Screaming kids on commercial flights

[steph72276]

3 words....noise canceling headphones.

That way the travelers that want to ride in peace and quite can and the parents of little ones that cry even though everything possible is done to console them won''t have to endure dirty looks and comments.

Problem solved.

 

[steph72276]

Date: 11/24/2009 7:47:27 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
Wow, I just got off two flights with my 2 year old. I would be pissed. You cannot predict how a kid will react. Some people are blessed with easy, laid back children...I was not. She is always her worst during takeoff (including waiting) and landing. Now that she is older once I can turn on her dvd player she is pretty good. Still, it is hard to be confined in such a small space (even for adults). I would spend more if they had more child friendly planes (sections). We have to fly. My DD deserves to see her grandparents who live too far to drive. She has probably been on 30+ flights in her two years and there were only a few where I felt truly bad. The worst was when she was 4 months old and cried/screamed for most of a two hour flight. I tried EVERYTHING to calm her. Most people are kind b/c most people will or have been in the same position as me. I have learned to ignore the rude people. I have seen MANY adults act like out of control children while traveling. At least my kid is a child. They make noise canceling headphones for those of you who are intolerant.

Haha, just saw your response, should have just said ditto

 

[Haven]

Date: 11/24/2009 8:39:12 PM
Author: neatfreak

Date: 11/24/2009 8:28:47 PM
Author: Haven
Cehra--Gotcha.

I would travel to see an ill parent, but as I said earlier, we don''t plan on living more than a short car ride away from our parents, ever. Living near them is a huge priority for us, for a variety of reasons. Part of it is cultural, part of it is based on our own past experiences. They come before our careers and everything else, other than each other and the family we plan to create, of course.

Musey--I totally agree with you, 100%.

You are so lucky Haven but not all of us are that lucky. My parents are in MA and my husband''s are in CA. So unfortunately flying is a necessity for our family.

Oh I know that and I''m very grateful, I said it earlier in this thread, too.

I think the whole living near family thing is largely cultural. My parents would move to live near us if we moved out of state, that''s just the way my family is.

 

[Circe]

Good lord, people. Pack some earplugs and have some sympathy - for the crying babies, the yippy dogs, the whiny cats, the couple having a big breakup fight directly in front of you, ALL OF IT.

Life is too damned short to ineffectually police everyone around you. If they''re actually being obstreperous, malevolent, or harassing, by all means, drop all the wrath at your disposal upon their heads. Little kids and people''s pets?

Suck.

It.

Up.

 

[Octavia]

Date: 11/24/2009 8:48:04 PM
Author: steph72276
3 words....noise canceling headphones.


That way the travelers that want to ride in peace and quite can and the parents of little ones that cry even though everything possible is done to console them won't have to endure dirty looks and comments.


Problem solved.

Can't wear them. They make my eardrums ache and pulse and feel like they're about to shatter. In fact, they kind of make me want to scream like a cranky toddler...

But for the most part, upset children don't bother me. Especially crying infants and young babies. There is certainly a difference between a crying child and a screaming, badly behaved kid on a rampage, though. On one cross-continental flight, I got unlucky enough to be seated in front of a 4 or 5 year old who was mad that his infant brother was in the window seat (per safety requirements). He spent more than half the flight shrieking "I hate that baby! I hope he dies!" and kicking the back of my seat. His father looked mortified but didn't do a damned thing to stop him; his mother was sitting a row behind them and pretended she wasn't travelling with them (yes, seriously). The flight attendant came over numerous times, but there wasn't really anything she could do once we were in the air. I have a hard time excusing things like that.

DH and I won't have any choice about flying with our future children, since his family lives halfway across the world. I hope that our children will be well-behaved and we'll do everything possible to teach them what is and isn't acceptable. I wouldn't ask more than that from others (but I think most people would agree that allowing your child to scream that he hopes his little brother dies is far, far, far from acceptable).

 

[usnwife]

I think that if there is a screaming baby on the plane, the airline should offer a discount on alcohol and snacks to the other passengers.

Keep everybody happy.

 

[musey]

Date: 11/24/2009 9:05:51 PM
Author: Circe
Good lord, people. Pack some earplugs and have some sympathy - for the crying babies, the yippy dogs, the whiny cats, the couple having a big breakup fight directly in front of you, ALL OF IT.

Life is too damned short to ineffectually police everyone around you. If they''re actually being obstreperous, malevolent, or harassing, by all means, drop all the wrath at your disposal upon their heads. Little kids and people''s pets?

Suck.

It.

