<p>Good luck w/taking away the allowance from your future 14 month old who is crying on a plane because of the change in pressure! :-)</p>
<p>We have all been there…</p>
<p>We used to try to find flights to coincide with their nap time. You couldn’t do that any more because most of the time flights are delayed now.</p>
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<p>So when my eardrum ruptured last June on a flight between Philadelphia and Chicago, had I not been able to ‘restrain’ myself (I needed to cry out, but was afraid people would think I was a terrorist), I should have been grounded and had my allowance taken away?</p>
<p>My husband will find that quite funny.</p>
<p>^^^ Ouch!! </p>
<p>When older S was a baby we had to fly to DC. Didn’t know it at the time but he as developing a bad ear infection, and he cried miserably for most of the flight. There was no consoling him. I was terribly embarassed and apologized incessantly to other passengers. I felt badly for them and for my s.</p>
<p>When younger s was 4 we were flying out west on an early morning flight and he was at the height where his legs stuck straight out from his seat (knees didnt reach the edge of the cushion so his legs kinda stuch out straight, if you can picture this) and his feet would occaionally touch the back of the chair in front of him if he wasn’t careful when he moved. I tried as best I could to help him be careful not to kick the back of the chair, but he was tired (since we were up early for the flight) and occasionally a little fidgety and it happened a few times, even with my best efforts to remind him to be careful. I apologized to the person sitting in front of him. Unfortunately, the person wasn’t very nice or very understanding. I’d said something like “I am really sorry- I am doing my best to keep his feet away from your seat but he’s a little fidgety and cranky since we got up at 5 am for this flight”. He snapped back “well SO DID I!” That was the end of my being nice and concilliatory. I responded “Well, he’s only 4, whats your excuse?” He shut up, and I didn’t feel so terribly bad when my s’s feet accidentally touched the back of his seat after that. If he’d been nice I’d probably have changed seats with my son. But after his rude crack… decided tht the person in front of me deserved nicer threatment than the person in front of my s. Common courtesy would have gone a long way. Rude and nasty- not so much.</p>
<p>anxiousmom, LOL! I love a sick sense of humor! When the person in front of you pushes their seat back and breaks your kneecaps (and knocks your drink over on your lap) simply do the same to the person behind you and, voila! everything is fine! So, what’s the problem?</p>
<p>…“If the seat in front of you reclines into “your” space, then you should recline your seat and “voila” you have the same amount of space you had before, and you are more comfortable to boot. So what’s the problem with people reclining seats???”</p>
<p>Uh, til you’re the poor soul that is stuck in the row of seats that do NOT recline. Make it that no seats recline…even steven…lol</p>
<p>…“As for kids, if I have kids and they misbehave on board a plane, they’d have their allowance taken away for the next six months and grounded for the next year.”…</p>
<p>Does that mean grounded as in not being able to fly for the year?? hahh just had to ask…</p>
<p>LOL at jym626:
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<p>Re: taking away allowances for misbehavior of kids (& infants?) on flights – if only our firm and righteous views on parenting would work once we actually had the crying, real kids! lol</p>
<p>“A customer of size”–I like that. I also like the term used in the #1 Ladies Detective Agency books–“a traditionally-built woman.”</p>
<p>I prefer the artsy term, “Reubenesque” :D</p>
<p>What’s the other phrase-- too short for their weight, vertically challengesd, something like that? </p>
<p>As for the reclining seat issue, I think folks are being a little hard on anxiousmom. I understand the knee issue, but as for spilling drinks, aren’t the trays are supposed to be hinged such that if someone reclines their seat, the tray (if open) behind it still stays flat? I am short, so don’t have as much discomfort if someone reclines their seat, but what I <em>do</em> have an issue with is when a person with long hair decided to throw their hair over the back of their seat into my drink and such. Ewwww…</p>
<p>And speaking of little kids on planes, since when did the constant opening and closing of the tray table become a game for kids? It is annoying to the person in the seat in front of them (hmmm… why didn’t I think of that when Mr. Personality, described in post # 104, was souch a crab??..)</p>
<p>I have absolutely no problem with crying babies, howling toddlers but the kick in the seat thing drives me crazy. I’m not skinny either but I usually compress myself to fit into any economy seat. I hate the thigh touches thigh thing, too.
