Noise canceling headphones work well. Philips HN110 are compact and fold up for travel. 65 bucks at BestBuy.
Thanks for the tip.
I was headed to SeaTac via Chicago when SeaTac was fogged in (for three days; I caught the final day of it) and had to take a small chartered jet provided by the airlines that came up from Florida -- they were scrambling to get ahold of anything to move people by that third day -- and there was one of said Screaming Babies aboard. I had a migraine and was still sick with the stomach flu. It takes a few hours to fly that route so I finally passed an anonymous note to the parents, "Would you consider putting a little Vodka in your baby's orange juice?"
The father leapt up and looked around with a very evil look in his eye. I slid down in the seat lol. But the parents got out a bottle, gave it to the kid, and silence ensued. I think the baby's ears were plugged from ascending, and drinking the bottle unplugged them.
Another airline disaster averted, by GretchenM.