Up.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Date: 11/24/2009 9:24:16 PM
Author: usnwife
I think that if there is a screaming baby on the plane, the airline should offer a discount on alcohol and snacks to the other passengers.

Keep everybody happy.

+1 Or at least give me another bag of peanuts! (though to be fair, Delta does give me two

) And I think the airlines should provide complimentary noise-canceling earphones

ETA: I really dislike loud noises, but crying is something I can deal with with earphones and music. As others have said, people with smelly food or BO or those issues - those are way more difficult to handle)

 

[Kaleigh]

OMG, Just flew to FLA and had two kids kicking my sieat the eniter time. I talked to the mother, she said sorry, can't do too much. OMG flight from hell.

And then, a guy came to sit next to DD with a CAT. He siad you dont mnd cats do you?? Ash was very nice, and said I love them but am highly allergic. The guy says, well here is what I know. I had had enough of the kid kicking me, and now a CAT?? I said trust me, no way can this cat be here , my daughter gets sooooo sick around cats. sorry... UGHH.

The kids behind me were so bad, and didn't listen tho their parents, and everyone around them were looking at them. I hate flying for this reason. I know kids, have a hard time flying, and just want to get to where they are going. I am understanding believe me, but this family, needs to call Nanny 911~~~~

 

[iheartscience]

The unruliest passengers I''ve had to deal with on flights have always been adults. On a flight home from Costa Rica, a passenger a few seats in front of me was chugging vodka from the bottle (for some reason the clerk at the duty free store let him bring on the alcohol he bought at the duty free store) and literally shouting at the top of his lungs to the passenger next to him. I told him to be quiet and caused a bit of a scene. I''m not too shy in situations like that!

The flight attendants and even the captain of the plane talked to him several times and took the bottle of vodka from him. Eventually he got so out of control that the flight attendants HOG-TIED him with the demonstration seat belts and held him down in the back row until we landed. He continued to scream at the top of his lungs from the back of the plane. Police came on the plane as soon as we landed and we all had to get off quickly so sadly we didn''t get to see him carried off the plane.

If a kid was screaming so loud that other passengers couldn''t hear the safety instructions, I think it''s valid that they be asked to leave the plane. I''m sure the flight attendants and pilots are required to get that information to passengers. As far as kids screaming mid-flight, as long as the parents are trying to control their children, I can''t hate them too much. If the parents aren''t even trying (which has been the case a few times on flights I''ve been on) then yes, I get very irritated.

 

[kenny]

Date: 11/24/2009 8:02:03 PM
Author: musey

In the end, I''m a HECK of a lot more bothered when seated next to someone with terrible B.O., or smelly food, or difficulty keeping their limbs to themselves,. . ..

I''m visualizing some stranger next to you letting his arm rest on your lap or some lady putting her legs up onto your lap.

 

[yssie]

When parents have infants that start wailing, I just feel bad for them - afterall, there's not much they can do other than try to soothe the baby, and it may or may not work.

It's the screaming 4, 5, and 6 yr olds that I really want to yell at, and it's the parents of those at whom I'll glare with abandon. You can't stop a baby from crying, but you can stop a young child, and I do think a 4 yr old is old enough to understand that it's inappropriate to holler at the top of your voice because your sister took your gameboy

 

[Mara]

we are hoping we don't have to fly with our baby until he is at least 2 years old if not older. that's the hope, who knows what will happen but my family is local and greg's family plans to come visit us for the most part so we are good there.

that said... crying babies on a plane can be tough, but they are babies. as others have said, it's tough to be pissed at an infant who doesn't understand what the heck is going on, esp when the parent is trying to soothe them. sometimes people HAVE to fly with babies even if they don't intend to (aka death in the family or similar). i always feel bad for moms who are solo struggling with their baby because you figure that's not what they would like to be doing at that point in time right.

but toddlers or kids whose parents don't even bother to even care about trying to help... that drives me crazy. on one of our flights in europe there was this family that had maybe about a 3 year old little girl. cute, but she was singing nursery rhymes at the top of her lungs in this high pitched voice for half of the 2 hour flight. and the mom would sing along with her sometimes. really? they were oblivious to the fact they were sharing the flight with other people. that kind of stuff drives me nuts. and re: noise cancelling headphones, we have them and we use them on almost every flight, but they did not cancel THAT out. i was just thankful we were not on a transatlantic flight.

long winded but babies are one thing, kids whose parents don't seem to care about anyone else are entirely another.

oh and adults misbehaving or hogging the armrest or singing along to their ipod without a care... totally diff story!!

