Kids on Flights

Ken. · 30-08-2017 10:01pm

Mod-Please stop quoting Spanish eyes. S/he is thread banned and cannot reply.

Tom Mann Centuria · 30-08-2017 10:06pm

https://www.bcm.edu/news/sleep-disorders/experts-warn-against-antihistmaines-sleep-aid

While antihistamines may help you to fall asleep, overall sleep quality is usually not very good, he said. Sometimes, they even have the opposite affect and cause hyperactivity, especially in children

Dr. Philip Alapat, assistant professor of medicine.

retro:electro · 30-08-2017 10:06pm

Calpol/paracetamol doesn't have any sedative properties though? There is literally nothing it would do to send your kid off to sleep quicker, only ease their pain if it was pain that was preventing them from sleeping. It's futile to pump them with calpol in the hope it'll knock them out.

pilly · 30-08-2017 10:10pm

anna080 wrote:

Calpol/paracetamol doesn't have any sedative properties though? There is literally nothing it would do to send your kid off to sleep quicker, only ease their pain if it was pain that was preventing them from sleeping. It's futile to pump them with calpol in the hope it'll knock them out.

That's true. Years ago there was a thing called dozol that had a sedative effect and I think some people still think Calpol does.

qo2cj1dsne8y4k · 30-08-2017 10:15pm

I roofied myself on a flight once and ended up waking myself out freaking out from hallucinations. I spilled a girls can of Coke all over her because I thought I got myself and the balloons I was attached to stuck in a tree

30-08-2017 10:16pm

pilly wrote: »

That's true. Years ago there was a thing called dozol that had a sedative effect and I think some people still think Calpol does.

There was something actually called Dozol? I can't imagine that being too healthy if it did what the name implies and it was over the counter stuff. I'm sure lots of exhausted new parents would be too tempted at times.

30-08-2017 10:16pm

If there is a noisy child acting up near me, Id usually just try to engage with them. I find it helps quieten them down a bit, and helps a situation, more than escalating it, in the long run.

If the parents get stressed because of other peoples negative reactions, the childer usually pick up on that, and carry on even more

But, I agree, that it can be annoying

pilly · 30-08-2017 10:17pm

Candie wrote:

There was something actually called Dozol? I can't imagine that being too healthy if it did what the name implies and it was over the counter stuff. I'm sure lots of exhausted new parents would be too tempted at times.

Swear to god. I think the main ingredient was alcohol to tell the truth! Then again people used to give kids a shot if whiskey.

30-08-2017 10:20pm

pilly wrote: »

Swear to god. I think the main ingredient was alcohol to tell the truth! Then again people used to give kids a shot if whiskey.

yep, I remember this. I remember it left a crystally crusty type gunk around the lid

retro:electro · 30-08-2017 10:22pm

I tend to just feel sympathy for the parents. It's incredibly embarrassing and stressful for them, especially if it's their first flight and they're unsure what to do and are anxious flyers themselves. I think they know that their child is irritating every single person on the plane, they don't need 200 people tutting and scowling in their direction!

KERSPLAT! · 30-08-2017 10:23pm

I'm so lucky that my child has never had a meltdown with me. In near 3 years I've only seen him cry a handful of times. Hardy little fella, just don't take his blanky.

twowheelsonly · 30-08-2017 10:28pm

pickarooney wrote: »

Yep. I fly about 6 times a year and have never once been inconvenienced by a child or an adult. Or maybe something trivial that I forgot two seconds later. I wonder about these people who are constantly having their lives disrupted by other people.

This ^^^^^ All day long.

I'd probably average about the same, from 6 to 10 flights a year - 12 in the last 10 months on a quick count...
I honestly can't remember an occasion where a screaming child caused me to get pissed off. Sometimes infants tend to cry on takeoff due to pressure on the ears but other than that it's rarely a problem. The way some people here are going on you'd think this was happening on every single flight for the entire flight duration. It's the exception, not the rule, as far as my experience goes and I'd imagine the same is true for everyone else. (I notice that anyone that does have a story starts with..."A couple of years ago...." or "I was once on a flight...." etc. )

anewme · 30-08-2017 10:34pm

Jake1 wrote: »

If there is a noisy child acting up near me, Id usually just try to engage with them. I find it helps quieten them down a bit, and helps a situation, more than escalating it, in the long run.

If the parents get stressed because of other peoples negative reactions, the childer usually pick up on that, and carry on even more

But, I agree, that it can be annoying

It's a hard one.
We all have our problems and crosses to bear. I'm looking at a long flight in the next 2 weeks ....over 12 hours and I hope I do not have a screaming child near me.

I've a lot going on with family illness, uncertainty, so I've no interest in engaging wth any children, I just want, no, need some time to myself. I've no interest in entertaining someone else's children, that should not be sn issue.

