I’ve had it with these #!* babies on this #!* plane

rb says:

07:19am | 30/06/11

Lucky you’ve never had to fly home with baby in toe to see a parent before they pass away or some other emergancy. Some times it’s unavoidable.

Kevin says:

09:51am | 30/06/11

Can’t they be put in the cargo hold with the dogs and cats?

jay-ded says:

10:05am | 30/06/11

A lot of the time the crying is from ear-pressure.  How can you control that?

Daryl Saal says:

11:25am | 30/06/11

Was shown on a recent flight by a young mother with an infant how to control the ear pressure problem. Simple she said,  just feed them, and she proceeded to demonstrate how easy it was to feed him. Quite an interesting flight.

HT says:

11:36am | 30/06/11

As rb said, sometimes it’s unavoidable. We had a close relative passing away and had to fly across the country to say our Goodbyes with a young child. That being said, for things like holidays etc. I think it’s cruel for parents to unnecessarily take their kids on long flights. Wait until they are old enough to fly, or get them a babysitter for the week if you need a holiday.

Ben says:

11:56am | 30/06/11

“They scream, we run and do whatever it takes to make them comfortable enough so the screaming stops.”

no, many people just ignore it and don’t care who else it’s bothering. that’s the problem and why it’s come to this. kids aren’t the problem, parents who shirk their responsibilities are.

ibast says:

11:57am | 30/06/11

Had my daughter on a flight at about 12-14 months old.  She was good up until the descent, then the ear-pressure got to her.  From memory she wouldn’t take a bottle.  Anyway she screamed for the last part of the descent.  When we were still taxi-ing I released her seat belt and she stood on my lap (me still holding her with both arms) and she was distracted enough to stop screaming.
Then the hosty got on the loud speaker and insisted I put here seat belt back on.  She started screaming again.  At that point the hatred from the passenger shifted from me and my daughter to the hosty.

Rob Taylor says:

01:03pm | 30/06/11

Why don’t we all get over ourselves. Babies cry, big deal. Have we become so self absorbed that we can’t put up with babies crying. I know we think we’re all special and heaven forbid anyone who puts us out because we paid to fly. Trust me, you will get where you are going on time (tiger air excluded) and do what it is you intended to do anyway. Moral of the story, 
‘Grow up’ and exercise some patience.

Rob Taylor says:

01:03pm | 30/06/11

Why don’t we all get over ourselves. Babies cry, big deal. Have we become so self absorbed that we can’t put up with babies crying. I know we think we’re all special and heaven forbid anyone who puts us out because we paid to fly. Trust me, you will get where you are going on time (tiger air excluded) and do what it is you intended to do anyway. Moral of the story, 
‘Grow up’ and exercise some patience.

Jay says:

01:11pm | 30/06/11

I would definitely pay more not to sit next to a screaming baby. If i had a crying baby i would be feel consideration for those that have to deal with it as I understand how unbelievably annoying it is. That also goes for obese people who make my ride incredibly comfortable.  If I was large enough to occupy the space of the person sitting next to me, i would take that as my fault and have consideration for that person as i understand how annoying I have felt. Thats pretty much where it stops, crying babies and larged elbowed people. Id pay an extra $10 to not sit near either. That isnt unfair, we have our own money that we work for and our own choice to enjoy our lives with that money within reason and this is certainly within reason.

No 1 Rosie says:

01:14pm | 30/06/11

I hate screaming kids, babies included on planes, super markets, restaurants etc etc and would pay big bucks not to have to put up with uncontrollable shrilling cries from kids.

I traveled on planes with my children when they were babies and spent heaps of time preparing them for the flight. Kept them awake for as long as I could to tire them out before flying. Feed them to control ear-pressure - just keeping them happy is a must. Only travel if the baby is 100% well. Having consideration for others should be No 1 priority and if baby has a cold or teething DON’T TRAVEL.

It can be done, I have done it and have also flown with other Mum’s whose babies never carried on like big fat greasy pork chops. It is not our right as Mum’s to put others through the dreadful constant screaming of kids in any public place.

Hillbilly says:

02:29pm | 30/06/11

I agree Rosie. I travelled to England when my son was 6 months old, and I was very aware of everyone else in our small metal travelling box. I kept him topped up with Fenergan which worked a treat, and fed him when he got grizzly as the ear pressure built up. At the end of our flight I was even congratulated by another passenger as to how well behaved my baby was! I just said thankyou, and didn’t tell her I drugged my child.

Coop says:

02:50pm | 30/06/11

Proper earphones / protection.
Can I get a discount for sitting next to one?

Tracey Heffernan says:

03:23pm | 30/06/11

atthepub is absolutely spot on.  I have raised four kids, taken them all over the world with me BUT not until they could cope with it. Its not being intolerant to want to enjoy your holiday/trip from the time it commences ie on the plane (for me in the airport lounge!!!). It is selfish parents who think the world should accommodate them and their clearly distressed child that are being intolerant. Society does not owe you because you have chosen to be a parent.  Remember that!

Jason says:

03:50pm | 30/06/11

Tracey - you are truly wise!

Parent says:

04:32pm | 30/06/11

I am fortunate that I took both my children on a plane from Sydney to Perth and they both slept soon after take off and woke again on landing. My son was 2 and my daughter was about 8 mths old, gratefully we had the cot seats.

On another flight a baby was screaming (not mine) and couldn’t be comforted, the hostess took the baby and walked up and down the isle for about 1/2 an hour with it. When it fell asleep, she handed it back to the parents. She was fantastic. If only hosties and passengers were more patient. That was a Virgin flight. Would never happen on Onestar. Nobody knows the personal situation of the family flying with the baby and have every right to be on the plane as the snob whinging about the noise.

The more annoying thing than babies crying is people who put their seats back or put their feet in the back of your chair.

Liz says:

06:04pm | 30/06/11

What rb said. We have no relatives in Australia. They all live in Europe. They’re getting older. We’re trying to see them once in a while but in general wait until the kids are in the toddler stage rather than still babies. That said, if I were told my mother/father/sister etc was about to pass away, I would fly even with a young baby.

And I don’t know about you but the descent in an airplane is literally total agony for me. Every single time. I want to curl up in a corner where I wait for my head to slowly implode whilst screaming at a high pitched voice. Now, I as a grown up have the self-control to keep quiet and composed through it all but children don’t have that yet. Yes, I hate children’s screaming ... anywhere, not just on the plane. But, because I know first hand just how painful the descent can be, I just put up with it as it’s the only way how small kids can express their suffering. It’s not going to last for ever.

Concerned says:

06:10pm | 30/06/11

@ Hillbilly: You gave your 6 months old Fenergan even though it expressly warns about the use of that stuff in the under 2 year olds, citing breathing problems and even the risk of death? Wow. You must’ve been desperate to fly.

ABF says:

06:49pm | 30/06/11

Rob Taylor for PM!

Nokidsforme says:

06:50pm | 30/06/11

@ Parent

Wow. My first reaction is how dare those parents take up a flight attendants time doing THEIR job? 
Great work by the attendant, but what has happened to parents that she had to?!

RM says:

07:18pm | 30/06/11

Rosie, whilst I agree that yes consideration for others is important and you DO YOUR BEST to keep you child content and under control, sorry but others consideration is not my no.1 priority at all….my child is my no. 1 priority, and whilst I will do everything in my power to control them sometimes it is not always successful.  You did well and had a good outcome, well done, but don’t be quick to judge those who perhaps don’t succeed as lacking consideration.  On the whole though the above conversation is hilarious hahaha!

John Dark says:

07:51pm | 30/06/11

Babies are a big noise at one end and a complete lack of responsibility at the other.

Lisa H. says:

01:42am | 01/07/11

John Dark, that’s a Ronald Reagan quote isn’t it: Government is like a baby. An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/r/ronaldreag109937.html

on topic, I’m a parent who WOULD fly with small children if I had to or (shock) even just wanted to… who can judge what is or is not an important reason to fly with children?
but
... if people could choose to fly child-free, I would feel a bit better when my darling arcs up half an hour into the flight… after all, they did at least have an opportunity to escape the mental hell my toddler is creating…

atthepub says:

05:08am | 01/07/11

Bottom line? Do we not want to sit next to person of different race or sex? Is not quite the same thing. Being forced to sit next to a baby who is screaming uncontrollably is being forced to sit next to a baby who is being abused whilst not being allowed to do anything about it.

Don’t put babies in a situation where you’re not able to control their discomfort. Society seems to think that babies cry, suck it up. Well no, actually they cry because they’re hungry, tired, thirsty, cold, hot, sore. Is an alarm system. We’re supposed to sort it. A baby who is crying/screaming uncontrollable sounds like their life is being threatened and it could well be. 

Is not to be ignored. Don’t put babies and the people around them in that situation. Is very uncool.