Once a mom and toddler with drinks from McDonald’s were sitting in our seats as we arrived. When they moved, the kid spilled the drink into the cushion of my seat. Soaking wet. Obviously, I couldn’t sit in it. I was the only person standing when the attendant announced that the flight was delayed because they were looking for a replacement cushion for the passenger (me) in 24C. OMG, the looks i got from the other passengers. I just wanted to scream, “It was the kid! It was the kid!”.</p>
<p>Why the hell would I fly with a 14 month old? They’re staying home until they’re 6.</p>
<p>Crying-fine. Seat-kicking, lifting people’s eyeshades-not acceptable.</p>
<p>I flew with my kids from when they were 6-months old. They did NOT cry and did NOT hassle anyone. Every time we reached our destination & along the flight, folks would compliment us & them about how well-behaved they were. I did resent when other parents sent their kiddos hoping we’d amuse them as well as ours. I would politely send them back to their own parents as it created a traffic hazard, among aother things.</p>
<p>If you are flying with kiddos, it is YOUR duty to do everything you can to help them & those around them to have as pleasant a flight as possible. It takes lots of work & prep–if you don’t do it, you should find other means of transport unless it’s a medical emergency or the like.</p>
<p>We traveled a lot with our kids, so I have a lot of stories…</p>
<p>We were traveling back from a trip when our D2 was less than a year old. I knew she wasn’t feeling too well. The plane was packed and my H couldn’t sit with us, instead a lady was sitting with me, D1 and D2 on my lap. I asked the lady nicely if she would mind to change seats with my H. She didn’t want to move. Well, you guessed it, D2 threw up all over, luckily it didn’t get on the lady. Yep, she got up very quickly.</p>
<p>I hate to fly. Trust me, to the poster that suggested the train, if they went to Germany, I would have been on it. I even turned down a free trip to “look-see” prior to moving there, because I couldn’t stomach (pun intended) the idea of two more long plane flights.</p>
<p>I once flew with a 2 year old and an 11 day old (many, many years ago). We were moving from PA to GA. Hubby was in GA already, but I was in PA waiting for baby to be born. Eleven days was the earliest the airline would let us fly. </p>
<p>My entire carry-on was filled with distractions and food for 2 year old. He did well, I thought. I nursed the baby during take-off and landing, and he didn’t cry at all. I wore him in a harness/sling, and he slept most of the time. I wonder in retrospect if my kids were annoying in some way that I, being the doting parent, wasn’t aware of. Maybe my kid kicked the seat and I didn’t notice. Or talked too much or too loud? </p>
<p>No one said anything to me, and my mind-reading skills are weak, so I really don’t know.</p>
<p>What I do remember is that no one, absolutely no one, held a door, spoke to me, anything. I remember looks of dismay when people realized they were going to be on a plane with a child. I remember a man in a business suit, carrying a brief case, nearly pushing us over because my two year old wasn’t walking fast enough. Not so much as an “excuse me.” I got off the plane wearing my baby, holding the hand of my two year old, and carrying a car seat, diaper bag, and carry on. Fortunately, my H was at the gate.</p>
<p>Whenever I get on a flight now, I always put one or two toys in my purse - a matchbox car, a plastic wind-up toy, magnetic dogs, stickers. (I save toys that come in cereal boxes and snack foods.) If I end up near a child who seems to need distraction - often near the end of the flight when parents’ patience and goodie-bags are both empy - I find that a child may own every toy in the universe, but is incredibly taken with the trinket that comes out of a stranger’s purse.</p>
<p>We flew with my son when he was 12 days old. Sometimes you are living and working overseas or a long way away from family so traveling with kids is not avoidable.</p>
<p>I used to work extremely hard at keeping my kids busy and occupied on flights. They were not allowed to kick seats or run around. The first was a dream to travel with (he was just an easy baby and toddler so I thought I was really good at this parenting stuff). Then the second came along and she was really hard work to travel with. I have always thoroughly disaproved of people who give their kids stuff like benadryl to make them drowsy on flights. However after one awful journey I succumbed and bought some for the return journey. Turns out she is one of those that benadry makes very very hyper. That was a fun flight. Kind of karma for going against my own beliefs I guess.</p>
