In Flight for The Mummy

What do I take carryon for myself?  Long gone are the days of leisurely long haul travel either solo, or with another adult.  Ahh, the luxury of many hours to watch films, read a good book, massage in some hand cream and take a nap.  Air travel with small children is a little different.  Here is what I take in the cabin for myself:

• Two complete spare changes of clothes.  If I get vomited on, or dribbled on, or hand-wiped on, I will want to change.  For clothes which are comfortable enough to sleep in, but still stylish enough to arrive at the hotel feeling human, I favour leggings with a stretchy dress, or jersey harem or loose pants (tricked up pjs, really) with a simple t-shirt and soft cardigan.  I add a colourful scarf (or large soft cashmere wrap which can double as an extra blanket), a few pairs of soft socks and underwear, and possibly a light jacket (depending on destination).
• Wet bags for any soiled clothing
• Beaded Chinese velvet slippers.  These have been a carryon staple for me since my first solo international trip (age 12!).  They are perfect for shuffling to the bathroom, to protect your socks from getting wet from the floor.
• Cashmere or hand knit socks.  This simple touch makes travel so much nicer, keeping your feet warm.  Slather on some thick lotion before going to sleep, under the socks.
• Small leather zip case for jewellery - obviously you don't want to check in expensive jewellery, but you probably also don't want to sleep in it, so I always tuck mine into a secure little leather pouch, then into an unobtrusive compartment of my carryon.
• My 'hydration kit'.  I have naturally dry skin, exacerbated and dehydrated by air travel (cabin humidity is incredibly low - did you know that flight attendants can claim moisturiser creams as a tax deduction?).  Furthermore, I always break out after a flight if my skin gets too dry.  So I take rich hand cream, creamy face cleanser, hydrating serum, a moisture mask (you want one that's 'hydrating' as opposed to 'moisturising', that is for 'dehydrated' rather than 'dry' skin,though the terms are not set in stone.  Basically, one that contains hyaluronic acid is a good start, and it will probably have a gel texture, and not be too greasy.  Slather it on after cleansing, then sleep with it on, wiping off any excess when you wake up.  Try these masks from Aveda, Clarins or Origins), moisturising cream (a good tinted moisturised such as Invisible Zinc is a great choice, containing a sunscreen, as UV rays can be incredibly powerful up in the sky, without cloud cover, and certainly come in through the windows), and an under eye hydrating gel cream.
• The standard toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, eye drops, ear plugs, lip balm (I am obsessed with this Malin+Goetz one, on recommendation from Miss Kitty Cat), water spray (a mini Avene one is nice).
• Basic makeup (tinted moisturiser, mascara, creme blush) to help me feel fresh on landing.
• Hairbrush and ties
• Breastpads (glamorous!), Panadol, antihistamines.
• Saline nasal spray - in the dry, low-humidity air of a plane cabin, dry sinuses are more susceptible to infection.  Keeping your nose moist will help prevent this, hopefully keeping away the post-fight cold.
• Some aromatherapy balm, such as Badger Balm, which I rub underneath my nose periodically to help block out the general Plane Smells.
• Ear bud headphones and an iPod with audio books.  Honestly, I will be unlikely to watch a film with the baby on my lap!  So I choose to bring an iPod full of audio books, which I can listen to while lying down with Zach while he sleeps (we have flat beds on this trip, hooray).
• Kindle - in case I get lucky and manage to snatch some reading time
• Tea bags.  An older friend of mine claims that you are Officially Old when you start carrying your own tea bags.  Well, I have certainly reached that point - I am fussy about tea, and in absence of leaf tea and a tea pot, I would at least like a cup of my preferred blend in a bag.
• Miso soup - I buy, from Japanese supermarkets, little soups that come in two foil packets - one containing white miso, the other containing bonito granules and freeze dried tofu, wakame and spring onions.  Add both to boiling water and you have a lovely snack!
• Water bottle - I mentioned in my travel with kids entry that I like to bring along a proper water bottle, and fill it once we've passed security (darn liquids laws).  This way, I can keep track and make sure I drink a good couple of litres in the air.
• Sunglasses, wallet with destination currency, phone, travel wallet with passports, tickets, photocopies of children's birth certificates etc.

Any flight tips you want to add?  Are you a sedative-and-sleep sort of solo traveller?  Or, like me, do you simply try and stop yourself getting dehydrated while you bounce a baby on your lap?