My kids have super duper sensitive alarm systems, talking from experience.

Septimus says:

07:18am | 01/07/11

@JohnDark

So are a lot of the bloggers here…

David says:

08:56am | 01/07/11

@ ibast

That’s a long flight!

Ian says:

10:37am | 01/07/11

I dunno guys!

I once did an eight hour trip to Asia where the Chinese guy beside me sucked in a nose oyster every fifteen seconds, like I mean I counted them and he never missed a beat!

Big healthy ones from right up in his sinus and followed by a satisfying gulp as he swallow ‘em!

So do we now ban people with bad personal habits like BO, colds, disabilities or shocking eaters? Sit beside an Asian guying tucking into his rice, fingers et all, and you will start to feel your bowels rumbling very quickly ...........

And what about the passengers who slam their chair back the instant the seat belt sign goes off - like where does it stop!

I can remember the days when flying was genteel a operation with men’s suits, ladies frocks and handbags and being a gentleman or lady was what it was all about.

Now you get some back-packing yobbo, hasn’t washed in a week, thongs, wild hair, breath like the bum of a dead fox, those mongrel zippy carrier bags everywhere who collapses in the chair beside you and snores and farts for the rest of the trip.

Nope, you can’t guard against everything - evolution I think it is called!

Anubis says:

03:04pm | 01/07/11

@ Ian

“Now you get some back-packing yobbo, hasn’t washed in a week, thongs, wild hair, breath like the bum of a dead fox, those mongrel zippy carrier bags”

Don’t disparage our new Green senators like that. Not nice

Unionist says:

07:09am | 30/06/11

What do you expect from someone who is TA’s lapdog. I’m surprised she didn’t find some excuse to blame Julia Gillard.

MarK says:

09:18am | 30/06/11

“What do you expect from someone who is TA’s lapdog.”

I lol’ed.

NicoleG says:

10:51am | 30/06/11

Well Gary, I beg to differ. Unlike a shit load of people, Tory is honest and tells it how it is. I like that. You know exactly where you stand. And Unionist (aka Rob r Charteris), TA’s lap dog? You have to be kidding. It’s good to see you giving that bile duct a good clean out. You sir are a numpty!

Cam says:

09:52am | 01/07/11

I was waiting for the first wanker to somehow bring Tony Abbott into a story about crying children on planes… congratulations Unionist you are that wanker!

C1 says:

07:24am | 30/06/11

When a baby is breastfeeding, that is the best option to assist with equalisation. The sucking action serves the same purpose. I guess the same would occur with a bottle.

Fiona says:

07:35am | 30/06/11

Yes, those babies are smart that way. I’m sure a frown could bring most 4 month old babies to heel. A lot of people also used to sedate kids for plane journeys, but phenergwns been banned for the under 2s now, so sometimes you just can’t stop a baby crying for a time. Just put up with it pals. Babies are part of society. We put up with all manner of offensive things on a plane (not least the food), so live with a baby, stop benign so judgmental.

Stephy says:

08:16am | 30/06/11

C1, thanks for that. I didn’t know… might come in handy one day.

Owen says:

09:05am | 30/06/11

@Fiona - actually phenergan is still possible for your child, but you need to have a prescription… A lot of doctors will do it if you’re going on a long plane trip… probably because they’re aware of the health risks to the child if it screams the whole way on a >6hr plane trip.

I love phenergan

Suzanne says:

10:23am | 30/06/11

@Fiona…you can still get phenergan, just tell the pharmacist your child is over two and reduce the dosage.
Works a treat.

Melrusk says:

10:44am | 30/06/11

Just a suggestion, if you plan on using phenergan;
TEST IT before you fly.
I have a friend who gave her two year old a dose for a trip to Austria. She of course had a very different reaction & spun cartwheels up & down the isles for several hours.
You can imagine the resulting atmosphere for all concerned. It is not common but it does happen.

Jacasta says:

11:12am | 30/06/11

I’m a pretty considerate plane passenger, I generally don’t put my seat back or stomp around bumping sleeping people, but I’m not going to drug my baby just because it is inconvenient for the neighbour passengers. A bit of empathy goes a long way, no-one’s on a plane deliberately to offend anyone else.

Bev says:

11:13am | 30/06/11

C1 says:07:24am | 30/06/11
Yes I will endorse that approach. Also the air blast from the overhead vent can unsettle babies. Turn it off or direct it away from baby.

ag says:

12:00pm | 30/06/11

you have to practise the dosage with phernegan…a bit too much or a bit too little and it has the opposite effect and they go hyper

Rod Souza says:

12:37pm | 30/06/11

A simple technique is to feed the baby. Bottle or breast. Every baby is born knowing how to swallow milk.

Fiona says:

06:18pm | 30/06/11

I can’t believe there were so many typos in the last post….
A word of warning about phenergan. It can occasionally cause the opposite reaction to what you hope for, with junior hyperactive and potentially running up and down the aisles, screaming like a banshee. It used to be used as a relaxant for kids before anaesthetics, but I’ve seen kids going apeshit on the stuff. You’ve been warned…...

adolon says:

09:45pm | 30/06/11

@Suzanne: Please don’t try to second guess the TGA’s ruling on Phenergan. There’s reasons why they rescheduled the use of it in children under two to Prescription Only status, and I’ll thank you not to tell people otherwise. Leave it in the hands of people who are qualified to make those judgements.

Fona says:

06:16pm | 01/07/11

Don’t worry Adalon. Apart from the fact that my youngest is 7, what Suzanne doesn’t know is that I probably knew about that before suzanne did and why, due to the fact that my job involves nursing kids.

adolon says:

02:22pm | 03/07/11

Fiona, Suzanne: I’m sorry, there was no need on my part for the aggro. I work in and study Pharmacy, and I should know better than to talk like that. *sigh* It freaked me out a little, that’s all.

Unionist says:

07:05am | 30/06/11

I guess we all know what the “B” stands for, maybe you should just not fly if your so willing to impede on someone who cannot defend themselves. I’d be willing to bet you’d steal the lollypop too.

rb says:

07:23am | 30/06/11

I wonder what all the mums before planes were invented did?
They caught trains like everyone else. Twice the amount of time with same crying baby. Back then it was probably you doing the crying.

Retired Soldier says:

07:42am | 30/06/11

Screaming babies and their incompetent mothers should wait until they learn how to parent before they fly. The babies are bad enough but what is worse is the older child with a couple of parents who are their best friends and who allow them to run riot on planes in lounges and anywhere else their feet happen to land. These are the nightmares that should be banned from flying. As for banning them in first class, that’s OK but what about those of us in Business who now have to put up with undisciplined and out of control kids that run riot because their bloody lazy overpaid parents are unable to teach them manners, respect for others and common sense. I guess it is hard to do that when you are from Generation Y, a mob of selfish and ignorant people who generally only have children for the government paycheck that comes with each of them.

Septimus says:

07:48am | 30/06/11

You are aware that reproduction is necessary for the survival of the species?

a fed up mother says:

08:02am | 30/06/11

seriously!  “unfortunately because you have chosen to have kids”, that is the entire purpose of life.  Yes, kids crying can be an annoyance, yes, parents do not always adequately parent, but you go too far. 

My in-laws are all in the USA, my husband have a right to visit them, and I have no intention of leaving my child behind for a few weeks.  I do all I can not to bother others, but quite frankly, grow up!  Travel is not fun, you have snoring passengers, passengers with BO, those who take too much space, passengers who don’t seem to have volume control and the list goes on…. stop attacking parents.

Plain Jane says:

08:09am | 30/06/11

With you B. Once again some selfish women want it all their way, too bad for the rest of the world. ~ `I want to be happy, do what I want to do do, too bad the rest of you`. . Much as most us love a cute babe the small enclosed quarters of an aeroplane thousands of metres above earth is no place for a babe especially a shrieking one. One shrieking babe or kids out of control is recipe of chaotic nightmare for everyone within immediate or hearing range. The tension and discomfort caused is immense, and removal of said racket restores order, simple as that.  I feel sorry for the staff too , they can’t possibly think straight , with screeching disorder and a hundred discomforted passengers glaring at them… message being do something…give the babe a dose of Phenergan and shut it up. Unless there is death or health purpose no need for babe air travel,  Mums can holiday locally, and family and friends can visit them , nothing wrong with that.

DaveLister says:

08:34am | 30/06/11

@a fed up mother…‘seriously!  “unfortunately because you have chosen to have kids”, that is the entire purpose of life. ... If that’s the only way you find any purpose in life you’re going to have trouble in the empty nesting stage. Although it’s now common for kids to leave home in their 30’s.