 

[diamondfan]

People are entitled to fly with their kids. A total bratty child who is simply out of control makes me nuts. I have three kids and my children luckily were always amazing on planes until landing when occasional ear pain made them cry. But they were not bad flyers at all and got so great when they got older with their ipods or magazines or coloring gear. I never had a moment of concerns as they were quiet and well behaved even on very long flights, and this was often after long delays in airports and stuff. I feel sorry for parents whose kids have a hard time flying, but they hopefully would find some way to deal with it if it was a continual issue.

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 11/24/2009 9:33:59 PM
Author: musey

Date: 11/24/2009 9:05:51 PM

Author: Circe

Good lord, people. Pack some earplugs and have some sympathy - for the crying babies, the yippy dogs, the whiny cats, the couple having a big breakup fight directly in front of you, ALL OF IT.


Life is too damned short to ineffectually police everyone around you. If they''re actually being obstreperous, malevolent, or harassing, by all means, drop all the wrath at your disposal upon their heads. Little kids and people''s pets?


Suck.


It.


Up.

x2

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 11/24/2009 7:42:02 PM
Author: musey

Date: 11/24/2009 7:39:04 PM

Author: Mrs.Guz

I feel sorry for the parents of the baby that is screaming. There is a huge difference between a baby screaming and a dog barking. You can leave your dog at home!

You can leave your kid at home, too

I''m a puppy parent and he goes on almost every flight with me. He''s perfectly behaved, but I''d never think that someone should leave their dog at home just because of in-flight barking. It''s much safer, and in most cases cheaper, to keep him with me when I fly than to leave him at a kennel or even a friend''s.

do you take him on international flights? I will be taking a cat on an international flight soon and I''m nervous about it - the cat I took to GA was PERFECT and people didn''t even know she was there - but my daughter''s cat is a fraidy cat and I think for most of the trip she can have him in the carrier on her lap but for take off and landing I''m just betting he''s going to be "the problem cat" on the plane. I have drugs. For the cat I mean lol

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 11/24/2009 7:47:27 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
Wow, I just got off two flights with my 2 year old. I would be pissed. You cannot predict how a kid will react. Some people are blessed with easy, laid back children...I was not. She is always her worst during takeoff (including waiting) and landing. Now that she is older once I can turn on her dvd player she is pretty good. Still, it is hard to be confined in such a small space (even for adults). I would spend more if they had more child friendly planes (sections). We have to fly. My DD deserves to see her grandparents who live too far to drive. She has probably been on 30+ flights in her two years and there were only a few where I felt truly bad. The worst was when she was 4 months old and cried/screamed for most of a two hour flight. I tried EVERYTHING to calm her. Most people are kind b/c most people will or have been in the same position as me. I have learned to ignore the rude people. I have seen MANY adults act like out of control children while traveling. At least my kid is a child. They make noise canceling headphones for those of you who are intolerant.

I can''t believe she''s 2 already!!!!! Where does the time go?

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 11/24/2009 8:24:43 PM
Author: TheDoctor
We are equally at fault for our disturbances of others, and at the mercy of others when we fall victim to their disturbances.

''My chainsaw''s noise don''t bother me none''.

How many times have I had a great flight while others around me have cursed me for my snoring?

I have no idea. Probably many.


Never flew with my own kids till they were teenagers, for their first times.

The reality is, you''re stuck in a bus. Other people are there. Life happens.


If you have ever been a parent, or are one now, you have lived to tolerate a lot of challenges, and many opinions expressed by others about your children.

If you haven''t had kids yet, but plan to, get your head out of yer arse and cut the offenders some slack. Kids do some incomprenhensible stuff. You were once someone''s pain.


Ask the parent of the offending child if they need a break. Children act differently when removed from the grasp of their parents, the ones they have months or a couple of years of solid manipulative behaviour studies completed on. Help the parent shuffle the deck. I have bounced babies and toddlers for others where the kid''s attention was so distracted that they quieted for a near eternity for those in the vicinity. You can make a difference by participating. You can''t make a difference by complaining.

