Screaming lap babies

[stacy6552]

So either I have crossed into a new perspective, or I have just found my line in the sand, but I have just discovered how much a screaming lap baby bugs me.

We have always bought our children tickets for planes and put them in their carseats. I recommend it to everyone who asks or comes close to asking on these boards...no big secret here.

But yesterday we had to sit right behind a family with a crying lap toddler the entire 2 hour flight. So here we has spent nearly $200 a ticket to fly and this crying toddler was flying for free. Paying ticket and crying, doesn't bother me (I don't think), but free and crying just got under my skin. Not only was she flying on mom's lap, but she was allowed to get off mom's lap, cross over her sister and brother and the isle into dad's lap during take off and landing...during! I figure she was so unhappy because she could tell just how neglected she was on this flight......

 

[anabelle]

I don't enjoy screaming children, whether they pay or not. Some children are not used to being confined to a small area, so they scream their head off unless they get to move around. I am surprised they were allowed to let there child walk around during take off. It is not safe. But in the event of a crash, being on mom's lap isn't going to make much difference.

 

[brymolmom]

WOW - too strong for me. NEGLECT?? I would guess that some would say a parent who lets their child scream in a car seat the entire flight might get the same response from that family. Likely they thought they were trying their best to soothe the obviously distressed child and trying like crazy to cause as little disruption to the travelers around them too. That sounds more like consideration to me.

They were doing nothing neglectful...following all the rules (assuming the child was truly under 2 years old) on ticket purchase. Perhaps the mom or dad got flustered at the screaming during takeoff and didn't think straight right then. Or maybe the child was strong enough to push them away and it was truly safer for the child to be with someone else even tho it involved a change right at that moment.

Who knows....I'm sorry that you had a screaming child near you and it affected your comfort during your flight. But calling the parents negletful....not right, IMO.

 

[LWatson]

Wow its neglect to let your baby fly in a lap??? I take offense to that because I just flew a few weeks ago and I had a lap baby. Maybe the baby was crying because of the pressure in their ears hurting, maybe they were tired, maybe they were generally scared of being in a new location. I dont think its neglect. Yes, the child should have been held during take off and landing, but please dont judge others because its not what you would do.

 

[kevschickee]

WOW - too strong for me. NEGLECT?? I would guess that some would say a parent who lets their child scream in a car seat the entire flight might get the same response from that family. Likely they thought they were trying their best to soothe the obviously distressed child and trying like crazy to cause as little disruption to the travelers around them too. That sounds more like consideration to me.

They were doing nothing neglectful...following all the rules (assuming the child was truly under 2 years old) on ticket purchase. Perhaps the mom or dad got flustered at the screaming during takeoff and didn't think straight right then. Or maybe the child was strong enough to push them away and it was truly safer for the child to be with someone else even tho it involved a change right at that moment.

Who knows....I'm sorry that you had a screaming child near you and it affected your comfort during your flight. But calling the parents negletful....not right, IMO.

I agree 100%

 

[JUJU814]

1) It bothers many babies'/ small children's ears..flying. My 5 year old is anxious about our upcoming flight because her ears hurt something fierce. It can take a while for them to "pop" also

2) you are paying for a ticket..not a quiet ride..too bad if you don't like crying kids. It happens. It's not my favorite thing either, but it happens

3) you have just as much right to have a free baby under 2 on your lap as any other person..if you choose to buy a seat, that's your choice.

4) To say you don't mind a paying screaming baby but have a problem with a free screaming baby is simply ridiculous IMHO

People that have problems with crying babies/toddlers on planes really get under my skin and need to get over themselves.

I really take a lot of offense to that.

I have a lot of sympathy/empathy for parents who have to fly with a crying one..maybe because it used to bother me so bad until I had the crying child on a flight. Last flight, my ears hurt something fierce and the only reason I didn't scream and cry was because I'm 37 years old and it would have been quite embarrassing and would have looked funny for me to climb across the aisle to sit on hubby's lap, but it sure hurt bad enough..and for many people, that pain is just a fact. My husband has the same problem when he flies.

