Hellobee Boards

I haven't, though yours sounds like a nightmare! I often feel badly for parents with kids on a flight. It's not easy to keep them entertained, but if they're blatantly being rude and disturbing others like the woman did by bouncing her baby on a tray table and jostling your seat all over the place, that's a different story. The screaming crying baby? I feel terrible for the parents. You know they're trying their best and their child is just not cooperating. There's nothing anyone can do for that, and I often have real sympathy for them.

Nope. I've never heard more than occasional baby tears or toddler throwing a brief no, no, no fit. Nothing that's gone on for an extended period of time though that would actually seem disruptive.

I can think of two. One was a long haul night flight (plane boarded around midnight) most people seemed to be sleeping except the people behind us. It was a mom with 3 kids (so three seats plus a lap child). The kids were constantly whining and crying and kicking the seats. While I did feel sympathy for the mom traveling alone with three kids, I was annoyed that they kept waking me up, in addition to waking up my son and DH. The cabin lights were out and nearly everyone else was really quiet and trying to sleep. The other time was years ago when I was in my early 20s. It was a trans-Pacific flight (so 13ish hours) and one family had a baby who seemed to cry the entire time. Gah!

The only thing that really bothers me is when they listen to tablets/play noisy games without headphones. I've had some seat kickers too but that only annoys me when the parents don't try to stop it.

One time really stands out. We were on a 16 hr overnight flight from Hong Kong. There was a couple with a toddler in the row behind us. Their situation was unclear, but I remember thinking from their interactions that they had probably just adopted the child and this was really their first time as parents. It was unclear if she could speak any English at all, and I was also under the impression that she might have had some intellectual disabilities. This kid barely slept and was either screaming or kicking at our seats for almost the entire flight. 16 hours! We kept trying to sleep and it was impossible. We never said a word to the family though because they seemed to be in a really tough situation and we didn't want to make them feel worse. But we were so glad to get off that plane.

I can think of 3 times, but that's in all my years of flying, so I guess that's not too bad. I've had my fair share of awful adults on planes, too. Agree with pps that the main issue is when parents aren't even trying, so I don't even include the crying babies.

-I was about 13, and a toddler behind me was doing far more than seat kicking--they were actually digging their toes into the crack of my seat, where the bottom of the seat meats the back of the seat. So, literally putting their toes digging into my butt. I was only a kid myself, so I didn't know how to handle it--I kept turning around to stare at the parents, but they were oblivious and watching in inflight movie. The toe digging went on for hours until I grabbed the kids' toes with forcefully shoved them out of my seat.

-I had a mom was a child who didn't *seem* intellectually disabled in any way, but I guess you can't always tell. He was about 4. He wouldn't sit down in his seat and wouldn't put on a seatbelt. And so the mom gave up and let him lay on the floor. I was seated next to them and this was all during boarding. He was throwing an epic, crazy loud tantrum. The FAs started announcing the "put on seat belts and prepare for takeoff", mom didn't attempt to get the screaming child up from the floor. Didn't attempt to soothe him, didn't offer him snacks or even really talk to him. It was bizarre. The FAs came and said he had to be seated with a seat belt on. The mom sort of just threw up her hands like, "What do you expect me to do?" FA sort of tried to calm the boy, who just screamed and kicked louder. FS finally said the boy would have to sit if they wanted to stay on this flight. A second flight attendant came and brought pretzels and lured the boy back into the seat, all while the mom did nothing. The boy was restless and difficult the whole flight, but also his mom was traveling with NOTHING for him. No toys, no snacks, no drinks. She basically expected him to entertain himself with nothing to do, and then just didn't care at all to try amusing him in any way when that didn't work. Like, hello...get a pen and play Tic Tac Toe! Or play I spy! But no, she did nothing.

-last flight--long flight. Dad sat with 5 year old boy. Dad immediately put on headphones and watched back to back movies. Kid loudly played a war game on a Gameboy with the sound at full blast, shouting constantly "Get him! Just try it, I'll get you!". Like, literally shouting. Dad never told him to quiet down...this was at least 4 hours. At night, when cabin lights were off.

Only one time I can really think of. At boarding for a night time flight this little girl, maybe 4, was pitching a fit about putting on her seatbelt and delayed us a little bit (like, maybe ten minutes, max). As a childless adult, I remember judging the parents because shouldn't she be used to wearing a seatbelt in the car already?? Now I realize 1) it was probably way past her bedtime already, poor kid, and I'm sure her parents were hoping she would sleep (which she did later), and 2) no, she wouldn't be used to a car seatbelt because she would still be in a car seat and she was probably freaked out.

8 hour night flight to London. The man next to me was traveling alone with an almost 2 year old. The seat was not big enough for the two of them and the kid kicked me every 5 minutes for 8 hours straight. In retrospect I wish I had been cooler about it, the guy was trying his best (I didn't say anything but I did a lot of pointed signing and gently moving the kid's foot away from me) but it was very annoying and I was deep in infertility rage and hated anybody who dared to have a child near me.

One flight across the country (5ish hour flight) there was a dad and his 5 or 6 year old son who, based on his behavior, clearly had some disability. He seemed to me to be on the autism spectrum. He was laying in the aisle kicking and hitting my legs and basically threw a 5 hour tantrum, that I took the brunt of. The dad never apologized to me or explained. The flight attendant told the dad that he had to be in his seat (upon descent) and the dad yelled at her that he couldn't possibly force his child into a seat right now. They argued for some time and the dad ended up being allowed to hold him while the plane landed. The dad was clearly not capable of handling this child alone and probably shouldn't be traveling with him without support. I gave the benefit of the doubt that there was some emergency that forced them into the situation and I tried to be understanding but man... that sucked.

Yes, the no headphones thing drives. me. crazy. I think it's so rude. No matter how low you turn it, other people can hear it. Adults do it, too, so annoying.

The only thing that has actually gotten under my skin was incessant seat kicking where the adult did nothing to intervene. Crying doesn't bother me much; I bring headphones to drown that out.

I've had problems with obese and stinky adults but not children or babies.