Or was cabin crew? My child scolded herself.

[maxbradbury]

Ok flying home from Easter holiday. We went with a large group of us so all four children sat in the row in front with us sitting behind them on the plane. Cabin crew come through serving hot drinks and I have my nose in a book so do not notice. All of a sudden my six year old starts to scream. She had split hot chocolate all over herself . Turns out a member of crew asked if she would like a hot drink and she asked for a hot chocolate which was given to her without a lid or my consent. A member of crew took us to the loos and dressed to burn. I asked if it is normal procedure to give a young child a hot drink without consent and a lid. She said it wasn't and they would normally get consent and even then water it down with milk and pop on a lid.

Husband wants to make a complaint but I sort of feel I was partly to blame as I was not sat with her. She still has marks on her legs five days on. So am I to blame for not sitting with her or should I make a complaint?

Glad your daughter's ok OP. I used to be a flight attendant. We didn't have lids for hot drinks. The water for hot drinks came from a hot water tap. It never got to the point of boiling, but I certainly wouldn't like a hot drink all over myself.
Our company made us say "be careful, your beverage is hot" when handing someone a hot drink. Passengers found it annoying, I suppose it was to prevent the airline getting sued.
Most of us would refuse to serve coffee or other hots drinks to parent's holding a baby/small child or who was sitting next to a wiggly toddler. It wasn't company policy, it was common sense.
I would not give a small child sitting without adults a hot drink. There's nothing unusual about kids sitting in a row by themselves with their parents close by. However depending on their ages I would recommend a parent sit in the same row....We also had unacompanied minors aka childs flying by themselves who we were responsible for.
Even though your daughter wasn't hurt- and that's the main thing- I would recommend writing to the company to hopefully avoid this happening again.

I know the OP has gone now, but I can't help doubting that she would have been in the loo when the trolley came round. Those things block the aisles for ages - surely prompting such thought processes of "shall I wriggle past or go the other way?" or "have I got time to get there and back before they get to me?" or, and here's an idea, "I'd better not go to the loo just now as the kids might order who knows what stuff from the cart THAT I DO NOT WANT THEM TO HAVE!!"

Stressy that was a nasty comment about my daughter and it has been reported. Not every child who spills drinks is incapable or slow for their age.

Clam I know it sounds silly but I just do not remember. I honestly have a memory of a fish.

OP , ignore stressy, she was on a thread in the past few weeks or so stating that she lets her very young child pull up a chair in the kitchen and make their own sandwiches, with knives! .

Just wow at the idea no 6 year old should spill a drink, I have spilt one in the last month FFS!

Last month yellow? I bow to your steady-handedness.

Spilling liquids on myself, both and on pretty much a daily basis.

I am obviously underdeveloped

[grins]

Or even!

I am just surprised they let child sit in row without adult supervision. We returned on flight from Switzerland and no child was allowed to sit in row without supervising adult if they were below age of 12 . ( or thereabouts !)

Sign of the times, it seems. I used to fly unaccompanied at this age and I know at lot of other MNer's children do also. Six is old enough to manage a hot drink but your daughter spilt it. How is that the cabin crew's fault? I don't see that it's yours either - or your daughter's - it was an ACCIDENT and the complaints culture is completely out of hand in the UK and the reason for the insufferable adverts and unsolicited calls.

I don't see that you have any grounds for complaint.

Oh, and talking about spilt drinks, I managed to drop a full glass of water all over the table when I was in the middle of an interview ! :)

Why were you to blame OP and not your DH.....

Actually no one was to blame, it was an accident. But probably best if an adult had been in the row (yes, yes, the short straw for someone, but hey ho!)

I'm 34 and I spilt a cup of tea yesterday.

I fly a lot. I would love love love to not notice the trolley. Instead every flight I'm on I am always aware of how near the trolley is to me being served or going past me, bashing into my seat, having to wait forever for the trolley to go past so I can go to the loo etc etc.

I'm surprised that you would let a 6 year old sit with other children without supervision. There is a big difference between a 6 yr old and a 10 yr old. Also I think you are making an assumption that your 6 yr old looks like she is 6. If you don't have children it can be quite hard to guess ages. We were at a wedding recently. Ds is 8. I think he looks 8 in the sense he is similar in size and behaviour to his 8 yr old friends. Most people who didn't know him thought he was 12.

Go ahead and complain but be prepared to accept a good degree of contrib neg for your failure to supervise your child.

"I am just surprised they let child sit in row without adult supervision"

It was a walking talking six year old, not a toddler! They can cut up their own food, go to the toilet unaided, and use the inflight entertainment without any help. This child had parents immediately behind and grandparents directly in front, so they were sat as a group.

Yes squeaky, but it is what would happen in an emergency situation. I all the seats were occupied by the children, the parent would have to block the aisle when assisting the child with lifejackets and oxygen. This would put other passengers in more danger. If the parent is sitting with the child, assistance can be given whilst still in the seats and out of the away of the passageway.

Is it only me that can see the logic in this?

Of course a six year old can sit in a row with a bunch of other kids with mum and dad safety behind them . Just like a six year old unacompanied minor can sit by themselves next to strangers and order a beverage from a flight attendant.
I have always given kids cooled-down hot drinks, not just on a plane. You don't need to be an excited six year old to spill a drink. Flimsy styrofoam cups, a flimsy plastic tray table, turbulence...very easy for anyone to spill drinks.
This certainly was an accident, but the FA should know from experience not to give a small kid a super hot drink. FA's are on board for passengers safety and need to make good judgement calls. I'm sure the FA who gave her the drink felt really horrible!

I don't think it's crime of the century to seat your 6 year old with siblings/cousins/friends (particularly if they're older) rather than adults, BUT I do think it's a bit rich to then complain if something goes wrong. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to maybe write and point out what had happened, but I would word it carefully to make clear that I held myself ultimately responsible.

i just think that people's jobs are SO precarious these days that i would genuinely think twice before complaining about an individual. the hostess, having made the mistake once, will not make it again in all likelihood.

Believe me in really bad turbulence you can't get out your seat to help anyone. I've been in a plane which dropped thousands of feet in seconds. I was strapped in but my bum was off the seat due to the g force. It was a full on staring death in the face, people screaming a vomiting few minutes.

In such a situation the kids would be on their own as you wouldn't be able to get them if they're on a separate row.

clam but the oldest was 12, and sitting with an entertainment system in front of him/her. You couldn't expect them to take responsibility for a 6 year old for a whole long haul flight. That wouldn't be fair.

I wouldn't dream of complaining,and would zip my negligent,parental lips.