I love it

 

[Cehrabehra]

slightly off topic - minor vent lol

I just got back from GA and on the way there I had this teenage girl sit in front of me and as soon as the plane was off the ground she put her seat back but then proceeded to lean forward over a magazine the whole time. I was like seriously... you''re not even using it and it was a really small/cramped plane. I said nothing

On the way back I got to my seat and this guy next to me wanted me to trade with his girlfriend so she could sit next to him (they both had center seats and not together, I had an aisle seat I chose weeks ago) So about 4 of us got together and played musical chairs and the couple got to sit together, I moved back a seat etc. Fine. So my light is broken and I''m on the last 40 pages of a dan brown book. I''m holding the book over my head to get the light from behind and one by one everyone around me turns off their lights. The guy next to me is starting to nod off so I ask him if he''d mind trading with me and he says no, I might want to read later. Okay fine. but he didn''t. There was a guy in the far back that I sat next to on the way TO GA a few days earlier and we really hit it off and the girl next to him was willing to trade, so it worked out but it just kinda irritated me that everyone in my area saw me give up my seat for someone else and then completely didn''t care at all to help me even though the entire area never used their lights. Whatever. I know no one owed me anything, but just disappointing. I know I shouldn''t expect as much from others as I do from myself, but the world sure would be a better place i think.

 

[klewis]

Maybe all seats could be fitted with the cone of silence?

 

[vespergirl]

Airplanes are public transportation. Which means that we all have to deal with the public, and sometimes other people are not pleasant - whether they are screaming babies, or an obese adult sitting next to me who is taking up half of my seat, or someone with body odor, or someone falling asleep on my shoulder.

If you don''t like to deal with humanity, charter your own private jet, and you won''t have to.

For the record, I am the mother of a 3 year old who had flown many times, and never once cried or screamed on a flight. Maybe it''s good parenting, maybe it''s his temperament, maybe it''s blind luck. Either way, as a fellow parent, if I see a mother struggling with a screaming infant on a flight, I usually offer help by trying to distract or play with the baby if she looks like she''s about to lose it, because I think, there but for the grace of God go I.

There is a difference when it''s an older child, and the parent isn''t doing a thing to control or discipline the child. In that case, I have actually offered "suggestions" to the parents, because it''s never too late to learn how to parent

 

[elrohwen]

Like many of the others said, if the parent is really trying to quiet the kid with no luck, I have sympathy for them. The worst is when parents don''t care - this usually happens when the kid isn''t crying and is making "happy shrieks". During landing on a very very small plane, I was surrounded by 5 kids all shrieking at the top of their lungs with excitement. Because they weren''t crying, none of the parents did a single thing about it and even encouraged them! I don''t care if your kid is yelling with joy, please try to shut them up.

 

[rhbgirl24]

Date: 11/24/2009 6:46:53 PM
Author: charbie

Date: 11/24/2009 6:29:37 PM

Author: purrfectpear

I'm good for about 30 minutes of crying/screaming and then I'm done. I don't really care why you are flying, find another way to get there or find some drugs to sedate the little screamer. You wouldn't tolerate my dog barking for the entire flight.



I am a parent.

+1. But I'm not a parent. However, my parents growing up simply did not tolerate tantrums in public. It just didn't happen. My parents didn't beat us, they just did not let us carry on kicking and screaming.


I understand there are reasons kids aren't comfortable on a plane. However, if they aren't able to behave properly, I tthink it is the parents burden to figure out how to control their children or not take them on a plane.

It may seem harsh, but I agree. Its different when someone could leave to help the child calm down, like in a movie. But those 200 passengers paid just as much, and a screaming child, even though I completely understand there could be issue, is frustrating all around. There is no fix for this, but it just plain sucks all around when it happens. I understand infants, they are communicating in the only way they know how. But over 2 its a different explanation.
Given that I bring an MP3 player or anything other thing to actively block whatever unpleasant noise.... you can be proactive here. But I do agree I would probably pay more of an "adult only" flight if it were available.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 11/24/2009 8:52:12 PM
Author: steph72276

Date: 11/24/2009 7:47:27 PM

Author: Tacori E-ring

Wow, I just got off two flights with my 2 year old. I would be pissed. You cannot predict how a kid will react. Some people are blessed with easy, laid back children...I was not. She is always her worst during takeoff (including waiting) and landing. Now that she is older once I can turn on her dvd player she is pretty good. Still, it is hard to be confined in such a small space (even for adults). I would spend more if they had more child friendly planes (sections). We have to fly. My DD deserves to see her grandparents who live too far to drive. She has probably been on 30+ flights in her two years and there were only a few where I felt truly bad. The worst was when she was 4 months old and cried/screamed for most of a two hour flight. I tried EVERYTHING to calm her. Most people are kind b/c most people will or have been in the same position as me. I have learned to ignore the rude people. I have seen MANY adults act like out of control children while traveling. At least my kid is a child. They make noise canceling headphones for those of you who are intolerant.

