To wish that child free flights existed

[1Veryhungrycaterpillar]

I'm just sick of people complaining about children making noise on flights so I'd love it if those people could have a flight of their very own and leave us to it! I'm not talking about allowing kids to run amok but so fed up with people tutting and sighing when a baby starts crying, this always seems to result in the mother getting more stressed and more tears all round

[TurnThatFrownUpsideDown]

I've only ever been on a plane twice in my whole life (from Glasgow to London and back again), but aren't there special tickets you can buy that seat you in the 'quiet' area of a plane?

I can remember causing quite a scene on that flight... My then 1yo daughter turned round in her seat to look at the people behind, and managed to get her head stuck between our chairs. I couldn't stop laughing. Neither could she! Everyone was horrified and mumbling. She was quickly wriggled out by a very kind attendant though.

[neunundneunzigluftballons]

Yes my mother was talking recently about how people should have done something about a 2 year old who shared a flight with them and cried all the time. I pointed out to her that more than likely someone was doing something about it and short of opening the door and dropping the child out what did she suggest. She just mumbled something about being too little for flights which made me laugh since she would have flipped if her daughter hadn't taken her infant kids half way across the world to visit her. Ignore complaints air travel is one of those things that there is often no alternative to and as long as someone make the effort to try to get children in line that is as much as can be done.

[edwinbear]

My sister had a very troublesome flight to S Africa a few years back with her ds. She was mortified at him crying and worrying about the tutting that was going on. The lovely air stewardess pointed out to her that it was public transport and if people didn't want to travel with other members of the general public, they had the option of hiring a private plane .

[1Veryhungrycaterpillar]

Oh bless her. On the flight back from our honeymoon me and DH were seated separately and he sat between two babies, one cried on and off for the 6 hour flight and the mother kept apologising profusely to him and he said ' The baby is fine but I wish I didn't have to hear the loud sighing and moaning of the woman in front of me, it's spoiling my flight'

[ItsintheBag]

It could all be avoided if they just sat families is the same area of the plane.
My kids fly alot since babies and have been lucky that they seem to like it even when toddlers.
We flew a few weeks ago and this guy about 30 sitting with his mates really loudly,said"oh great we have kids in front of us"
I informed him they were a lot quieter than him with his rude comments.
He at least had the good grace to go red.

[arabesque]

I agree, if a child is crying on a plane or a bus there is not much the parents can do about it. It's not like a restaurant where you can (and should) take them out until they've calmed down.

[1Veryhungrycaterpillar]

Exactly Arabesque, I'm always wrapping up meals when I think my child's getting to the end of their tether but on a plane it's so difficult. A family section would be excellent Itsinthebag

[edwinbear]

Although I must confess, when 18 month old dd vomited all over herself and me, during take off to a flight to Turkey a few weeks back, I'd have liked to have been on a child free flight myself.

[MrsTerryPratchett]

I have a flight in a couple of weeks. Dreading it as usual. I find that the people next to you are fine, it is the people a couple of seats away that are the problem. They can't see how hard you are working to keep as quiet as possible but they still hear the noise. Having said that the flights I have been on have mostly had lovely, understanding people.

[1Veryhungrycaterpillar]

I can relate to that, I had the unfortunate mixture of DD with separation anxiety and a dodgy stomach so every time I had to go into that proxy loo cubicle I had to juggle her as well or she would (and did) scream like she was being murdered

[Tee2072]

Maybe a separate flight for just children edwin?

When my son took his first flight, at 6 months, London to San Francisco, I saw the look on the man behind us face as we settled down. At San Francisco he actually stood up, leaned over and said 'I take back everything I was thinking. I completely forgot he was there!'

We're about to do the flight again. Son is now 4. I would expect it's going to be a little more difficult.

[LoopyLooplaHoop]

DH took DDs (2 and 3) on a 13 1/2 hour flight yesterday by himself, and he had a slight stomach bug. Horrible thought, it's bad enough as a tag team, and the feeling of being trapped and unable to do anything if they are tired/bored/upset is awful.

[1Veryhungrycaterpillar]

My sister was on a flight to Glasgow and her 8 month old was crying, a man in the opposite aisle stuck his finger in his ear and the flight attendant asked her if she'd tried putting her finger in the babies mouth

[Andro]

Babies are less of an issue than older children...at least they can't kick your seat/are less likely to throw food/careen into you with open drinks.

A few parents who make no attempt to limit the chaos, get the responsible majority a bad rep on flights (and trains/in restaurants/wherever else).

[Cravey]

We travel a lot and have no issues with children crying on flights. We usually sit at the back of the plane as most families are seated up front with the bulkhead seats. If we can I also upgrade. People who moan because of children crying need a kick up the ass. The parents that let their little darlings run around like loons are a whole different story though.