I agree that tutting and smart comments help no one either, however, I think the parent in this case was almost trying to point score, labelling people ignorant who were cheesed off with an hour and 45 minutes of screaming.

whoopsadoodles · 30-08-2017 10:36pm

I fly semi regularly. Averaging around a return flight monthly, both short and long haul. I hate flying. With the exception of a baby crying during landing I've never experienced a child being particularly difficult on a flight. The loudest child I've encountered was last week, he was watching the Winnie the pooh movie and was laughing so loud he had everyone around him in stitches. Very cute.

vg88 · 30-08-2017 10:44pm

Have been on many flight within the last year I've never seen something like this and usually it's just a moaning kid or crying or a while (normal for kids).

The worst thing I've seen is middle age men reacting to children and sometimes making them cry or making parents feel like ****. Some people just look to be pissed off on flights. I saw and heard a man telling off a mother "to control her child" for opening the tray table a few times and making a 3 year old girl cry, another man tuting away and giving out for a kid letting out a small cry after being woken up.

Both of these were minor and people overreacting. Thankfully both of these times the AL cabin crew looked after the families on board after the events.

IMO if you let children or other people bother you so much on flights you should rent your own private jet.

jackofalltrades · 30-08-2017 11:15pm

So wanting to move away from a screaming, kicking child having a serious meltdown makes you ignorant now.

That mother need to cop on a bit.

Love all the posters falling over themselves to show how tolerant they are.
An hour or two of being kicked in the back and having to listen to very loud screaming, they'd be sitting there like a Tibetan monk, yeah we believe that.
Everyone has a limit to what kind of behaviour they'd be will to accept on a flight.

Flying is stressful for most, an scary for a lot of people.
Your trapped in a tiny space, deprived of oxygen and you can't escape from.
There's a limit to how much disruption, danger, loud noise others should be subjected too.
The parents need to realise that their child's behaviour could scare, upset and anger others.
Labelling everyone else who isn't 100% understanding as ignorant, is well pretty ignorant.

Yeah_Right · 31-08-2017 12:07am

There are noises that irritate people and can make them freak out and think irrational thoughts. I know people that go mental about noisy eating, snoring, sniffing, dogs barking, even nails on a chalkboard. None of these things both me. But babies or children crying/screaming drives me insane. I hate it. I want them drugged, beaten or dead. As long as the noise stops. It's irrational, I know.

Obviously I just get myself away from the noise asap. Can't do that on a plane so I always travel with earphones in listening to music or watching movies just in case.

I've been on a couple of hundred flights both short and long haul and I can only of 2 occasions where a misbehaving child bugged me. There have been a lot more times an adult has pissed me off.

qo2cj1dsne8y4k · 31-08-2017 12:24am

I hate flying, hate people and bold kids, and while I've encountered maybe two incidents that stand out in public transport I genuinely don't recall ever being bothered by a child on a flight. I have bigger fish to fry worrying about not being able to get out of the plane that a chatty/whingy child is far down my list of concerns. Though I do recall taking a flight from la to ny severely hungover if not still a bit **** faced and having a mam and dad with a baby sitting next to me. They apologised before even sitting down and I kind of felt bad for them, also I should have been the one apologising because I'd say the fumes of neat spirits off me was something to behold. Anyway, that's the closest I had to sit next to someone's child and don't remember being annoyed which TBH surprises me more because I'm annoyed about everything

andekwarhola · 31-08-2017 1:28am

I've no doubt it's annoying to be in the vicinity but I'd just get over it myself. It's a kid with special needs, after all. It's a couple of inconvenient hours for me versus a pretty demanding life for them which no doubt makes them crave a holiday.

As for other kids, there's kids that aren't controlled but there's just other (young) kids being bored or cranky. I just zone out to be honest. Another brief and trivial inconvenience really.

_Dara_ · 31-08-2017 1:41am

jackofalltrades wrote: »

So wanting to move away from a screaming, kicking child having a serious meltdown makes you ignorant now.
That mother need to cop on a bit.

Love all the posters falling over themselves to show how tolerant they are.
An hour or two of being kicked in the back and having to listen to very loud screaming, they'd be sitting there like a Tibetan monk, yeah we believe that.
Everyone has a limit to what kind of behaviour they'd be will to accept on a flight.

Flying is stressful for most, an scary for a lot of people.
Your trapped in a tiny space, deprived of oxygen and you can't escape from.
There's a limit to how much disruption, danger, loud noise others should be subjected too.
The parents need to realise that their child's behaviour could scare, upset and anger others.
Labelling everyone else who isn't 100% understanding as ignorant, is well pretty ignorant.

A flight to Spain in what is still peak season is likely to be a full flight. That means it was probably not possible to "move away" from the child. How would tutting at the parents or generally showing annoyance have resolved that situation? Seats aren't going to magically materialise. What happens on public transport is unpredictable and if excessive noise is an issue for you, you need to plan for that ie. bring earbuds. Nobody is going to do that for you.

