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I always figured it was a good idea to keep my kid quiet. You never know when 4 hours of shrieking will push some irate passenger over the edge and cause him to strangle your little darling. It's much safer for the child to teach him some manners.
Children should be given a children's decongestant before flying and a mild painkiller (aspirin sort of thing) to help with the pain in their ears.
It's beyond me why all the modern fancy science can't figure out how to pressurize an airplane to the point that it doesn't cause severe agony. I don't have any problem understanding why kids cry on take off an landing. They should, however, be quiet the rest of the flight.
Bringing medicine into this is not the answer to all unwanted child behavior. What if you told your boss to take a pill because he gave you unwanted, but approved (in his rights) behavior? Hehe..
I just endured a horrific southwest airline flight filled with screaming crying kids who would not shut up. All the mother did was "shhhh". Does that qualify as sufficient these days? What obligation do these parents have for the other passengers? Or do they? Should they leave the kids at home?
Leave the kids at home with whom for what reason?
It is a bit tough to go on a family vacation when leaving part of the family at home.
It is also tough to take the grand children to visit with grand parents when the children are left at home.
It is also tough to have all of your material possessions going across the country on a truck because you are moving and decided to take the children on a plane when you leave the children at the home you no longer own.
It is best if parents do try to quiet their children and keep them entertained however, that is not always possible and parents are not required to leave their children at home just because you think they should.
I find it easier to fly very late night or very early morning and I have never encountered any children on the flights I take during those hours.
It is always nice and quiet and not very many other passengers either.
Leave the kids at home with whom for what reason?
It is a bit tough to go on a family vacation when leaving part of the family at home.
It is also tough to take the grand children to visit with grand parents when the children are left at home.
It is also tough to have all of your material possessions going across the country on a truck because you are moving and decided to take the children on a plane when you leave the children at the home you no longer own.
It is best if parents do try to quiet their children and keep them entertained however, that is not always possible and parents are not required to leave their children at home just because you think they should.
I find it easier to fly very late night or very early morning and I have never encountered any children on the flights I take during those hours.
It is always nice and quiet and not very many other passengers either.
Young kids' ears pop rather painfully when planes descend. If that was the cause of the crying, there really isn't much that the parents could do about it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Murk
Sometimes the pressure from flying hurts kids ears and, especially if they're young and can't consciously do things to help alleviate the pressure, it just keeps hurting.
Prevention is key! And yes, there are SEVERAL different things you can do to alleviate the pain.
By sucking on something (like a breast or a bottle), babies avoid that awful feeling. Chewing gum helps, too. Then there's the valsava maneuver (hold your mouth and nose closed and blow) and the Frenzel maneuver (pinch your nose, put the tip of your tongue on the back of your front teeth, and swallow with your mouth closed).
Quote:
Another reader, Marianne, suggested the following approach, which is similar but less expensive. "Ask the flight attendant to bring you two Styrofoam coffee cups stuffed with very hot wet paper towels. You put the cups over your ears before descent begins. You can't carry on a conversation and you feel kind of dumb but it works."
We haven't seen research showing how effective this approach is, but anyone who tries it should use just one paper towel stuffed into the bottom of each cup so that there is no danger of burns from hot water. Make sure that the paper towels have soaked every last drop so that no hot water can drip on a child's ears.
EarPlanes seem to help a lot of people, as well as wearing headphones.
Carry some lozenges in your pocket & start sucking on one when they announce to get to your seat & tighten the seat belts. This act of sucking will open your air-passage from your ear to you mouth. This passage will equalize the pressure in your ear & eliminate the pain.
Taking a decongestant, such as Sudafed, Claritin, etc. helps, too (about 45 minutes before take-off).
Of course, these methods should start before they close the cabin door because that's when the pressurizing begins.
Prevention is key! And yes, there are SEVERAL different things you can do to alleviate the pain.
By sucking on something (like a breast or a bottle), babies avoid that awful feeling. Chewing gum helps, too. Then there's the valsava maneuver (hold your mouth and nose closed and blow) and the Frenzel maneuver (pinch your nose, put the tip of your tongue on the back of your front teeth, and swallow with your mouth closed).
EarPlanes seem to help a lot of people, as well as wearing headphones.
Carry some lozenges in your pocket & start sucking on one when they announce to get to your seat & tighten the seat belts. This act of sucking will open your air-passage from your ear to you mouth. This passage will equalize the pressure in your ear & eliminate the pain.
Taking a decongestant, such as Sudafed, Claritin, etc. helps, too (about 45 minutes before take-off).
Of course, these methods should start before they close the cabin door because that's when the pressurizing begins.
Chewing gum always helped me when I was little, and flying
I have never been on a plane, dont plan to ever. Id rather drive to get where ever life takes me. I know my 6yr old would likely be the one kid screaming. I cant say i wouldnt be freaking out too. Its a little unnerving to be high in the air and not in control I imagine. Forget coloring books when all you see is clouds.
I have never been on a plane, dont plan to ever. Id rather drive to get where ever life takes me. I know my 6yr old would likely be the one kid screaming. I cant say i wouldnt be freaking out too. Its a little unnerving to be high in the air and not in control I imagine. Forget coloring books when all you see is clouds.
Hello, Ohioan!
Yes, it is quite the experience, but I will tell you this. Sometimes, I wish there would be an electable seating function on airplanes. I would feel a lot better.
I just endured a horrific southwest airline flight filled with screaming crying kids who would not shut up. All the mother did was "shhhh". Does that qualify as sufficient these days? What obligation do these parents have for the other passengers? Or do they? Should they leave the kids at home?
How old were the kids and was she sufficiently trying to quiet them? When my kid was young I tried to keep her as quiet as possible because I didn't want other people to have to deal. She was actually a good traveler, but you have to realize a huge part of it is their ears. We (adults) can try to pop them, babies do it by crying. As stressful as it was for you to have a crying baby, it was probably more stressful for the mom. They are stressed because their kid is in stress, and they also know they are making other passengers uncomfortable.
How old were the kids and was she sufficiently trying to quiet them? When my kid was young I tried to keep her as quiet as possible because I didn't want other people to have to deal. She was actually a good traveler, but you have to realize a huge part of it is their ears. We (adults) can try to pop them, babies do it by crying. As stressful as it was for you to have a crying baby, it was probably more stressful for the mom. They are stressed because their kid is in stress, and they also know they are making other passengers uncomfortable.
I disagree. That kid was nonstop talking. What the mother should have done was to take the best to the back of the plane and sternly tell the kid thst she wasn't going to put up with it. The mother was a total failure.
I disagree. That kid was nonstop talking. What the mother should have done was to take the best to the back of the plane and sternly tell the kid thst she wasn't going to put up with it. The mother was a total failure.
No, that kind of public discipline is just going to make the mother look like a show-off because everybody is going to, or at least want to watch it. Parents seem to skew toward public punishment, which is ridiculous. That's just going to make your kid dislike, and if you do it enough, he might potentially build up some revenge-type logic (mental illness-like) and show some revenge. Ehh, doesn't sound like a such a great approach to me. Like I said, bring some that's fun for it, or as somebody else suggested, just go earlier in the morning - or - later in the night. Several alternatives that I can see right now....
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