 

[Tinkerbella001]

I didn't realize babies/children had an "off" switch to their crying. How inconsiderate of the parents to not press that "off" button on your flight. And...where do I locate it on mine??

 

[kevschickee]

Who would have thunk it??? A crying CHILD on a plane going to Disney World. Hmmm we should just ban children from such flights

 

[disney_family_1247]

Wow. I'm so happy that you can always afford to travel while paying for airplane tickets for babies. Some people can't. You are saying that their children don't have the right to cry around you?

 

[CLR4321]

Climbing around during take off and landing...ya, I am shocked. I guess they didn't even have half a brain, because anyone with a half a brain would know that it is incredibly dangerous to be climbing around during take off and landing, especially when it's a 30lb or so child. The child could have flown through the air and broke a few bones or something. Man... It sounds like the child's ears were hurting due to the air pressure. I am surprised the flight attendants didn't offer the child something to help pop her ears, a lot of parents just don't think of this. How terrible.

 

[ilandrazdsw]

2 hours of a screaming child would bother me paid seat or not...especially if the parent(s) were doing nothing to console/distract the child. As for the child moving about, I wouldn't care as long as it wasn't in the main asile (unless using the facilities) and not hitting the seats in the next row. BUT moving during take-off/landing is just unsafe! We always had our kids fly on laps until 2 yo and never had any issues.

 

[badblackpug]

I don't care for screaming babies. In laps, in seats or anywhere else. Particularly not in restaurants. The difference is in a restaurant you can take them out. In a plane you are a captive audience. There is just no getting away from it. We, by the way, passed our baby back and forth across the aisle. It kept her happy, and made us more comfortable. ...and we didn't buy a seat or take a car seat. I am sure in the event of a plane crash a car seat would do very little. I have never heard of anyone recovering a baby in a car seat after a plane crash!

You know, a baby in a car seat can cry, and you would be forced to "neglect" it by taking it out to soothe it. Or you could let it scream in the car seat, I'm sure that would win you friends.

 

[polkadotsuitcase]

Last flight, my ears hurt something fierce and the only reason I didn't scream and cry was because I'm 37 years old and it would have been quite embarrassing and would have looked funny for me to climb across the aisle to sit on hubby's lap, but it sure hurt bad enough..and for many people, that pain is just a fact. My husband has the same problem when he flies.

You must not have seen that ep of Jon & Kate where she's so frazzled from traveling that she sits and bawls on the plane? I think she said something like, "I'm crying because, let's face it, everyone else wants to but won't!" (paraphrasing)

So go ahead and let it out!

 

[JUJU814]

You must not have seen that ep of Jon & Kate where she's so frazzled from traveling that she sits and bawls on the plane? I think she said something like, "I'm crying because, let's face it, everyone else wants to but won't!" (paraphrasing)

So go ahead and let it out!

LOL I did see that episode!! If I had 8 miserable kids on a flight I'd be a wreck! Actually, I'm glad you brought this up because I also was thinking along these lines:

Let me preface it with, while I *totally* understand screaming babies on a plane and empathize with the parents (as a matter of fact, I always empathize because any honest parent will admit there's been a time when their child was not consolable and they were not in an opportune place to remove the child from the range of others!) it's very important to hold the child during take off and landing...obviously.

However, If you have a crying child, are on a flight, maybe the woman is already stressed anyway...you do the best you can, but are you going to let the flight ruin your trip? I cannot start worrying now about the out loud crying that I KNOW is going to come from my 5 year old on Aug 22. I can talk to her about it quite a bit, I will take her to the store and buy her special gum for the flight, I will hold her against me and try to console her, but I am prepared for her to cry.

Any person with half a brain boarding a plane to Orlando, FL should assume there is going to be noise..and lots of it. Period. Then, if there's not, you're pleasantly surprised. Again, you are paying for a plane seat, not a quiet ride.