[NapaCab]

Same thing happened to us on my son's first flight at 4 months' old, Tee2072. We were in business class and you could nearly feel the resentment when we got on with a baby but when the flight ended the woman behind us said our baby was wonderful and so quiet. Now we're flying for a visit home, 11 hours, with him and he's nearly 2... and going through a tantrums phase... I am dreading it!! I hate flying at the best of times so flying with a toddler is going to be hell...

It used to be the norm that parents and young children were seated up the front of the plane so when we had no children ourselves we used to always try to book seats down the back but I don't know if that's the case now.

[1Veryhungrycaterpillar]

There is that Andro, I've not had any experience of that luckily but find it so stressful worrying whether my baby/toddler will cry as some people do make you feel awful for it

[RazzleDazzleEm]

Can I add,

Hen and Stag free flights, I feel claustrophobic, because they usually are in high spirits, stinking of spirits, shouting to one another from various seats, and blocking aisles congregating round other seats.

Can we also add the spraying of perfumes and body sprays on flights - people who file nails etc...

People with loud head phones, larger people who spill into your seat and space....very slow people in the loo's, people who cannot work out what they want from the trolly quick enough nor get their money out....people who smell....and do not blow their nose but make a horrid noise and swallow it instead. People who cough and not put their hands over their mouths, same as sneeze.

[specialsubject]

whenever a baby is screaming on a plane, I think 'not my problem'. Those of us without kids book away from the bulkheads, but economy class is never fun and you just have to suck it up.

I don't think I've ever heard anyone tutting about a crying baby. Out of control kids which are old enough to be controlled are a different matter.

[crumblepie]

i was on a flight to turkey and sat next to a couple with a child who was less than a year , i must admit i was dreading it , but the child was brilliant , smiling , happy and as soon as she got bored the couple were playing games with her , on the way home i was sat next to a very fat smelly bloke and wished for that little girl back .

[ChunkyPickle]

The rudest, most awkward, disturbing people I've ever been with on flights have been adults - constantly up and down to the overheads, taking over armrests, fidgeting, the couple that spilled the people behind's dinner into their laps by forcefully reclining their seats mid meal, taking the aisle seat and then trying to dictate whether I had the window blind up or down, over-loud headphones, talking at ridiculous volume non-stop etc.

So yes, if all those people could go on their own child-free flights so DS and I can sit in the relative peace of a couple of crying babies/enthusiastic toddlers then I'd be fine with that.

[DXBMermaid]

Veryhungry the finger suggestion has to do with letting a baby suck. The sucking helps relieve the pressure on their ears. Have not flown wih pfb yet, but will before she is 4 months and have been advised to feed her duing take-off, landing and during turbulance. Dummys would work as well, but she doesn't like them.

With regards to todlers, bribe them with little (useless) presents. One each hour. Couple of stickers, box of raisins, small book, crayons etc etc as long as it's wrapped up.

I find people who put their seat down much more annoying then crying babies. Also I have noise cancelling earphones and they really really work. Essential for frequent flying!

[EeyoreIsh]

often it's not the kids that are the problems. I did a quick flight recently, that was packed with kids.

The dad sitting next to me was a right pain in the arse. their young son had earache. so fair enough, he screamed and was restless. But the dad kept saying really loudly 'poor Hugo has sore ears. Poor Hugo' ad infinitum... Not to the boy in a soothing way, to his daughter

and the daughter was v happy with watching a dvd. In silence. But the bloody dad kept interrupting her and making her drawer and asking her questions.

I would pay extra for a child free part of the plane, sorry.

[1Veryhungrycaterpillar]

On the last flight I was on there was a child of around 2 screaming and his mother tried everything to entertain him to no avail, people around the area were starting to grumble and in the end she screamed at him to 'Shut Up' he was shocked and so was she, It looked like she instantly regretted it

[Preposteroushypothesis]

There is a website where people post stories from bad flights they've had, I think it's called flightsfromhell, and there is a section for stories about babies/children on flights and people are always commenting on the stories saying how awful it is that parents are allowed to fly with children and why don't they just drive...it's an American site and a lot of people fail to grasp the concept that not everyone is flying within their own country or somewhere you could easily drive! It's amazing that people think that parents, and indeed their children, should miss out on holidays/visiting family/special occasions like weddings just because they might possibly dislike flying and cause other people's flights to be disrupted when the journey is such a small part of the overall experience!! I think as long as the parents are trying to keep their children entertained and not just ignoring them while they scream or kick or throw things at other passengers then you have to cut them some slack!!

I am flying in November with a nearly 3yo and what will be around a 3 month old baby! Dreading the looks we will get as we board the plane