Phil says:

08:47am | 30/06/11

@a fed up mother
I can only guess you are American or have the “stupid” American gene somewhere in you with comments like
“My in-laws are all in the USA, my husband have a right to visit them”

You have a right to visit them? Quickly call the U.N! someones trying to rob you of your rights…

No one is trying to say you cant travel with your infant, it was more about making you aware how it can really p!ss people off when traveling and you’re not the only one on the plane as once people have kids their level of selfishness and not caring about how their kids affect others goes up about 500%
Just because you’ve become immune to the sound of your kids doesn’t mean the rest of us have.

Michael says:

08:50am | 30/06/11

Do you have any idea how many situations a child or infant may find stressful?....good parent? lol.

Don’t take the high road, take any road you think best represents you as a being, is being judgemental of parents the high road?

Tubesteak says:

08:54am | 30/06/11

“B” has nailed it.

Don’t fly or travel with young kids unless you can do it in your own car. It’s the height of selfishness to inflict them on adults.

When parents are so inconsiderate that they allow their little darlings to annoy others I fight back.

I teach their little darlings a little ditty I call “The Fuck Song”. Hearing a toddler saying a lot of swear words mortifies them. I get my revenge.

If they are too young then I cough on them. My immune system is strong enough to not be bothered by most things but I can guarantee a child’s isn’t. What I’m carrying may not do much to me but it’ll put them down for days.

Again, I win. Don’t mess with me and don’t annoy me.

N8 says:

08:54am | 30/06/11

B, Retired Soldier & Plain Jane - I find all of you annoying, and don’t want to sit next to you on a plane. Rather than take the high road myself I think you should be forced to only sit in a segregated “common folk” section of the plane. Hmmm, while I have my racist bigot hat on, Tory you have to be in there too, don’t like them lefties, as well as all foreigners and black people. Ant? Nope, don’t like people named Anthony, so you have to be segregated to. Hmmm, who else? Asian people? Gone. Anyone who has visited the Middle East is in there too and don’t get me started on people who don’t speak English. I only want the right type of people sitting next to me. In fact, why don’t we extend this concept to bars, restaurants and busses? And let’s not let certain people have certain types of jobs, and we’ll lower people’s pay rate just because they are a woman.

You know what people? The 50s called and they want their attitudes back. People have fought and died to try to banish segregation from our society, but forcing someone to sit in a certain area just because you find them inconvenient is exactly how this crap started last time around. If you don’t like sitting next to someone on a plane suck it up or get off the plane.

Suzanne says:

09:11am | 30/06/11

I guess I’ll just tell my dad he can’t see his grandaughter then because she *might* cry.

FYI - Not every baby cries on a plane. I’ve flown to Ireland twice with my daughter, when she was 11 weeks old and when she was 14 months old and she didn’t cry on any of the 6 separate flights we had to take. If a baby is crying it’s because there’s something wrong, they don’t do it just to annoy you and disturb your reading of Cosmo. How about some compassion for your fellow human beings instead of whinging about how terribly their existance is impacting on you.

Oh wait…I forgot this is Australia, where caring and compassion have long been forgotten.

@Phil…parents are well aware of how hard it is to listen to a crying baby. We weren’t always parents, we were all childless at one stage and still had to deal with listening to other peoples kids. It’s called life, deal with it

Gavin Hodge says:

10:39am | 30/06/11

Ah retired soldier, I was waiting for the Gen Y attack. That same Gen Y who will be working for your pension. Or if you are a retired soldier, your DVA pension. Ten HUT!!!

AP says:

10:52am | 30/06/11

So many references to ‘the mother’, have we forgotten that there are two parent’s?

Sure some parents don’t try to control their children when they are annoying everybody else, but there are also a lot of other annoying people out there.

On a plane, on my honeymoon, I got stuck sitting near someone with a frequent gas problem. We were in business class. It was horrible, but then, I choose to fly and by choosing to put myself in a confined space with so many others does mean ‘putting up with other people’s nuisances’

Get over yourselves, I’m sure there are many people who wouldn’t like to sit near you on a plane but get stuck with it anyway.

It’s the price you pay for getting to your destination quicker.

James1 says:

11:07am | 30/06/11

I wonder which generation raised Retired Soldier?  Whichever generation it was, they did a terrible job, because they have raised an arrogant, rude, cranky and sanctimonious man.  As a Gen Y parent, I will endeavour to avoid such mistakes in raising my own child, and break the bad habits of previous generations.

Kevin says:

11:20am | 30/06/11

There used to be a good solution - it was called the smoking section.  Parents with children made sure they were well away from it.  The downside was that after a 20 hour flight, you came off the plane smelling like you’d just showered in bong water.

Shane says:

11:40am | 30/06/11

What a fair dinkum moronic thing to say.

Firstly, you’d have no idea what a “good parent” would or wouldn’t do, because clearly you are not one.  Judging by your ignorant and ill-considered rant, you are not even a good person, let alone parent.  So best you leave judgments about good parenting to others who might have a clue on the subject.

My wife was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year and had to fly interstate for treatment for several weeks at extremely short notice.  We had a six month old, who of course came with us.  For the record, he was quite well behaved, only crying occassionally when he needed something.  The poor mother across the aisle unfortunately had a much harder time settling her child despite trying everything to get the poor overtired boy to sleep.

If I have to put up with reading ignorant rants like yours on the interwebs, you can put up with babies on planes.  Or just crawl back in your hole until you’re ready to re-join society.

Demoman says:

11:45am | 30/06/11

There is no such thing as “human rights”, merely rights granted to you by the state. The state does not guarantee the “right” to fly a plane without being disturbed by babies.

Airlines allow parents with young children on their planes and it is their prerogative to do so. If you are unhappy with the customer base the airline chooses to cater to, I suggest you start your own airline and cater to the single childless crowd if it is economically viable to do so. I would imagine that a large proportion of those flying are parents themselves and the volume of ticket sales created by them actually helps reduce ticket prices.

I hate flying as I am tall and find it uncomfortable. I have endured more flight travel induced irritation than most people. Yet instead of whinging about how horrible it is I just shrug my shoulders and regard it as a character building exercise. Babies annoy me in the same way but I certainly don’t begrudge parents for wanting to travel with them.

So unless you want to go back to the days of only the wealthy flying in order to realise the critically important dream of “no children” on planes I suggest people just stfu.

Brent M says:

12:09pm | 30/06/11

Tubesteak - even if you were only making those comments to get a bite, you are pathetic.  If you would actually do any of those things, I can only hope that you get spotted by the child’s parents and get the punch in the head that you deserve.

fiona says:

01:16pm | 30/06/11

“Any good parent would not put their child in a situation that is volatile, and stressful for the child.  Like an aeroplane.”

What a croc of SH#%....

How is being on an aeroplane stressful?  My kids have been flying long haul 2 or 3 times a year since they were born.  We live overseas and have relatives in Australia and Europe.  Should my kids never see their family because of my husband’s work predicament?  They fly so often that they could probably do the hostie’s job of in-flight safety (well - recite the videos they show - in english and Arabic!)  From their first flight - as one was born overseas - at 4 months there were no issues.  NO DRUGS either!  The sucking reflex needs to be stimulated on change in pressure.  For babies that means breast/bottle feed, for slightly older maybe water or a Chupa-Chup.

I also wonder what kind of “Good Parent” would go away on a holiday ” 2.  Get someone (a relative for example) to watch the child while your away.”  Holidays are a family time.

Tubesteak says:

01:32pm | 30/06/11

Brent M
That would get them kicked off the plane and would only increase my satisfaction as it means these tools got the comeuppance they deserved. Plus it may invite an even more violent retaliation from me, depending on mood.

Stunned says:

02:14pm | 30/06/11

Dear B & Retired Soldier,

I think you should try meditation…or maybe you are the ones who should be medicated to take a flight.

You’re not incompetent if you can’t stop your baby from crying.

I’m with N8.

kate says:

02:19pm | 30/06/11

I particularly love the comment that parents should instead leave their kids at home when they go on holiday (to visit family which is the only reason sane parents will fly with young children).  ... the pinnacle of excellent parenting right there.
You know what makes me partiularly unhappy and uncomfortable on flights.  The grumps of this world who mutter under their breath curses, complain, and be constantly rude.  Thats right intolerance really bugs me….. It always has.  I would much rather hear a screaming kid than have to sit in the same aircraft as some crank.  It embarrasses me terribly.  It’s the absolute pits.
It’s not like flying is the most premium experience ever is it?  How can a crying child really destroy your inflight experience? All long haul is un-fun with or without the kids.  Stick the headphones in your ears, have a couple of drinks, read a novel, and stop being miserable.  You will be at your destination soon.

Motheroffour says:

03:33pm | 30/06/11

Retired Soldier I couldn’t agree more. I have personally never understood why parents think that other people are remotely interested in their precocious, ill tempered, bad mannered little darlings. Newsflash - they aren’t cute and you aren’t doing them any favours giving them no boundaries, particularly in an enclosed space like a plane. If you or they can’t cope with boundaries DON’T FLY!!!!

