Gifts for plane passengers

[Zillcat]

We fly in just over a week to Australia with our 9 month old twins (21 hour journey in total)
Talking to my brother today, he asked if we had organised a gift to other plane passengers... basically a note 'from' the twins apologising for any disruption from them as it is their first flight.

I hadn't considered it before, would you think it tacky or appreciate a small gesture from us?

I have packed as much as I can into the hand luggage to entertain them and there will be four of us travelling so enough to take turns walking the aisles too.

Any suggestions are gratefully appreciated!

think its twee and cheesy.
and feel sorry for the poor buggers sharing a 21 hour flight with someone's babies. Glad it's not me

Thanks for saying I'm young 😊 new mother yes, young not so much.

I won't be apologising to anyone for them crying. I won't like others to be disturbed however I will be spending my entire time on these planes attempting to prevent that from happening.
This trip has been planned since before they were born. My lists have lists.

zzzzz - not apologise (unless they're doing sweet FA to try and stop it, in which case they wouldn't anyway), but I don't think I should be made to feel bad when I react to the pain. I've had a lot of negative comments about the grimace I'm incapable of preventing, accused of guilt-tripping parents for immediately using the plugs and defenders and even had my (expensive) professional grade ear defenders ripped off of my head and destroyed by one 'gentleman' for making his wife feel bad because their child was screaming.

I take exception to people stating that it takes 'a special kind of asshole' - as one poster did - to have a problem with babies crying. If I don't protect myself I'd react very badly and be pilloried, but when I do protect myself I'm still criticized by some people (not you, just in general). Blanket statements really bug me!

Yep that was me that’s said that. And the vast, vast majority of travellers don’t have your issues so if they get annoyed by babies crying then they are generally assholes.

Give me a baby over drunk, arrogant passengers any day. Or inconsiderate ones.

Nicknacky - My specific issues are fairly rare - I wouldn't wish them on my worst enemy! Do you see why blanket statements such as yours would get to me though? Especially when I've had similar things said (and shouted) to my face?

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Would I bollocks. I don't need to apologise for the existence of my children and nor does anyone else about theirs!

I travel for work. All the fucking time. And have travelled home with my own children for many years since they were newborns. I have never actually heard a baby cry after the plane is in the air. I think the white noise sends them off, and on long haul flights when they do wake, the white noise drowns out their cries anyway. Hope this reassures you OP. I think we can safely assume you won’t be giving out the presents! It is very self-absorbed, twatty performance parenting! Please remember to tell your brother if he ever has kids. 😂 People don’t do this, even in America.

I would think it weird as fuck

A note from your twins? Cringe!!

why are you apologising for babies being babies......bonkers

We were all children once so in my view there's nothing to apologise for. It's just seems a bit needy to me. Just do what you can and the people around you will just have to live with it. If they're so bothered about crying babies then maybe they should reconsider being out in public, which includes sat on a plane.

Honestly try not to worry too much. Do what you can, that is all you can do.
FWIW my bugbear is parents who are flipping noisier than the kids with their read aloud loud stories, running commentaries and constant seriously loud "shush shush" everytime the child dares to murmur!

I've had my fair share of very annoying passengers. Can honestly say a grizzly baby wasn't one of them. The worst was one behind me who kept getting up and everytime he got up he used my head rest to lever himself up, nearly catapulting me.

A really weird idea. Are you sure he wasn't joking? I've flown long haul loads of times with babies and toddlers and I never would have thought of doing this. Your babies have just as much right to travel as anyone else. I agree with a pp that it takes a special kind of arsehole to whinge about young children on planes. I've never experienced it personally....people are generally tolerant of young children on planes - it's not unusual after all.

I have sat next to many babies and close to many babies, I carry my own head phones nowadays. But to be honest, because of my special needs, traveling can be very very very difficult and people have had to be just as patient with me please don't worry. There are babies on most flights anyway. Even the long ones, and I take plenty back-and-forth between Europe and Asia.

No I wouldn’t and haven’t. I really don’t like the idea.
It’s sets it up as normal that parents should constantly have to be apologising for babies being babies. It also removes the concept that as humans we are all in it together and to treat each other with compassion. We obviously wouldn't expect a elderly/disabled person to apologise for taking longer walking down the aisle, or a woman with heavy periods apologising in advance for taking too long in the loo! We are all human beings with issues. Your babies might cry, but equally they might be fine. Either way I think people should treat them as babies not as able bodied adults who are shouting to annoy everyone!

I am not keen. An acknowledgment that they might be noisy to the neighbouring passengers ('we'll try our best to keep the noise to a minimum' or similar), and perhaps a thank you for their patience just before you leave.

As others have said, no-one should apologise for having small children.

A multi-pack of earplugs might be a good idea - they're not always a given in economy these days, even long-haul but apart from that, I really wouldn't worry.

Very weird. Please don't.

Haven't RTWT but...

I wouldn't do a note because if you are handing notes out, you might as well be communicating with those people directly! I think a smile, eye contact and actually speaking to them would make a lot of nearby passengers feel warmly towards you. I would probably say "Hi, I know it's not ideal sitting next to babies on a long-haul flight, but there are four of us (adults) travelling to deal with them, and rest assured we will do everything we can to keep them calm and peaceful!"

Lots of passengers would understand how hard it is to travel with babies. You might even get an offer of an extra pair of hands (I bet your babies are adorable at 9 months ). Even if you most likely wouldn't take up an offer of help it's nice to know that you have people feeling warmly towards you instead of cold. It's harder to be cross with people who have approached you directly than those which you have only seen the back of their heads.

I have always maintained that the noise/fuss of a baby or child is minimised when you see the parent working hard to try to sooth or settle them. It's the ones who apparently don't give a toss about other passengers and just leave their kids to it that is far more annoying than the actual noise itself.

Welshmaiden I disagree, I think that people don't have to accept babies being babies and although a parent shouldn't actually apologise, an acknowledgement that you (or your DCs) have disrupted something is manners and stepping up to life as a parent. I don't like the attitude "my kids - like them or lump it". I find it arrogant. I have 3 DCs.

There's a difference between the momentary walking behind someone walking slowly/waiting for the loo and a 24 hour flight on which people will want to sleep etc.

PS OP - I should think everything will go absolutely fine, I've known friends who've done trips to USA and Australia with babies and it's just gone uneventfully and far better than expected!

Please don’t. It’s a very cringey idea!

LostinShoebiz

Is the Calpol to drug them up rather pain relief? Sorry, never had kids young enough to need Calpol.

Calpol is just paracetamol. It’s not a sedative, it can’t “drug up” a child any more than two paracetamol tablets would drug you up. It may help children in pain to sleep better once the pain is relieved but it doesn’t have any function other than pain relief and bringing down temperature. You are getting confused with things like anti-allergy medication like Piriton which has a “may cause drowsiness” warning. Paracetamol has no such warning.

You have no obligation to apologise for the mere presence of your children.

What a load of bollocks.