Peacefully entertained children on an airplane? No, I’m not crazy—this actually happened! Both of my wiggly, won’t-sit-still boys, ages 5 and 2, sat quietly for nearly three hours. How did I accomplish this? No, not Benadryl, I gave them both portable game systems.

Let's face it, air travel with kids is challenging and parents need to be creative to keep younger children occupied without disturbing the peace too much.

My oldest boy has a Nintendo DS, and he loves to play it. And since we limit his play time so much, it tends to occupy him for a very long time. Normally, he’s only allowed to play it in a restaurant, long car rides or as a reward. I knew it would keep him content for the trip, especially since he had a new Dagedar game.

But I worried about how I would keep my squirmy, I-have-to-do-everything-my-big-brother-does toddler occupied. Crayons keep him busy in a restaurant, but only for about 20 minutes. I got to thinking, there had to be a similar portable device for a toddler.

I considered the LeapPad, but could not find a single retailer carrying it following the Christmas craze, and I just didn’t like the VTech Innotab. My friend recommended the VTech Mobigo. So, I did some research.

VTech recommends this for ages 3 to 8. But my son (who was not even 2 at the time) tested the display model in Target and could play it easily—not to mention it was similar size to our Nintendo DS.

I bought it for his second birthday and it was a huge hit! He loved playing it on the plane. I have never seen him sit so long and so intently. It was a blessing.

In fact, the boys were so good on the plane, that almost everything else I packed to keep them occupied—snacks, stickers, coloring books, ridiculously large lollypops—arrived unused. I hid their games in the hotel room, so that they would work just as well on the return trip, and they did.

Personally, I feel the same about video games as I do about watching too much TV, but it is a reality that kids want these devices. In today’s world, kids learn how to use technology early on. Even my 2-year-old can turn on my iPhone, and navigate to Angry Birds, so I’m not surprised that the Mobigo was such a success. But I sure was relieved!

How do you keep your young children entertained on long flights?  How old were your kids when you bought them a portable game system? Tell us in the comments.