Migrant says:

06:17pm | 30/06/11

Dear B,

All those mums before planes were invented (as well as their husbands) would have missed out on perhaps saying their final goodbyes to an ailing relative because travel took too long.

Whilst I wouldn’t want to drag a very young child all across the world on a holiday (already for my own sake), I would do so for a family emergency or perhaps even a special wedding without a second thought.

Also, dear B, some of us are actually migrants to this country with all their family still abroad. If I want/need to go somewhere, my kids come with me. I will not leave them with strangers.

Fiona says:

06:37pm | 30/06/11

Retired soldier and Tubesteak, typical agressive, unsympathetic responses. I’d rather not sit next to people like you. Most parents are acutely aware of the attitudes of your type. Agreed with N8.
fiona, your post gave me a good laugh (the bit about the inflight safety demo), good work.

Ellen says:

11:20am | 03/07/11

Why is it okay for people to say “stay at home” to parents, yet completely unacceptable for parents to say, for example, that the childless are cold and weird? It’s not that I even think that, but I might start saying it if it manages to shut people up for a second or two.

jay-ded says:

10:19am | 30/06/11

Well said John C.  Couldn’t agree more.

fairsfair says:

10:38am | 30/06/11

I agree too John C, but I also agree with the airline’s choice. Clearly they have identified a market and clearly there are people out there who are willing to pay to ensure that there are no children near them. I see no issue with either argument so I agree - everyone just need to accept and move on.

Brett says:

03:12pm | 30/06/11

However John they are talking about only FIRST CLASS, not cattle class. So none of those regular problems are a problem to the first passenger, even a person with bad BO would be told quietly to fix it up in first. Toilet trips are fine since you have your own aisle access. However the complaint is purely with babies. If you paid over $10k for a seat on a plane I bet you wouldn’t want a baby to scream while you eat your caviar either. I wouldn’t. Other times its high level businessmen who are expected to sleep (hence given first or business seats) and be fresh upon landing so they can work straight away with no jet lag. If in cattle class then so be it, deal with it, in first this just sucks. The airline has identified this and chosen to annoy the one paying mother for the sake of the 12 paying businessmen who keep the airline afloat.

Stephy says:

08:21am | 30/06/11

Phil, I agree, and that comment to B had me chuckling. True!

Jesslyn says:

06:56pm | 30/06/11

@ Phil

So why not give those whingers the option to get on a different, non-baby plane to you? The arguement is not “Should kids be allowed to fly?”, it is “should people be allowed to pay for non-baby flights?”.
I have to say, if you’re bloody paying for it, why not have the option to choose?

Front of the plain says:

08:46pm | 01/07/11

How much do you pay for kids under 2 to fly, by the way?

Septimus says:

08:07am | 30/06/11

For yourself Tim?

Tim says:

10:41am | 30/06/11

Don’t be silly Septimus,
I use Rohypnol on myself.
No way are the kiddies getting the good stuff.

NicoleG says:

10:56am | 30/06/11

OMG Tim!!! Rohypnol is illegal these days. Tell me where to get it!

bella starkey says:

11:24am | 30/06/11

You can get it on prescription, NicoleG. It’s not illegal unless you have it without a script or you onsell it like oxies or methadone.

Septimus says:

12:29pm | 30/06/11

Thanks to the Punch for giving the our drug affected retards something to do in the day.

NicoleG says:

12:43pm | 30/06/11

Actually Septimus, I only asked so I could lace the drinks of all the whinging, whining, intolerant sooks on this thread. I have three kids, so I’m well and truly used to screaming kids. You learn to just adjust to it.

Brett says:

03:18pm | 30/06/11

And right there is the problem NicoleG. You become used to it, you switch off to the noise your kids make, all parents do it, its natural. But for those without kids, or even your kids, we hear ALL of it and its freaking annoying!!!

Septimus says:

05:14pm | 30/06/11

You weren’t a kid yourself at any time Brett?  Did you skip that part?  Are you able to see the stupidity of your statement?

Kika says:

09:37am | 01/07/11

Or when the drinks cart come around they should offer a nip of phenergyn to the babies to help them ‘settle in’

Macca says:

09:08am | 30/06/11

Disagree, I’m with Ant on this one. We should all be more mindful and tolerant of each other and if you can’t bear a 3 hour flight to Fiji due to the noise of an infant you’ve got bigger problems than a temporarily spoiled holiday.

dancan says:

11:54am | 30/06/11

@ Macca - how about a 10.5 hour overnight flight from japan to sydney with 3 screaming babies and 2 kids behind me kicking the chairs, runnnig around, climbing over everything.

Knemon says:

11:31am | 30/06/11

Reminds me of a horror flight I had once from LA to Sydney, 10 hours with two non stop crying kids in my row, that was 2008 and I haven’t got on a plane since. It was hell that turned me off flying for life.

Adelaide says:

01:04pm | 30/06/11

Yes I’m with you and Tory too get them AWAY from Business class too. The only thing that might be worse is someone banging on their life story on a mobile phone. (fortunately I think most planes you have to turn mobiles off) It shouldn’t be just babies either any kid under the age of 18 cause you have the 2-4 year olds that squeal, the 5-12 year olds that complain are we there yet? or I’m bored or they start kicking the chair in front of them. Then the 13-18 year olds well they’re just plain annoying.

AFR says:

08:42am | 30/06/11

If Ant is such a good parent what is he doing feeding his kids the dirty bird?

MichaelM says:

10:43am | 30/06/11

You need to eat low-brow sometimes, AFR. Culinary experiences and all that jazz.

DaveLister says:

08:35am | 30/06/11

Are my sensors detecting a bit of the ‘it takes a village to bring up a child’ kind of thing?

Janey says:

08:35am | 30/06/11

Your story reminds me of when I was almost due to give birth in WA Mahrat.  I had taken my 4 year old to the beach and it was getting dark around 8.30pm.  2 little boys were alone and crying and the smaller one had sand in his eyes, so I approached them and offered to take them home.
When I got the kids home in the dark, their mother opened my car door and started punching me in the face.
I don’t give other people’s kids a sideways glance now in public.

Phil says:

08:39am | 30/06/11

Im not interested in looking after kids on a flight, I dont have any so why would i want to take care of someone elses because they are a bad parent?

Im a +1 for Tory, having done a few flights, the most horrific was a Perth to Sydney where there were no less than 5 babies which THE WHOLE FLIGHT were crying, one started the other, as one would quieten down the other would wind up until just before landing they were all going at it like some sort of evil choir.

Maybe limit the number of infants per flight? I thought they had to do this anyway due to the limited quantity of safety vests \ capsules for infants?

Others are pre-teen kids whos parents just dont care and let them run up and down and back swapping seats with an other family member on the flight scattered throughout the aircraft.

A says:

08:45am | 30/06/11

Hi Mahrat - I agree with you 110%!!

I actually did this on a plane. A couple had their 18 month old with them and you could see the pain in their eyes when their child would not stop crying. On my way back from the ladies’ room (I was sitting in front of them), I asked the parents if they wanted a breather and I’d play with their child. Ended up reading the magazine, playing a few kiddie games and she eventually calmed down. Parents were happy, child was happy and the flight ended up being pretty peaceful all round.

Precious Tory - sucks being an adult and having to deal with the pressures of the world. Hope it wasn’t too arduous deciding on whether you should apply the pink or the red nail polish today. These are the big issues after all…

Mahhrat says:

10:18am | 30/06/11

@DaveLister - No mate, it just takes us not walking around with our noses either up in the air or down in the trough.  Despite what the people who have “It All Figured Out” think, they’re exactly one decent “Shit Happens” from being part of the great dumpster of life they like to try and ignore.

@Janey, what on earth were you thinking taking another person’s kids anywhere?! I get it’s late ‘n all, but gee whizz I’d probably be after blood too!  Why not stay with the kids, make sure they’re okay, and if you can’t find the parent you call the authorities to come get them?

@Phil, I wonder if you’d expect a doctor to help you during a flight if you suddenly had a heart attack, or prefer him to say, “I’m on my holiday, get stuffed”?

Janey says:

11:17am | 30/06/11

Well Mahrat - people like you are part of the problem in my opinion.
You would want my blood too for doing the right thing by your kids AFTER you neglected them?
These kids were on a deserted beach, on dark, and with no public phone around for me to call authorities.
I did what I thought was right for those kids at the time, and this was 15 years ago.
I do see your point however, and next time I am in that position I will simply ignore the poor bloody kids.

Kevin says:

11:17am | 30/06/11

@Mahrat
You must be female.  I would not recommend to any middle aged male that they try playing with or displaying any interest in the children of a stranger.