<p>I try and be understanding of people traveling with little ones as I had to do so myself. (though I do expect them to be trying). I still remember the worst flight I ever had sitting behind this ghastly woman who had apparently decided my kids were going to be a problem as soon as she saw them. I guess she intended to preempt any problems. She **<strong><em>ed when I put the tray down because when I unlocked it and put it down she though they were kicking her seat (they weren’t). She *</em></strong><em>ed if they touched the tray. She *</em><strong><em>ed when we put something on the tray, took something off the tray. Believe me they were not banging on the tray or jumping on it or using it any differently to an adult. I finally completely lost it and *</em></strong>*ed back and she shut up. So I try not to be that person.</p>
<p>jym - I have never experienced the hair thing. That is gross. Would be a good time to open something sticky - jam, honey.</p>
<p>You’re a braver person than I am, Binx. These days, there is so much stranger anxiety, I am very cautious in my interactions with other folks’ kids. I do know how to make amazing things by folding paper that I can & do give kids but my purse is already stuffed to the gills. Paper I can always find–tearing up the airline magazine will do.</p>
<p>You are right that people are very reluctant to offer assistance. I notice that also when I travel with O2–none of the flight crew or anyone else offers to help at all. They all seem to avert their eyes and then berate me near the end of the flight because I didn’t let the right person know I had an O2 concentrator (after advising them when I made reservations, when I checked in at the ticket counter, again at the gate, when I pre-boarded, when I entered the plane–not sure when else they wanted me to notify yet another employee).</p>
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<p>Agreed swimcatsmom - H took a job several states away from both families when our kids were 2 1/2 and an infant. We had no choice but to fly; we couldn’t exactly sit around and decline job offers out of consideration for those who wouldn’t want our kids on their plane flight. That being said, I constantly entertained my kids while on flights. If I wasn’t handing them finger food, we were coloring, or reading, or whatever. I never used it as a time to sit back and enjoy the view. I remember some of my most exhausting times as a parent were during travel, because I stepped it up a notch to make sure my kids weren’t infringing on the travel experience of others. I also nursed my kids much longer than the usual, and that was ALWAYS a sure fire way to calm them down if all other tactics failed. I became more and more comfortable flying with them because of the positive feedback I’d get when we arrived at our destination - yes, comments from other passengers who noted how well-behaved my kids were. I don’t know if it was so much well-behaved, as it was a well-trained mom!</p>
<p>There are many situations where you can’t avoid not to fly (unless you are willing to miss out on family events). People get married, people die, people graduate, etc.</p>
<p>binx-
That is awful that no one lent you a hand. Problem is, you were the wrong gender. My H had to fly once with the kids when they were very young (I was at a conference and we were meeting up-- he had the kids). Apparently he must have looked pitiful (well, that’s his story and he’s sticking to it!) as apparently there were lots of women willing to offer him a hand. The kids were well behaved-- he just had a lot to juggle, as did you. Interestign that peopel were willing to help what looked like a single dad, but not a single mom (single on the flight, that is),</p>
<p>Swimcatsmom-
I hadn’t thought about finding a sticky, food-based “hair gel” , but the thought of tying her hair into a knot did cross my mind…</p>
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<p>Good luck with that one.</p>
<p>Although, true, snapping eyeshades, etc. is definitely not a good thing! </p>
<p>On the few trips w/my kids (at one year old, 7 years old, and older) I was fortunate that they were quiet and unobtrustive (they are generally quiet kids). I just wonder about people who roll eyes/loudly complain re: crying babies/toddlers or fidgety kids (who aren’t being hurtful to other passengers) – they are just kids. You can’t expect perfection.</p>