I always chuckly when dh and I take a getaway just the two of us. We sit down on the plane, and inevitably there is at least a screaming baby or 2, or 3..and we just get our wine, sit back and say "aaaahhhhhh...they're not ours" LOL

Besides, I'd fly with a screaming baby ANY day over a plane full of cheerleaders!!!!!!!

 

[mjkacmom]

I am sure in the event of a plane crash a car seat would do very little. I have never heard of anyone recovering a baby in a car seat after a plane crash!

.

In the event of heavy turbulance, a carseat would protect a baby very well. In the recent crash of the plane in the Hudson, a kind stranger held a woman's baby, who didn't have a carseat. In the very rough landing they encountered, she very well might've lost that baby. My children have never flown without their carseats, and I never worried about crashing - just turbulance.

 

[adventure_woman]

I have flown with my DD on my lap 3 times. We didn't have the extra money on a seat. I know she would have been safer in a carseat, but we were w/in the rules, so we didn't buy a seat. The only time a screaming infant/toddler drives me crazy is when the parents are doing nothing to sooth the baby. I flew once where the poor baby was screaming and they were just holding her. Not trying to get their ears to pop by sucking on something, no toys, nothing. Poor little thing. And I guess it isn't the baby that drives me crazy, it is the parents lack of attention. Whenever I fly to Orlando, I KNOW there is going to be an unhappy kid on the flight....I just hope it's not MINE!

 

[Macduffy]

This is the Families board right?
Perhaps rather then complaining about the inevitable and judging other parents we should be more supportive and understanding of one another. No one goes on vacation hoping their child runs around the plane or cries the entire time.

Not all parents are planners and these people may not have looked into traveling with a little one so were unfamiliar with the convenience of the extra seat (after all lap babies are within the rules) or tips and tricks to ease ear pain during the flight.

Give them a break - and the rest of us who, despite planning, are dreading flying with people like YOU!

 

[Zeebs]

Everyone has views on lap children versus car seats, versus buying seat and not having car seat. Nobody is ever going to agree, what you would risk others wouldn't and again vice versus.

On a recent flight we took, I had a seat for my son (no carseat) it was the first of 8 flights we would be taking he screamed for a good 20 to 30 mins, I had tried everything, a few people had moved (which was difficult given the flight was almost full) I was beside myself thinking we are in for some trouble as this is a 12 hour flight.

He then just passed out and went to sleep on me thankfully. I am sure the people around me were thinking all sorts of rude things about me and my parenting skills, and because he was asleep on me and not in his seat even worse things (he is under 2 by the way so perfectly legal and it was international so we were allowed a lap belt) but as a person sitting near me you really have no idea what I am trying to do to fix the situation.

There are 200 odd people on a flying tin can, it is going to be uncomfortable, it is going to be cramped it is going to be noisy the sooner people work this out the less stressed and grumpy you get.

I have never felt uncomfortable with my decision to travel with a lap baby, I looked into the odds of serious injury or death during a flight and it was something like 1 in 10,000,000. A risk I am happy to take, I understand if it isn't a risk you are willing to take but I object to being called neglectful for making that decision.

Kirsten

 

[waltskids]

Why does it matter if the 'under 2' child is flying free or not?? DS flew as a lap baby until he was a year old and DD will fly as a lap baby for our next two flights. A crying baby is upsetting on a flight whether they are in a lap or in a seat, and I don't see how it should make a difference. On flights to Orlando, people are usually very understanding but I assume that wasn't the case on your flight.

 

[snoopy5386]

my DD screamed bloody murder if she was IN her carseat for the 1st 6 months of her life so she flew as a lap baby. And as a toddler, we flew with the carseat twice - she knew that we weren't in a car and whined and cried to get out of her carseat. So we were better off with her in our laps. We flew last year and there was a child across from us who was in a carseat screaming bloody murder to be held by her mom. It was so sad to watch but she "had" to be in her carseat for the landing.
Not all kids sit in their seats and are perfectly happy.