Mahhrat says:

11:53am | 30/06/11

@Janey, you didn’t mention any of those “convenient” facts the first time you spoke.

If I didn’t have a mobile phone and I was in that situation, I’d ask the kids where their mum was.  If they weren’t able to answer, I’d take them somewhere safe, like the local cop shop. 

Here’s a question since you’re adding to the story:  How did the parent know where you were to rock up and punch you in the face as you got out of the car?

By the way, you’re the one telling us you’d leave the kids alone on the beach now, not me.

Mahhrat says:

11:55am | 30/06/11

@Kevin, no I’m male.  While I appreciate your sentiment, I’m also very, very careful that no act I could take could be portrayed as dodgy in any way.  For example, I’d never touch a child, unless it were an emergency.

Look, it’s just common sense, and at the end of the day you have to decide on the run because each situation is different. Occasionally, you’ll piss someone off.  But that’s what I mean by soppishness now - we’d rather ignore the problem and hope it goes away than stand up to it and be responsible.

Tim the Toolman says:

01:14pm | 30/06/11

Yeah…forgive me if I’d rather not be accused of wanting to rape the kids.  They won’t even let guys sit next to unattended children these days on planes, let alone play with them.  I don’t want anything to do with anyone else’s kids, thank you.

Carly says:

07:11pm | 30/06/11

@ Mahrat

Sorry, this is NOT MY PROBLEM. What is wrong with people taking responsibility these days? Don’t allow parents to assume other people have responsibility for their children. It is NOT my problem.
No parent should have the expectation that others will look after their children. If someone kind offers, lovely for them and I’m sure the parents are relieved, but do not encourage this perception that it’s everyone else’s responsibility.

Judy says:

09:03pm | 30/06/11

Mahhrat,
I think a lot of the responses to your post just reinforce what you’re saying - so many of us are totally intolerant, totally unwilling to even entertain that there may be another way to look at a situation, and have no sense of community any more.

Like you, I don’t mind taking time to help out a parent in need. I still remember when I was about 8, having a bored Chinese man sitting nearly and teaching me to use chopsticks. It was an overnight flight and my parents were asleep. I’ve since returned the ‘favour’ teaching kids to use a knife and fork. It doesn’t hurt, someone might one day benefit from it, and it fills in a little bit of time.

As a society we’ve become very self-centred. Whether it’s the flight attendant telling a mother travelling with a baby on her knee to pick up the jar she’d accidentally dropped (not sure how she was supposed to do that while holding a baby, but it was obviously too much trouble for the attendant to bend down to pick it up) or the businessmen rushing past the elderly person struggling with their bag while shooting them dirty looks for daring to hold them up, it doesn’t say much about modern Australia.

NB - No prizes for guessing which airline it was. Here’s a hint - it wasn’t QANTAS or Virgin…

Carly says:

10:31pm | 30/06/11

@ Judy, Mahrat

No one is saying you have to be selfish and not help, and no one is saying it’s not a good thing to help. What I’m saying is that it is selfish to try to pass off your responsibility to others.
Don’t expect others to look after your baby, YOU made the choice to have a child along with all of the highs and the lows that come with a child.
When I see posts telling me how apparently horrible and selfish I am (or in Judy’s words “Intolerant” and “self-centred”), all I can think is “Wait, you’re the one putting a child in an uncomfortable situation, inadequately caring for it and expecting ME to fix things and I’M selfish?!”
I’ll offer if I see a genuinely nice, struggling person who is trying their best in a bad situation but don’t you dare try to tell me it’s my duty or obligation because it’s not.

jay-ded says:

10:36am | 30/06/11

Yeah, and maybe they should have special flights for fat ugly people.  Oh, and special flights for those with bad BO.  Or special flights for women with their strong perfumes that make me wanna puke.  There are worse things on a flight than a screaming child.

AP says:

10:39am | 30/06/11

“The breeders must demand they be allowed to do whatever they want, no matter how annoying it is to others.  Me Me Me….....”

Some people shouldn’t breed, luckily for you your parents did so you could grow up and be all Me Me Me Me…....

KH says:

01:03pm | 30/06/11

AP - kids do what they do, but I should be able to pay to avoid them.  Why not?  You can pay to have a better seat, or for special meals or for extra luggage - why not peace and quiet?  I only wish I could afford it…..
Its selfish to suggest that the comfort of others is not as important as your own - it is to them, and that is equally valid.

Mahhrat says:

01:21pm | 30/06/11

@KH you can pay to avoid them - charter your own damn plane.

Oh, but that isn’t “Reasonable”?  Well too bad, you’re the one who wants to fly solo.

Tim the Toolman says:

01:23pm | 30/06/11

“There are worse things on a flight than a screaming child. “

Only a crash…and in the case of being stuck with ear piercing screams for fourteen hours, you could make a good case that a crash would be a mercy.

John Dark says:

06:26pm | 30/06/11

Remember: Silence is golden, duct tape is silver.

Shane From Melbourne says:

12:19pm | 30/06/11

Why wouldn’t you cruise to NZ? Much nicer…...

Matthew says:

01:17pm | 30/06/11

Having children is optional nowadays and there are many ways to prevent being afflicted by this disease.

You don’t buy a motorbike and then complain that there’s no windows.

Adelaide says:

01:48pm | 30/06/11

@shane pfft they shouldn’t allow kids on Cruises either!! My husband was almost bowled over by a little brat whos parents were probably getting pissed. Yes they’re on holiday but not holiday from being a parent and doesn’t mean the other 1800 people of the ship should put up with THEIR kids!! Fortunately we’re not 50-70 year olds (which about 70-80% of people of ships are) they would’ve already been off balance due to the swell.

Get organised says:

04:34pm | 30/06/11

I’ve been flying with my children since they were infants. They have never been constant screamers. Long & short flights. Plan be organised & look after them. Give them something to suck on bottle/dummy/boob to help their ears adjust to pressure. Do the best to make them comfortable with favourite toy & blanket from home. Lots of small cheap presents to open on a long flight with new toys keeps them entertained for hours. If all else fails there is nothing wrong with giving them Phenergan to help them sleep as they often have difficulty in the noise & bright lights. Quite often when we board the plane we get the hostile glares from other passengers, those same passengers at the end of the flight are usually full of compliments for the well behaved kids.

Anubis says:

09:39am | 30/06/11

Particularly lazy arse parents who, as a result of putting their sprog into Daycare centres every available minute they can, have absolutely no parenting skills and have no respect for other people. This is where most of the fault lies - not the kids but the morons who decided to have kids for the prestige of being able to call themselves a parent (and the Baby Bonus probably helped with the decision to breed). It’s these lazy self-entitled twits who then foist the responsibility of raising, disciplining, entertaining their little brats on to society at large. (Yes I am a parent (of 4) and a grandparent so I have been through it.

Dr Venkman says:

10:03am | 30/06/11

Damn right.

No one should have to put up with f’n kids on a plane, about time parents with horrid kids showed some respect for those around them

Fiona says:

07:06pm | 30/06/11

Only a couple of wild generalisations/accusations today Anubis?

Reggie says:

10:19am | 30/06/11

Dear Jane, I am sure your antics would stop any baby from crying. Well done, you are sooooo imaginative, and all without a clown face as well.

Kika says:

09:27am | 01/07/11

Good point. And talk as loudly as you like and as much as you like, and incline your chair as much as you like. You are a human and have every right to annoy people if you are just like that. I want to bring my cat in the passenger cabin with me. If she meows and winges loudly the whole time, please people!!! Have some compassion! She’s scared!!

TWO WORDS - the 2 P’s to baby bliss - PANADOL & PHENERGYN.

Jack says:

09:41am | 30/06/11

Active noise cancelling headphones wont do anything to block a screaming baby. Due to the way they work, they are only really effective on continuous, low frequency sounds - like plane engines.

Passive (ie, ear canal designs) noise cancelling is more effective, but not everyone is comfortable with what are effectively earplugs.

People who take misbehaving children or crying babies on a plane are selfish wankers. It’s the whole bogan mentality of I PAID MAH MONEYS I CAN DO WHAT I WANT. Have some consideration for other people, jerkoff.

Reggie says:

10:48am | 30/06/11

jerkoff; How many times do you have to be told to stop wasting your money on cheap-shit and lash out of a decent set of surround phones!

Babies cry and I bet you whinged like shit when you were one ‘cos you still are. Just once .... during a landing at SF I got an ear ache that could only be described as excruciating and I remember grimacing through the agony at what this may have done to a baby.

Reggie says:

12:38pm | 30/06/11

Here, get with the flow.

http://store.apple.com/au/product/TX256VC/A?afid=p210|GSAU&cid=AOS-AU-SHOP-GOOGLE

Jack says:

01:58pm | 30/06/11

Bose? The McDonalds of audio. I’ll stick with my Westone esx3s, thankyou very much. But thanks for the ‘advice’.