31-08-2017 1:56am

Seems a bit strange to demand total approval for annoying people.

Ignore the disapproval the same way you expect everyone to ignore the noise you're responsible for.

Everybody happy.

jackofalltrades · 31-08-2017 2:20am

_Dara_ wrote: »

A flight to Spain in what is still peak season is likely to be a full flight. That means it was probably not possible to "move away" from the child.
How would tutting at the parents or generally showing annoyance have resolved that situation? Seats aren't going to magically materialise.

The mother in the OP said that people moved seats.
Did I ever claim tutting would have resolved the situation?

What happens on public transport is unpredictable and if excessive noise is an issue for you, you need to plan for that ie. bring earbuds. Nobody is going to do that for you.

Excessive noise is an issue for the vast, vast majority of the population. It's not just an issue for me.
And yes, I already bring ear plugs when I fly on planes.
That said they won't offer enough protection for prolonged exposure to very loud noise.

31-08-2017 6:39am

_Dara_ wrote: »

A flight to Spain in what is still peak season is likely to be a full flight.

Yeah, have to say we have a girl who is almost 3, and she's usually very good...but she hasn't been in a plane before so dunno how she'd react. I certainly don't think I'd start her off on a flight to Spain in August. I'd appreciate that if she did show off her bath time tantrum, it's pretty spectacular, it's been known to startle animals for miles in every direction, in a confined space it would upset most people. Maybe her first flight will be a Kerry-Dublin for the weekend effort, kinda trial run the thing.

amtc · 31-08-2017 6:50am

Whatever you do don’t trial the child on a Kerry Dublin flight! I travel a lot for work and also have been to Australia 28 times. But scariest flight I ever had was Dublin Cork.

On the substantive issue I first went to Australia when I was 6. Fellow passengers bought me a toy as I was so well behaved. I read all the way there. Last time I went (this year) I took a sleeping tablet and curled into the stranger beside me where I drooled for some hours onto him. To the amusement of his wife. So maybe adults are the ones to avoid!

Wheeliebin30 · 31-08-2017 6:59am

One section for parents and kids.

It's such a simple solution.

dr.fuzzenstein · 31-08-2017 7:19am

Most people seem to be OK about it. Myself, I can remember maybe 3 occasions where a child was crying during takeoff and landing. No big deal. It's drunk adults that put me on edge. Reason being, these idiots could do anything and I don't want to be in an incident on a plane or have to answer for manslaughter charges later on. Give me a crying baby or toddler anytime.
Some people seem to think that every flight is festooned with dozens of babies screaming at air raid siren volume for the entire duration. That's just patent nonsense. Re various suggestions of drugging children or locking them in the hold, you know it won't happen.
You can deal with life or you can lead a life that is full of stress and constantly makes you angry because the situation doesn't meet your expectations. Bad for your health, you'll keel over one day, you wanna watch the old blood pressure there buddy.

Assetbacked · 31-08-2017 7:33am

Adult only flights would be something I'd consider flying on. It's unavoidable currently to go on a flight and be guaranteed no crying children which is quite annoying but earplugs do exist and work fantastically I find.

inforfun · 31-08-2017 7:52am

Latest thing in fashion i have noticed is handing out tablets to kids and no headphones. So you have the joy of having to listen to peppa pig coming from tin can speakers for the duration of the flight

But what i really, really dont get is that when there are 4 flights a day on a route, why pick the 10 pm one when having 3 kids of which the oldest is 6.
I book that flight in the hope to have a quiet flight but i usually end up with a set as described behind me kicking my chair, screaming their lungs out because they are exhausted.
No kids under 12 on flights after 8 pm please.

Pac1Man · 31-08-2017 8:19am

jackofalltrades wrote: »

Love all the posters falling over themselves to show how tolerant they are.

Agreed. It's the usual suspects. I hate flying for the usual reasons and haven't been abroad in over 10 years partially because of it.

I wouldn't actively show displeasure sharing a flight with a disruptive child but I'm still human and would be internally pi$$ed.

The predictable whiter than white suggestions of...

"Smile at them."
"Assist them."
"Don't be annoyed by them."

... has made me get a small bit sick in my mouth.

Zubeneschamali · 31-08-2017 9:06am

Deleted User wrote: »

Ignore the disapproval the same way you expect everyone to ignore the noise you're responsible for.

My kids are too old for this to be an issue anymore, and I only recall one time on one flight where the little guy cried and screamed (last leg of a 3 flight trip to visit family), but yes, I agree. It is no skin off my nose if the guy (always a guy) in the next seat tuts, sighs, folds his arms or glares.

However, if anyone were to butt in and tell me to control my child or similar, he would be told, in no uncertain terms, to pay a visit to a taxidermist on his own behalf.

Kids on Flights

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