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How To Survive A Flight Full Of Kids

18/7/2012

 

Traveling with children can be a delight... or a disaster! 

Drawing of a screaming child on an airplane
Image linked from http://alliwaw.wordpress.com
Two friends of mine were flying on medium length flights across North America today. One was on a full flight with a large amount of elementary school kids. The other was held up in an airport lounge on a delayed flight with several babies around. Both were having their nerves tested - including the friend with three kids of her own at home! It made me think of my own experiences with kids on planes.
Travelling with kids on an airplane
Everything is quiet... for now!
I really believe that kids should travel. We need to do our best to raise the next generation of globe trotters and wordly citizens. As well, I also believe the majority of parents really do have the best of intentions when traveling with their kids. No one wants to have their children misbehave and few parents are oblivious to the discomfort of others. Finally, there are websites galore that detail how to make baby and kid travel a success. I’m not the best judge, not having children myself, but Journey Woman has a great selection of articles on how to have fun on the road with the little ones.
Instead, I want to focus on what happens when you are forced to spend close quarters with children (likely not your own) when you’re flying, busing, train-ing, etc… As a coffeecan financier, you want to maximize every moment on the road to have as much enjoyment and relaxation.

I've written before about different ways to make an economy flight feel more luxurious. But all those little tricks of the trade mean nothing when the child behind you is kicking your seat, or the child in front is whining and crying. It doesn't have to be intense in order to irritate the heck out of you!
On a recent trip from Vancouver to Maui, the plane was filled with newborns, babies, and toddlers. (Side note: why are so many families bringing newborns on such a big trip??) While there were no huge freakouts, there was a constant hum of family noise for the entire flight. It made me feel so restless and on-edge. Whilst disembarking, I was surprised to hear several families independently remark how “good” the babies had been. Uh, good would have been if the babies were mixing vodka tonics. They were perhaps normal, not demonic, but just normal. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Babies and kids cannot be silent and still the entire time. So what’s a girl to do?

First of all, if something is bothering you, speak up early and often. A kicking child can usually be controlled with a pleasant word to mom: “I’m sure it’s all the excitement about the big flight, but you little guy has been accidentally kicking the back of my seat. I need to catch up on my sleep. Would you mind speaking with him?” Use this even if the kicking is deliberate and the cause is malice, not excitement. If it dies down and then restarts again, speak directly to the little monster. Try “Could you be careful not to kick or hit the back of my seat? My back is sore and I need to rest to feel better.” This should be enough to guilt the kid – and parent - into better behavior.

Secondly, focus on the long-term outcome, not feeling right or entitled in the moment. It’s true that you, the well-organized, savvy traveler, should not have to pick up the (literal or figurative) slack of a chaotic family. I confess, I’ve often breezed by the struggling, disorganized parent. After all, they knew what they were getting into and we both made our choices in life, right? Well, standing firm in your principles will not clean the aisles of the plane or fetch a toy from the bin for a fussy child. If 30 seconds of your time, consideration, or good attitude means the plane will be quiet, cleared, or clean that much quicker or longer, swallow your disdain or displeasure and take one for the team.

Of course, even the most helpful traveler must have boundaries. Never hold a strangers’ baby for them – imagine if a moment of turbulence caused you to fall or stumble! Make sure the seat pockets are stocked with sick bags and call for an attendant if someone is unwell, but don’t be afraid to ask for an alternative seat if you are placed next to a barfer or even a bad cougher. Bodily fluids are crossing a line.

Finally, have a contingency plan in place for when you are stuck in an unhappy situation (kids or otherwise). Promise yourself a nice drink if you can survive the first hour cheerfully. Look through your guidebook and plan an unusual or exotic outing for surviving the second hour. If circumstances allow, walk several laps of the plane and do some yoga poses. And, if push comes to shove, make yourself a promise to invest in the commercial grade noise cancelers for the next flight. In fact, why don’t you have them already?

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cosmoHallitan link
2/4/2013 03:30:01 pm

And always pack a pair of earplugs!

Vanessa
3/4/2013 11:13:54 am

Agreed!! I'm going to look into the reviews and ratings of different high end, noise cancelling headphones.

Jessica link
1/7/2013 02:49:16 am

One of the things you can do with seat kickers is ask the parents to remove their shoes. With bare feet, kids are more aware when their toes hit the seat and will most likely be more careful.

Vanessa
1/7/2013 02:43:48 pm

Crafty! What a great idea!

Anita Mac link
23/7/2013 01:03:40 am

Funny, some flights I am able to totally drown them out (huge movie fan so ear buds are firmly planted in my ears!!) It is true, if you say something to the parents about kicking the seat issues, usually, the parents are only to happy to help, especially if you are really polite about it. I do remember flying once from LA to Toronto on what can only be described as the baby bus...one would cry and set off teh next in a symphony of screaming babies! I was beyond exhausted and soooooo frustrated (it was a red eye and those babies were not the only ones wanting to cry!). While I was mostly frustrated for myself, I have to say, I really feel for the parents who no doubt felt even worse the entire flight as their bundles of joy screamed. Luckily, we all survived! :)

Vanessa
23/7/2013 01:24:21 am

I do feel sorry for the babies on the long flights - imagine how sore their ears are - they can't help but cry!! I think airlines should invest in more comforts for all their passengers, but esp for kids. More frequent juice carts, for instance, would be a distraction for them, would help with ears/swallowing, and would be on less things for parents to have to buy and tote along.

Jeremy Jones link
5/8/2013 02:31:20 am

I was stuck on an 8 hour flight from Singapore to Tokyo with a kid a row over and one up. It was awful. The parents did nothing to calm them down and just played them videos on an iPhone as a means of entertainment (didn't work).

The next flight 2 hours after that was 14 1/2 hours from Tokyo to Newark, and I had a family in the row in front of me that fell asleep while their child was wailing. Luckily every time the kid screamed I was able to kick the seat the parents were on and wake them up.

Most of the time kids are pretty well behaved on flights, and I generally accept the mild amounts of children being children type thing. What I do not give excuses for is bad parenting!

Vanessa
6/8/2013 06:55:07 am

I agree - I don't blame the kids at all. Children have mild ear infections all the time and, when they fly, their ears must be screaming! I always try to imagine that a crying baby could be fighting a cold/ear infection that no one knows about. It's the neglectful parents that drive me crazy!

Elzbieta
7/1/2015 07:55:03 am

Just returned from Puerto Vallarta. Seated in the aisle seat next to two young boys, both parents asleep behind me. Boys, all elbows, knees, feet and mouths. A team that should have been separated if the parents had any common sense. I was so thankful that it was not a full flight and I could move.....

Vanessa
7/1/2015 08:01:42 am

Oh dear - I feel your pain! Sounds like the kids were just being kids - full of energy. But a more prudent plan would have been to have a one parent sit each each boy to keep an eye on things. Or at the very least not fall asleep - both for a courtesy to others and also for the boys' wellbeing.


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