‘Babies cry’ is an irrelevant argument - there is no reason for parents to subject everyone else to the noise their brat is putting out. There are plenty of restaurants who dont allow babies and toddlers; no reason that there cant be airlines who recognise that the majority of customers dont want to put up with your fat kid wailing for 12 hours straight because he wants a happy meal.

Mahhrat says:

02:54pm | 30/06/11

Actually, under the “Free Speech” you morons want to peddle, a baby has the right to cry in a public place if he/she so chooses.

You think it’s inconsiderate that a baby cry on a plane.  I think it’s inconsiderate that you think its fine to ride on a plane while there’s a homeless guy in your nearest town centre.  So what?  I’m not going to NOT take a kid on a plane to make some random ‘tard happy, and you’re not going to stop bitching about it.

Since I’m sure we’d find something, somewhere where your own habits piss people off, why don’t you realise that you are just as imperfect as the “Inconsiderate bogans” of the world, shut your yap and just get on with the fact that some days, some times, you’re just going to be shit out of luck and have a bad experience.

Jack says:

03:36pm | 30/06/11

That isnt what ‘free speech’ means, clownshoe. And either you know that and are being disingenuous, or you dont know that and you need a lesson in basic civics.

I never said it was inconsiderate of the baby to cry. It is inconsiderate of the parents to take a baby on the plane and let it cry for x hours, and thereby disturbing scores of people. Same as if I got up and started singing Danny Boy for six hours straight.

And the entire article is about an airline offering people the option of not sitting next to you and your tard kids. So, uh, comprehension. Yeah. Give it a shot.

Motheroffour says:

03:37pm | 30/06/11

Mahhrat - you’ve lost the point and the plot

Reggie says:

04:51pm | 30/06/11

Jack; “It is inconsiderate of the parents to take a baby on the plane and let it cry for x hours, and thereby disturbing scores of people.”

No-one “lets a baby cry for x hours,” they choose to do it all by themselves f.,...tard.  Do you have a persecution complex or something?  Only once in dozens of international flights have I encountered two crying babies at the beginning of the flight. Both quieted down very quickly.  So looking on the positive side, I am amazed at how infrequently one encounters screaming babies on flights.

Jack; “no reason that there cant be airlines who recognise that the majority of customers dont want…. ”  That sounds like a recipe for all sorts of exclusive consideration. Bald men flights, women only flights, jerkoff flights, you name it, just so long as there are no screaming kids or flatulent passengers or blokes trying to face Mecca at dawn at thirty-five thousand feet. There’s one bloke I’d hope NEVER to be seated next to and that’s jerk-off Jack. What a f…ing bore.

Anubis says:

03:01pm | 30/06/11

Definitely Huey. Women who feel that it is necessary to marinate themselves in their perfume should be summarily executed if they go any where near any form of public transport. On a train it is bad enough, but on a plane where the air is recirculated it is totally obnoxious. Ladies - if you don’t have time for a shower, or are feeling inadequate about you allure, guess what? Taking a bath in your perfume fixes neither.

Reggie says:

08:03am | 01/07/11

Anubis may we add to the list, the guys who compete to wear the most offensive after-shave and the Greeks who pour the whole bottle of obnoxious goats-piss lavishly down their hairy forms.

I can barely understand why the ladies may need more of the stuff after a hard day sweating at the typist’s seat, but it’s my experience that guys who wear the same excessive quantities are also into dispensing NicoleG’s date-rape drug. Fair-dinkum.

Well said Anubis.

Matthew says:

11:28am | 30/06/11

Kate J, that’s a good idea, vegetarian only flights would keep costs down for the airlines and mean that you’re guaranteed the correct meal.

Luckily for you the melbourne to sydney route would even get a vegie only flight about once every 2-3 weeks when they actually get enough vegos to fill the seats.

I don’t fly often but over the last 2 years I’ve flown brisbane to melbourne about 6 times each way.  I’ve had no babies crying on those flights so I’m assuming there aren’t many people with young children that fly.  Therefore why would it be so inconvenient that 1 (out of about 10 flights) per day might be designated as children free?  The parents can pick a flight 1 hour either side and those that desperately want a peaceful flight could then pick that flight.

Why is it so hard for parents to move themselves 1 hour (or less depending on the destination and if the planes are actually on time) instead of someone having 2.5 hours of screaming in their ear when they weren’t the ones that couldn’t use contraception correctly.

Dorkel says:

07:52pm | 30/06/11

@ Matthew

Agreed!

Reggie says:

09:19pm | 30/06/11

Hey who’s the pussy around here? If you can’t plan it so you don’t need a meal on a Sydney / Melbourne flight, then you’d be useless at looking after an infant. You shouldn’t even need to pee unless you’ve been on the slops or a diuretic.  Just listen to Katie will you…..! WTF! 

Just steam a few carrots pet.

Suzanne says:

10:02am | 30/06/11

This I agree with!
Babies can’t help crying, that’s the only way they have to communicate. Maybe it is different when you become a parent but now when I hear a baby crying my heart goes out to them and to the parents who are usually doing their best to calm them down. That has nothing to do with ‘good’ or ‘bad’ parenting, it’s just what (some) babies do.

Kids who are old enough to know better though, that’s a whole different area and I can guarantee you now my daughter will NOT be the one running up and down the aisle or kicking the seat in front of her! Not if she knows whats good for her.

Cloud Strife says:

11:50am | 30/06/11

@Suzanne

I know if I had tried anything like I see kids doing nowadays, and I would have been in BIG trouble!

A 14 hour flight to LA wasn’t fun as a 10 year old, but Dad made it explicitly clear if we didn’t behave, he was going to Disneyland on his own and we would have to stay at the hotel! Nothing like the threat of no Disneyland to make a kid behave on a flight

jay-ded says:

10:39am | 30/06/11

LOL

Jack says:

09:45am | 30/06/11

Yes, the rest of us should subsidise an entire section and staff members to look after your fat kids.

Fiona says:

07:19pm | 30/06/11

Jack, what’s with the fat thing? Are you fatist?

Chris L says:

12:00pm | 30/06/11

Returning from Amsterdam? Wouldn’t you have been all mellow on that flight?

MarK says:

11:00am | 30/06/11

Spoken like a true elite progressive thingy.

Zoo class.

Perfect sanderson .....just perfect. Some of them might even be National Party voters. Ahhh the stench of sweet justice just overpowering the canapés. How delightful.

You do so love to categorise and punish don’t you?

iansand says:

11:21am | 30/06/11

You are late.  The posse formed yesterday.

MarK says:

01:04pm | 30/06/11

Don’t need a posse to round you up sanderson.

As far as targets go I rate you the easiest.

Just make sure you take you time and do a one post reply to this. I don’t want to look foolish and mad again.

Shane From Melbourne says:

02:12pm | 30/06/11

@MarK- why? You’re always foolish and mad…...

MarK says:

04:44pm | 30/06/11

But I can do it well Shane unlike sanderson who can’t carry it off and then there is you that needs lessons on trolling.. Seriously man up.

Is it too much to ask to ask for someone with talent to fight and troll me. I weep for the status of Australian internet people if this is considered good.

“MarK - why?” ROFLMAO l2troll dude srsly

Likes Joining Dots says:

06:03pm | 30/06/11

fairsfair, you didn’t really keep the shoe did you?

From an earlier article, Luxury bags have lost their shine. “I am a fan of nice shoes though and have a substantial collection.” At the time I never picked up on the sinister overtones of this seemingly innocent comment. ;o)

LM says:

01:51pm | 30/06/11

Apparently it’s very common for parents to sit in First or Business Class and leave the kids with a very young nanny in Economy! I was horrified when I heard it the first time… These people obviously don’t care too much about the children or who they are annoying as long as they are nice and comfortable!!!

Shane says:

12:25pm | 30/06/11

re firstly - I’d prefer two less people on earth, Joan.  Could you and B kindly oblige and go back to your home planet?  Re secondly - good point!  80 years ago when planes were little more than prototypes, babies never travelled on them.  Of course, since commercial flights began that’s all changed, so your point is moot.  Travel is now a normal, and sometimes necessary, part of life for most people including - shock, horror - parents!  Interesting 16% stat - reference?  Re thirdly - I’m yet to meet a parent who is unable to settle their child 90% of the time - who the heck do you hang around with?  Of course, sometimes babies - especially very young babies - cry for no reason and take some time to settle down.  But I’m sure that never happened in the good ol’ days, eh?  No, no no - in the good old days the babies lay quietly in their bassinets, wearing their bonnets, only issuing a ‘goo’ or a ‘gaa’ at times that were convenient for those around them.  They also never soiled their nappies and always slept through the night.

