Baby & Kid Stories

Tormented by Tots

November 30, 2011

in Baby & Kid Stories

It was my parents, my sister and me travelling to the Middle East from Australia (a 14 hour flight). We booked with Etihad Airways.

Now my sister was only 8 months old, so we had to sit all the way at the front with ‘the rest of the babies’ so my mum could have a bassinet. There were so many babies around it was like a childcare centre or something!

So we buckled up ready to take off. As soon as the plane started going up, the baby’s voices got louder! There was a boy who lost his dummy and wouldn’t stop crying for 14 hours straight! It was sad for the mother – she started to cry because everybody kept staring at her. My mum tried to help but he but he just kept going. Everyone got used to that kid, but there was another one sitting in the front row jumping on the seats throwing food at the row behind him. He even threw his baby brother’s nappy across the plane! It was soo funny but it got really annoying.

Each baby had its own story… Thank goodness that flight is over!

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Tagged as: children & babies, etihad airways

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Crying Baby Keeps Others Awake on a Red-Eye

July 20, 2011

in Baby & Kid Stories

Flight 8, Monday July 11,2011… HNL to DFW. Red-eye, 8 hour flight, supposed to leave at 4:55 p.m. and arrive in Dallas at 5:20 a.m. Left and arrived two hours late.

At least 10 children on the plane that are less than 5 years old. One baby in my section cried the entire time. Literally, the entire time.

This family boarded the plane late with an exorbitant amount of large carry-on luggage. As the flight attendants were trying to find overhead bin space for several of the pieces, the father insisted that the luggage had to be nearby as he would be in and out of it a lot during the flight. Other people’s luggage was moved to accommodate this family.

Sure enough, the baby cried incessantly. The father was up and down and up and down, pulling luggage out, putting it back. I felt so sorry for the people in front of them and under their luggage bins.

Anyway, no one in the immediate vicinity was able to sleep for this overnight flight. Luckily I did not have to work the following day, but the guy behind me did.

So, what is the solution to this recurring issue?

The baby was obviously having issues. The parents obviously knew it beforehand due to the father’s comment about needing to be in and out of the luggage. Yet, they still insisted on flying and subjecting the other paying passengers to their child’s crying and possible illness? Further, the parents did not even care this was an overnight flight, and that more than likely most people would like to sleep.

Is there some way we can all get along and accommodate each other’s needs politely?

Sure people with babies have a right to fly. But, other paying passengers also have a right to a somewhat calm and quiet flight.

If your child is ill, or you know will have problems flying, could you please refrain from bringing them on the plane? At least, could you please refrain from bringing them on an overnight flight where passengers will try to be sleeping?

I will say, the other 9 or so children made little noise… but, this one crying baby still made the flight intolerable for everyone around… and gave all people flying with children a bad name.

Anyway, again, is there some compromise that can be made? At least not bring sick or unruly children on a plane, and at least not bring them on overnight flights?

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Tagged as: baggage, children & babies, delay & cancellation

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Sumo Baby Tantrum

December 21, 2010

in Baby & Kid Stories

I was traveling on business and unable to obtain an upgrade with miles for the return flight from Tokyo to Detroit. So I was seated in ‘preferred economy’ at bulkhead (aka premium cattle-class). I’ve been there before and began to fear the worst as I scoped out the passengers waiting at the gate.  Muttering to myself, “I bet I will be stuck with other fat guys, like those two over there. Or no, wait, I will be stuck with that psycho lady and that paralyzed drooling guy. No wait, I will be stuck with that Japanese lady and her screaming and very huge baby… nah!”  As I was beginning to feel the anxiety of a hell-trip in the making, I immediately began to pump myself up for the adventure by setting a positive mental vibe; “No problemo, I am a globetrotter. It’s only 14 hours. No biggie. Deep breaths. Think Zen. Positive thinking. Focus. Relax. OK. I’m better. Let’s do it!”  After all, I had my brand new pair of Bose noise-canceling headphones, so I could drown out the noise at least.

No sooner did I get into my aisle seat did a small Japanese lady and a HUGE sumo-looking child enter my zone. “Sit here prease” she says kindly in an accent, bowing, with HUGE baby in arms. I get up and she plops the child into my seat, smashing my brand new Bose headphones.  As I stood in shock staring at the pulverized $300 headset, a snotty, old, and ugly Northwest FA comes up behind me and barks “Sir, you need to sit down!”

After lift-off, the FA installed one of those airplane wall-mount bassinets for the baby, taking the time to grunt, push me and jam the bassinet into place, smashing my knees and consuming the one inch of precious leg space that I had (I am 6’3”). The Japanese mother takes the behemoth child and lays him down. Within three seconds the child lets out a blood curdling roar. The screaming, choking, kicking, arching and slobbering tantrum continued for what felt like eternity. It was like watching the exorcist in real-time.  I asked the mother if the child was teething. But she didn’t understand English and just ignored the baby, and me.  The FAs were useless and offered no assistance. Typical.

