy or it was a broccoli flavored pop or something. (You just have to watch carefully if the baby has teeth so that it doesn't get bitten and broken into pieces.)

we've recently been on two round trip flights with our 20-month old. i brought along some packs of stickers, colorful window stickers (stick to windows or seat tray table) that are awesome when the sun streams through the window, and a coloring book from Elmers, http://www.elmers.com/kids/product_detail.asp?pCode=E1730 (the brushes only work on the paper, but be warned the paper smells). the coloring book was hugely popular, and saved me from worrying about her coloring on the table or any other surface.

Play-Doh in those teeny party-favor cans and finger puppets are small and fun to play with.

A Cheerios necklace is great, too. You take a length of embroidery floss and load it up with Cheerios. The child then eats the Cheerios right off the necklace as they're wearing it. Takes them FOREVER, and they find it entertaining. Probably takes you about five minutes to make. Cheerios work best, because they don't get sticky the way Froot Loops would.

Lisamfb has it right -- novelty is key. So long as the child hasn't seen the toy/activity before, it will keep them entertained just that much longer.

Wow, thanks for everyone's suggestions! These are all wonderrful ideas.

VIBI - I'm doing a 20 hour flight with a 10 month old (and 3.5 year old). Hopefully the baby will sleep a bit so you really are only dealing with a few hours of awake time. My #1 suggestion for all ages are snacks. Lots of em. Kids this age are new to self feeding and it can keep them entertained for a while. Rice cakes are great, cheerios on string (just a few at a time - the string is to keep the stuff from hitting the ground), a mesh feeder with something yummy in it. Teething toys are also fun. Another great tip for this age is to buy a few pacifier leashes and attach them to the toys/rings. Babies this age love to throw stuff on the floor.

Don't bring noisy toys or toys that roll.

Yes, I bought the block-shaped crayons so that they would not roll into first class. You can put pencil grips on colored pencils or markers for children who have those.

I traveled to Europe with my eighteen year old alone last year. These worked for me.
* Melissa and Doug extra small wooden puzzle. Several comes in a pack. I packed each one of them in separate Ziplocs.
* Melissa and Doug animal threading toy. Even after done, she played with the animal shapes also.
* Tiny magnetic board and tiny magnetic shapes etc.
* Small sketchbook and crayons etc.
* STICKERS! I always have some in my bag. The reusable ones are more fun.
* The best one. Melissa and Doug small wooden stamp kit. This I shared with my friend who has a boy. And he loved it too.
* Small books.

And yes, and previously mentioned, novelty is important.
I organized everything in my bag in little zip locks ( I do reuse the bags later) and took it out as a surprise when she was losing it.

Last month, while traveling, we gave her some candy, and the sugar high was too bad during the flight. I would say, stay away from juices etc. during flight. It gets chaotic afterward in that little place, when they can not burn it out.

VIBI, a roll of blue painters tape. Seriously. It has saved my life many a time. Trust me on this :) That and a portable DVD player :)

Wikki Stix (for toddlers and older.) Great for bringing to a restaurant as well. Easily transported, can be used in many different ways. Kids find them fascinating! My son will create with them for hours.

We have been bringing a sock puppet along with us for 5 years on every trip. Started out as just a sock off my own foot, but I eventually added button eyes and a nose. Our daughter LOVES to talk to sock puppet and show him everything she sees/does. He's always a special treat and she looks forward to traveling with "socky".