Septimus says:

12:38pm | 30/06/11

@Joan

Who’s going to wipe your backside as you near death?  Who’s going to provide your pallative care?  Who’s going to provide your medical care?  Someone else’s child I suspect.

Secondly, I don’t know what era you were raised, but it sounds like the Neanderthal?  Cruel and inappropriate to take your kid on a plane or to a restautant - ICB!

Thirdly, so some time in the past kids cried less because their parents knew how to ‘soothe’ them?  Which generation was this?

“Back in MY day, we knew how to soothe a kid proper!  I don’t know what’s become of the world today?”

You statements got sillier and siller…

Fiona says:

07:29pm | 30/06/11

Joan, I heard that one of the American Indian tribes (don’t ask me which one, it’s been a while since I head it) that was always at war with its closest neighbour taught their babies to be quiet ( and therefore not give away the location of the women and kids when in hiding), by pinching the nostrils of babies when they cried from birth onwards, until themessage sunk in (babies only breathe through their noses at first). Is that the type of “soothing” you’re talking about? Or is it the “let ‘em cry at first until they figure out that you won’t come to them til you’re good and ready”. That’s what my mother’s generation did with us.

Tara says:

02:44pm | 01/07/11

@Septimus - So, the only reason you are having children is to make sure one of them wipes your shitty arse when you’re too old and senile to do it yourself? Selfish bastard.

Septimus says:

03:06pm | 01/07/11

Gee ‘Tara”

Worst Troll Fail Ever.

Complete Moron springs to mind.

Tara says:

03:19pm | 01/07/11

I really think that’s the worst reason ever to have children, next is “to carry on my name”. I’ve got my stash, I’ll choose when I go, and it will be well before someone has to wipe my arse. What’s wrong with my name? I’ve had it all my life, and it seems to do what it’s supposed to. Oh, *dawning realisation* I’m supposed to choose a moniker that shows how smart/elite/up myself I am, damn - all hail the smartest, most elite, most up themselves Septimus.

jay-ded says:

10:43am | 30/06/11

Classic ! 

Fiona says:

07:38pm | 30/06/11

As long as you don’t annoy the “meat sacks” with your dribbling and incontinence in the nursing home wickerman. It appears that seeing as you have nominated the “breeders” lifestyle choices that annoy you and none of your own lifestyle choices, then you’re not being very tolerant, wickerman.

Elphaba says:

09:50am | 30/06/11

...or quiety suffocate when the air pressure drops…

Tim the Toolman says:

01:57pm | 30/06/11

There’s only so much space to write all of the possible benefits in this scenario Elphaba

Kika says:

09:29am | 01/07/11

Elphaba - the cargo hold is pressurised and air conditioned. That’s where they put animals. How do they get race horses to get between the UK and NZ and Australia? Boats? And people taking pets. It’s perfectly fine in the cargo hold for animals in the air conditioned pressurised section.

Elphaba says:

11:42am | 01/07/11

Jesus, Kika, it was a JOKE.

Criminy, you just get more and more entertaining with every idiot remark you make.

James1 says:

11:15am | 30/06/11

As a parent, I find it difficult to understand why anyone would have an issue with people like you paying more to be seated somewhere that contains no children.  If you are happy to pay for it, why should anyone else complain?  Are they trying to force their children on you or something?

Furthermore, surely the parents gain from it as well.  I find rude non-parents complaining about children incredibly annoying - probably as annoying as they find children - so why would I complain about being seated away from them?

Fiona says:

07:44pm | 30/06/11

It doesn’t annoy me, James1, but the first class/business passengers that sit up the pointy end in comfort & by themselves while a poorly paid lackey looks after their kids with the plebes…....That does sh+t me.  By all means, pay extra for that privileg, but don’t inflict your kids on others. Jealous? Maybe, but I wouldn’t want to leave my kids in another section with someone else regardless.

InAgreement says:

07:04pm | 30/06/11

@ JulesG

Not banned, but I’d certainly expect parents to show some consideration> This is why there are special Mothers/Babies/Young Children sessions at movies. It’s one thing to say babies can’t help it but I’d be furious if I couldn’t hear a movie I paid to see!

MarK says:

11:09am | 30/06/11

I like puppies.

Do you like puppies?

Puppies are nice and cute and stuff.

They also like Flash. This makes you a hater of puppies.

People that hate puppies are not very nice.

http://www.google.com.au/search?q=puppy+picture&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=W0l&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&prmd=ivns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=kMwLTvieIsKdmQWXssmrAQ&ved=0CCYQsAQ&biw=796&bih=515

Look at all the puppies.

Stop hating. Pat a puppy and come to the dark side of Flash. We have cookies and moving pictures…..with sound!!

If you prefer kittens or cats then you can just gtfo though.

Reggie says:

11:34am | 30/06/11

My cat likes possums.

Cloud Strife says:

11:42am | 30/06/11

@MarK

It’s Caterday! Post some f**king cats!

Harquebus says:

02:21pm | 30/06/11

I like to crank it up and dance naked. Does that count?

Likes Joining Dots says:

06:38pm | 30/06/11

I listen to The Punch on the Google text to speech flash tool. Everytime this Harquebus chap comes on I seem to get white noise combined with minor looping feedback. Surely the man is Flash Kryptonite.

fiona says:

01:57pm | 30/06/11

Sorry… you’re complaining about happy/occupied children now???

I had someone complain about one of mine who was singing along with Barney (or something).  My child had his headphones on, watching the inflight, not kicking the seat, not running up and down the aisles… and frankly had been quiet as a mouse playing games, drawing, sleeping, eating etc. for 10 hours of the flight.  in the last half hour he was happily singing along to the TV show. 
My response to the ‘lady’ who complained was ‘Get a Life’ and put your headphones on.  She seemed taken aback.  I couldn’t care less when people are being unreasonable.  I, however will control my children on flights and ensure they behave - they are frequent flyers - however I will not stop them happily singing if that is what amuses them.

ABitOfConsideration says:

07:59pm | 30/06/11

@ Fiona

Wow, great parenting. Way to teach your child they can inconvenience EVERYONE ELSE ON THE PLANE if it suits them.
And if it amuses them to run up and down the plane? Kick the sats? Don’t stop them, they’re having fun!
I dread how your child will grow up…

Chris L says:

12:12pm | 30/06/11

“It means that the one who holds this attitude is a retard.” -

You obtained your psychology degree from which university? I get annoyed by these self entitled parents who figure everyone else should admire their bratty spawn. I chose not to have children and if I also choose to pay extra to avoid them on a trip I don’t see how anyone can get self righteous about it. After all it’s just paying for a service.

There is no requirement that we have to like your offspring and squeezing one out doesn’t make you special. Changing nappies IS repulsive. How else would anyone apart from a fecalpheliac describe it?

Helen O says:

12:57pm | 30/06/11

I get annoyed at all these Me Me Me types (like you Chris) that think the world owes them everything. I guess you’re the type that also believes that child-free weddings are the only way to go. I expect that if given half the chance, you’d change the saying “children should be seen and not heard” to “children should not be seen nor heard” or even “children should not be let out in public until they’re adults” . I pity your parents.

Chris L says:

01:58pm | 30/06/11

That’s right Helen, I’m terribly selfish to not want your children screaming in my ear. How dare I even consider paying for a service that doesn’t involve children?!

Helen O says:

09:04am | 01/07/11

Chris, I would be incredibly happy if we didn’t have to sit next to you too. Whingers are one of the most painful types to have to put up with in close proximity for any length of time. And my children are long past the baby stage so I very much doubt that they would be screaming in your ear unless it was to tell you to stop complaining and enjoy your flight.

Chris L says:

01:06pm | 01/07/11

There you go Helen, a win/win situation. I don’t know what you’re upset about.

biscuit says:

02:41pm | 30/06/11

you’d think so…got the red eye from Tokyo to Melbourne and there was a crying newborn in the seat next to me :( not much sleep
infants shouldnt be allowed on red eye flights, thats just plain selfish of the parent to not allow anyone else to get any sleep

Kate says:

05:29pm | 30/06/11

Yeah, really early flights (like 5-6am) seem more likely to be child-free too. Plus they’re cheaper. It’s a pain in the arse getting up at 3am to make it to the airport, but so worth it.

James1 says:

11:09am | 30/06/11

Your solution is too complex.  Didn’t you read the gay marriage article yesterday?  All we need to do is introduce gay marriage, and not only will everyone instantly stop having children, but the tides will go all crazy and probably wash away a bunch of kids that have already been born.

kyzz798 says:

11:20am | 30/06/11

Now you’ve got the idea

Fiona says:

07:52pm | 30/06/11

Troll.

Tara says:

03:09pm | 01/07/11

There is such a place….it’s called a retirement village!

ibast says:

11:12am | 30/06/11

Holey shaved monkeys Batman!  I must have missed the media release of the medical study that proved that kids were carcinogenic.  Man that’s going to fix climate change within a couple of generations.