Desperate, I attempted to fix the broken headphones, looking for anything to cancel the 100 dB of noise honking from the gargantuan baby, but I was not successful.  After about three hours of non-stop screaming, I asked the mother if I could help with the baby by signaling that I would hold him on my lap or hold a bottle for him. She was happy to hand him off to me.  As I leaned forward to lift the child, while still jammed in the seat at bulkhead, I heard my back pop and my left leg went numb.

The baby boy was huge. A total sumo, about 10-12 months old and at least 50 pounds. I held him up as he balanced his pudgy feet on my thighs. I smiled, tried comforting him and said in baby talk “you’re a big boyyyy, no need to cryyyy.” He stopped sniffling and began to smile and giggle. “Success!” I said to the mother. She just looked at me like more was to come.

I look back to the baby sumo and he spits a gob of slime in my face. I quickly turned him around and he arched his back in rage and slammed his head into my face, bashing my teeth. I then spin him around for a return to the bassinet and he scratched and pinched my arm reaching for my face, and the screaming tantrum became WORSE…

The mother, frustrated, was crying and got up and ran to the back of the airplane. She was gone for about 30 minutes.  The FA asked me if my ‘wife’ can assist with the baby. I informed her she wasn’t my wife. The FA said “Then pretend it’s your kid and try to quiet him down.”  Needless to say, I wasn’t going near that kid again.

So, I was stuck with a screaming sumo toddler from hell for the next 11 hours.  I kid you not, the child was a monster.  When we were in line at immigration, other passengers were congratulating me for being able to tolerate the event.  I was flattered. But I do remember, just before exiting to luggage, seeing the child in a stroller, quiet, and he just looked at me with a little evil smile…

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Tagged as: children & babies, flight attendant, northwest airlines

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Unruly Kids Ruin Flight

December 2, 2010

in Baby & Kid Stories

I recently had a 10 hour flight from Dubai. Having seen numerous children boarding the aircraft, I knew it was not going to be pleasant. Sure enough I was seated near three children. The youngest child travelling with her parents was a delight; she was very well behaved and was not heard at all.

Unfortunately there was a mother travelling with two children; two badly behaved children. The youngest screamed and yelled for most of the flight. This was not helped by the fact that the eldest bit, hit and punched the youngest regularly.

Using the in-flight entertainment did not provide any relief as the mother could be clearly heard over top of the in-flight music. For the next nine hours the passengers were entertained with cries from the mother as she yelled at her unruly children even though our flight left at midnight. Delightful.

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Pooptastrophe on Plane

November 21, 2010 Baby & Kid Stories

When I got to the airport, people told me I was “brave” for flying alone with two kids.  I wasn’t sure if I was more brave or stupid, but either way I was flying halfway across the US to St. Louis.  It was going to be rough because 1) Getting to my hometown is never [...]

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Baby’s Big Blue Eyes Make a Traveler Blue

October 28, 2010 Baby & Kid Stories

Here’s a different kind of kid story… On August 2, 2008 I had to fly from Houston to Milwaukee for work. While boarding the plane, there was a family with two small children and a newborn baby. Like most travelers, I hoped the children were going to be well-behaved on the five hour flight. The [...]

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Youngster’s Flight From Hell

October 1, 2010 Baby & Kid Stories

This was not what I would consider a “flight from hell” for me, just a memory I can shake off and even laugh about now. But for my 10 year old seat mate, I’m sure it was a flight from hell. This was back in June 2002 on a trip back to my home in [...]

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From the Mouths of Babes

September 29, 2010 Baby & Kid Stories

My family and I were in the back of a plane in a full cabin-width set of seats in one of those box car with wings puddle jumpers. We were in Charlottesville, VA in the middle of the summer, and the relative humidity was probably over 90%. The plane was pretty much loaded but the boarding [...]

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Seat Scammer

September 28, 2010 Baby & Kid Stories

I was flying home on a red-eye United flight from Honolulu to San Francisco. My inter-island connecting flight from Kauai on Go! Airlines was late and I barely made it to the gate on time after a mad dash from one end of the airport to the other. The flight was fully booked and the [...]

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Passenger Dislikes Kids

September 21, 2010 Baby & Kid Stories

Wednesday night my son, my husband, and I returned to Boston on the red-eye from California. Due to their current booking policies, the airline we flew on would not book all three seats together. The new policy is such that if you want to sit with someone in particular you need to pay an extra [...]

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