Haha, just saw your response, should have just said ditto

Great minds think alike

I actually think the BEST time to fly with a child is during the first 6-10 months (before) (s)he can walk. At least in my case as soon as my daughter started walking she was not as content as sitting still on my lap. Also the white noise usually knocks small babies out and there is nothing better than a baby that sleeps the whole flight even if you cannot move your arm afterwards. As she gets older it is getting more difficult. Flying is boring. Bottom line. I try to bring LOTS of distractions but she is not a little robot. I always apologize if I think she is being loud or kicking the seat in front of her. For the most part people are always very nice. Most people are rational enough to know she is a little kid and I have even gotten compliments many times about how we "handle" her. Though I think most of it IS luck and the personality of the child.

I would be in favor of having a "kid''s section" maybe in the back of the plane where it is louder. Have other kids around is actually helpful b/c she is in that stage where she loves to stare/flirt/interact with other toddlers or older kids who like babies. That way baby haters can be as far away from them as humanly possible on a plane or like Deco said maybe they can offer some "adult only" flights. But to just kick a parent off b/c of her crying baby...I don''t know. Granted I was not there.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 11/24/2009 11:54:54 PM
Author: Cehrabehra

Date: 11/24/2009 7:47:27 PM

Author: Tacori E-ring

Wow, I just got off two flights with my 2 year old. I would be pissed. You cannot predict how a kid will react. Some people are blessed with easy, laid back children...I was not. She is always her worst during takeoff (including waiting) and landing. Now that she is older once I can turn on her dvd player she is pretty good. Still, it is hard to be confined in such a small space (even for adults). I would spend more if they had more child friendly planes (sections). We have to fly. My DD deserves to see her grandparents who live too far to drive. She has probably been on 30+ flights in her two years and there were only a few where I felt truly bad. The worst was when she was 4 months old and cried/screamed for most of a two hour flight. I tried EVERYTHING to calm her. Most people are kind b/c most people will or have been in the same position as me. I have learned to ignore the rude people. I have seen MANY adults act like out of control children while traveling. At least my kid is a child. They make noise canceling headphones for those of you who are intolerant.

I can''t believe she''s 2 already!!!!! Where does the time go?

I know! Time flies. I try to get her to charm the other passangers so when she acts up they are more forgiving. Good thing she is cute.

 

[KimberlyH]

Not at all a child-hater (I work with them for a living and have one on the way) but absolutely believe that airlines should at least set up seating so that families w/ children are all in one area of the plane, and I would absolutely pay for an adult only flight.

 

[movie zombie]

Date: 11/25/2009 10:53:34 AM
Author: KimberlyH
Not at all a child-hater (I work with them for a living and have one on the way) but absolutely believe that airlines should at least set up seating so that families w/ children are all in one area of the plane, and I would absolutely pay for an adult only flight.

+1.

mz

 

[lucyandroger]

Date: 11/25/2009 8:42:40 AM
Author: vespergirl
Airplanes are public transportation. Which means that we all have to deal with the public, and sometimes other people are not pleasant - whether they are screaming babies, or an obese adult sitting next to me who is taking up half of my seat, or someone with body odor, or someone falling asleep on my shoulder.

If you don''t like to deal with humanity, charter your own private jet, and you won''t have to.

Ditto!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 11/25/2009 10:53:34 AM
Author: KimberlyH
Not at all a child-hater (I work with them for a living and have one on the way) but absolutely believe that airlines should at least set up seating so that families w/ children are all in one area of the plane, and I would absolutely pay for an adult only flight.

airlines don''t even step up to make sure the family is all seated together so doubtfully this will ever happen but I agree.

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 11/25/2009 11:17:56 AM
Author: Tacori E-ring

Date: 11/25/2009 10:53:34 AM
Author: KimberlyH
Not at all a child-hater (I work with them for a living and have one on the way) but absolutely believe that airlines should at least set up seating so that families w/ children are all in one area of the plane, and I would absolutely pay for an adult only flight.

airlines don''t even step up to make sure the family is all seated together so doubtfully this will ever happen but I agree.

I''ve been on many a flight and countless times have watched flight attendants make accomodations for families traveling with small children, even on flights where seats are assigned. I have never been on a flight when customers weren''t willing to move seats and I''ve never seen a family split up (perhaps not both parents with the child but at least one parent seated with the child). As a passenger, there has only been one occasion when my husband and I have been seperated on a flight, and that is because we waited too long to select our seats, which was our fault, not the airlines. I''m sorry your experience has been different, but I don''t think it''s common.