To not have apologised to people near us about my toddler's behaviour on plane ?

[yellowandredcar]

My toddler was just a bit fed up of travelling not silently sitting on the plane. She was a bit loud and excited at times. At times we had to keep telling her to sit down as she tried to stand on her seat. There were many other kids making noise too. We did our very best to keep her quiet and keep her happy. She cried occasionally and occasionally made some noise. It wasn't excessive but the amount you'd expect when there's a small child on a plane.

I noticed people looking and didn't feel like apologising because it was nothing extreme and also she wasn't encroaching on their space.

The man in front of me reclined his seat immediately before we even took off. So I didn't think he deserved any kind of apology about my kids making some noise occasionally.

Also, we were doing our best. We were not ignoring our children or allowing bad behaviour. So I don't see what I need to apologise for. I just ignored the looks but felt like they may have expected an apology. I could be wrong of course.

I have apologised in the past for my kids. If they've kicked the seat in front of it they walk into someone's path etc. but I don't think it's necessary to apologise for children not being silent for a couple of hour flight.

Would you just always apologise because you have a child with you who's made a noise ?

He did it once they had sat down to take their own seats.

@Summertimer no the etiquette is to return the seat to its upright position for take off / food etc. you can recline at any time as long as you put the seat upright when required to do so.

Of course you shouldn't have to apologise for your child making a bit of noise on a plane that's what children do, anyone who is a parent will understand that

I wouldn't apologise for a child behaving age appropriate if they wernt entering someone else's space or kicking a seat or something. Children make noise sometimes. It's just how it is.

We definitely explained that we needed quiet time and that people are tired and don't we don't make noise that disturbs others. It's just a natural reflex to explain it in that way.

My kids slept for most of the flight. It was just the beginning bit that was more challenging.

I honestly don't mind reclined seats. But not as you're taking off, which is what he did.

This all sounds like a total non event

The man in front of me reclined his seat immediately before we even took off.

He may have but he'd have been told to put it back up by cabin crew 30 seconds later. No plane takes off with reclined seats.

No one came, they'd taken their seats already. It was reclined as we were taking off and climbing into the sky.

I completely get your worry, we’ve got to take a 20 month old of his first flight in a few weeks and I’m dreading it. I also find myself constantly apologising to people when he runs in their way or and I get overly stressed if he makes noise when we’re say out for a meal for example. i think I just want people to think the best of him and for him to not be “that baby” when we’re in public.

Can't help feeling you may be minimising how loud and disruptive your DC was. OP? Parents get used to their own DC's decibel levels, but other passengers will not be accustomed to it, and are likely to find it disturbing.

Are you one of those entitled, ill mannered parents who can't control their kids?

Wait till your kids starts school and parents don't invite them for play dates & parties because both of you don't have any manners.

Nope. My older child is at school and has lots of friends and we are invited to many parties and play dates.... so nope. Pretty popular.

We have flown long haul from uk to Australia many times with twin toddlers. And I have to say it’s surprisingly rare either our children or other children makes that much noise. In fact we recently sat next to five toddlers as part of an extended family - and I was fully prepared for a lot of noise but they were good as gold. But if you think she was making a lot of noise she prob was - no reason to apologise but maybe next time take her for a walk around the cabin if she is being particularly noisy.

Sounds like age appropriate behaviour so it's fine.

Plenty of adults can be awful on planes with their farting and sneezing and other gross behaviour. I'd rather an excitable toddler than that any day and gross adults never apologise for being gross.

No seats should be reclined in the tiny cramped conditions most of us have to endure on planes now.

Unless you are wealthy, there is much less space on planes for the majority of us, and it’s uncomfortable, and very unfair

I'm assuming they are referring to you making the mountain out of a molehill... not the people who said nothing but may or may not have looked back at what the noise was.

Your lack of self awareness makes me think it may be you that's being unreasonable seeing as nobody else did anything 😂

Totally agree. I'm tall, so aeroplane seats are torture anyway. People fidgeting in front of me bangs into my knees. Soon as someone reclines a seat, I'm effectively pinned in. Wish they could find a way to sort comfort on planes out.

Any idiot that reclines his/her seat before take off deserves a noisy toddler behind them.

The etiquette is to be considerate of other passengers and not recline during meals/drinks. Yes you ‘can’ recline during food and drinks but the decent thing - ie etiquette - is not to. During take off and landing is what you are more or less required to do for safety

No you didn't need to apologise but equally you may have chosen to out of basic social etiquette and manners. Personally I would have made a point of explaining consistently to DC that they need to be quiet so not as to disturb others. The looks you got from other passengers was your social cue to up your parenting a bit, at least for the duration of the flight.

It sounds fine. Children are passengers too and we've all been at that stage of communication and attention span at that age in our lives.

As long as you were making the effort to occupy/ reassure them rather than let them run around or shout uncontrolledly you're fine. You don't need to apologise for your children existing. You just need to make the appropriate effort for circumstances such as a flight which it sounds like you did. You're grand!!

No I wouldn’t have apologised if it was just normal toddler behaviour.

Hate those wankers that recline their seats on short flights - no need for it and it means less room for the person behind. Apparently some newer planes for short haul flights are built with non reclining seats now which I think is sensible to save the bad feeling/arguments.

Cos it's selfish

It’s nice that you are aware of issues but I honestly wouldn’t worry, as long as it’s not too much and you’ve tried to contain noise, people will appreciate you doing your best and understand.
We have just flown and any kid noise I hardly recognized, the one woman in a group of four though who just did not shut up talk shouting four aisles back was a different matter, I’m sure nobody else in her group even spoke😠

The passenger in front of you didn’t apologise for impeding your safety route if there had been a crash. Why should you apologise for a noisy toddler?