Tim the Toolman says:

03:51pm | 30/06/11

“Chill out peeps, it’s just a baby! “

By that logic, you won’t mind if I sit there and blow a piccolo in your ear for hours on end.  Babies have no place on a plane.

KH says:

01:48pm | 30/06/11

I don’t think anyone is saying they don’t like children - they don’t like badly behaved or noisy children, especially when the parents make little effort to do anything about it.  I have seen well behaved kids on planes, and I have seen absolute horrors - but there is no way of knowing beforehand, so the airline has banned them all….

Oh, and I’m not sure which nursing homes you have been to lately, but I have a relative who works in such a place, and she has told me that 80% of the staff were recent immigrants, not people born here.  I’m guessing it will be 100% by the time most of us get there…............and theres plenty of immigrants to keep us going for centuries - so don’t give us that ‘future carer/taxpayer’ nonsense - we will always be able to find people to fill jobs.

Fiona says:

07:57pm | 30/06/11

KH, really? A lot of comments read like they don’t like kids. Try Nil by mouths comment on for size, even if it is tongue in cheek (?)

Wayne Kerr says:

12:33pm | 30/06/11

You know, it’s your choice not to have kids and I have no problem with that.  What does make me laugh though is statements like “why I should have people’s children inflicted on me”.  You’re a very selfish person aren’t you? As others have said
1. You were a kid once and probably not a perfect one at that
2. Having children actually keeps the species and society going and functioning.
3. These same children will no doubt be supporting you when you’re old and decrepit.

So by all means choose not to have kids but don’t put others down for having kids because believe it or not, you actually benefit from others having children.

Septimus says:

11:39am | 30/06/11

They get paid for these thoughts…

Jadey says:

12:18pm | 30/06/11

I wish I got paid to stir up s#!t

Chris L says:

03:31pm | 01/07/11

“we were all once kids” - Yep, back in the days of smacking

“did we always listen to our parents” - Damn straight! It was back in the days of smacking!

Septimus says:

12:27pm | 30/06/11

Right, according the wanker morons on The Punch, any child who cries MUST be the product of poor parenting.

Cloud Strife says:

01:17pm | 30/06/11

@Jadey

I don’t think crying babies are bad parenting, but the kids who are old enough to know better and run riot in the cafe/shops/restaurant etc while Mum and Dad ignore them certainly are!

I was in a restuarant the other day, and three mums were blissfully ignoreing their darling broods, who were tearing around the place. Of course, one of the little angels ran head first into a waitress, who ended up on the floor surrounded by food and broken plates, while the kid laughed and ran off.

Mummy’s reaction? To yell at the poor waitress for ‘not looking where she was going’!

Now THAT is poor parenting.

Jadey says:

03:44pm | 30/06/11

@ CLoud Strife

I wasn’t referring to “kids who are old enough to know better and run riot in the cafe/shops/restaurant etc while Mum and Dad ignore them”. But absolutely thats poor parenting and that is painful.

I recently went on a holiday and at the last minute a friend decided to bring her 6 year old, thanks to another couple saying sure its ok for fear of looking like jerks if they said no.

After numerous tantrums, the mother leaving it up to the rest of the group to look after her kid whilse she holidays and alike my partner lent the little s*!T his digital camera hoping it would shut him up and give him something to do,  with the rules he looks after it and it stays looped on his wrist at all times . What does he do take it off his wrist swings it around and then drops in on concrete. After my partner confiscated the camera of the boy saying very calmly you didnt listen to the rules you cant use it anymore. The mother had the audacity to tell off my partner.. go figure.. Thats bad parenting.. even more so when other people are trying to help out.

Dexter says:

01:57am | 01/07/11

Done.

John Dark says:

07:16pm | 30/06/11

Bless you good sir/ma’am, this should be law.

Septimus says:

12:41pm | 30/06/11

Al,

It would if the morons on The Punch were responsible for natural selection.

ICanRead says:

07:54pm | 30/06/11

@ Dave

No one’s saying she can’t fly, they’re saying people should be able to pay more to get a non baby flight should they want.

James1 says:

01:04pm | 30/06/11

That’s funny.  Its funny because the child most likely didn’t know better, and yet you did.  Sure, it reflects badly on the child, but the child has the excuse of being a child.

What’s your excuse?

Tania says:

01:34pm | 30/06/11

THat is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. You should never be allowed to get on a plane again.

ibast says:

01:45pm | 30/06/11

Too right Jason.  They should have slapped the child until it stopped crying.  If they don’t teach it right from wrong at that age it could end up a self centred adult who thinks everything is about themselves.

Jason says:

03:35pm | 30/06/11

James1 - Yes.. the child didnt know any better..  And why not?  The stupid parents just sit there and tune it out while it cries endlessly.  They are so ignorant to everyone else in the world except “their family unit”.  Its disgusting they have no consideration for anyone else at all. And of course these are the same people who complain and moan the loudest when children are banned from flights!

Tania - If there were no babies on the plane there would be no problem would there?  Taking babies on holidays is pointless as they will never have any recollection of the events anyway.  How about thinking about us people who have to fly for 16 hours after finishing work on day, only to start work on the other side of the world an hour after they get off a plane.  Some of us do this these flights back and forth every week or two and see this same thing every single time. Obviously you dont travel much as anyone who travels regularly knows how annoying these little brats are.

Im sure these kids will grow into the same kids that run up and down and up and down the aisle for the entire flight because the parents are too busy watching a movie or having a drink to discipline them!

James1 says:

04:31pm | 30/06/11

Don’t get me wrong, that type of parenting is inexcusable.  But I still maintain, despite your justifiable annoyance at the parents, you should have held the moral high ground in this case.

Rena says:

03:26pm | 01/07/11

I think he did alright. After all, some people don’t like getting back what they served out. After all, if you can do it to me and sleep through it well enough, why are you so distressed when I do it back to you? True, it’s not the most mature thing to do, but he never claimed to have gotten that move out of the Bible

John Dark says:

07:27pm | 30/06/11

Parents made the choice to breed, and childcare workers made the choice to GET PAID to put up with screaming monsters. I however, am not paid to do so. I have paid to fly to wherever, and do my very best not to annoy my fellow passengers - I shower before the flight, try not to eat farty foods (difficult on airlines but you don’t get cabbage or beans with their meals do you?), I’m slim so I don’t take up much space, I transfer all the things I will be using from my carryon bag to the seat pocket in front of me before I sit down and I always ask my neighbours if a set volume on my ipod bothers them - and if it does I turn it down unless there’s a screaming monster nearby. I also make sure I’m not drinking too much so as to require excessive trips to the toilet if I’m not on the aisle. It’s called consideration for others. You and your selfish breeder ilk should learn it before you pass it on to your hellspawn, and maybe the lot of you may just grow up to be passable human beings. If your kid can’t be pacified without drugs, then don’t fly until they can be controlled. If that means Great Aunt Mabel in England has to come to you to see your vile offspring instead of you going to them, then so be it.

Judy says:

09:25pm | 30/06/11

Hey John, can I sit next to you on my next international flight?

Cat says:

12:10am | 01/07/11

I fail to see how the choice is one which makes a difference to the fact that we live in a society where that choice is one the vast majority have or will make. I doesn’t matter if you want children or not but that choice of yours doesn’t negate the fact that the societies and communities you are a part of involve children as a very normal part thereof. Nobody should require a paycheck to accomplish the fairly easy task of not being self absorbed. I’m pleased you can contain yourself to the appropriate behaviour of an adult in public - a child is not a mini adult, they will behave like children - there is absolutely nothing to categorise as selfish in a small child having a cry or even a tantrum - they are at a stage of human development where they simply do not have an adult level of emotional understanding or control. Your continued vehemence and those charmingly inflamitory terms against parents/kids only highlights my point. you are probably a bored teen trolling for kicks but you’ve made it clear you know nothing about kids and have no viewpoint of value.

John Dark says:

12:41pm | 01/07/11

Cat: crying or a tantrum for some sort of reason is understandable. Hour after hour of screaming at 200 db and/or running amok (in the case of 5-10 year olds) says “something is seriously wrong here”. If you fail to deal with the problem effectively or even anticipate that there may be a problem (“What, my little snookums make a fuss? Nooooo ...”) then you are a bad parent, end of story. Making the rest of us suffer because your failure to plan means you plan to fail is just selfish. If your spawn is a fussy one, either stay home or use phenergan. If you don’t have the ability or spine to discipline your wayward kids, then someone else just might. “It takes a village to raise a child”, for sure - just as long as the child in question doesn’t belong to the village idiot. You have absoluitely no idea how much experience I have with children, but I like your theory about me being a trolling teenager - at least it made me laugh. Some people know how to control their children, some do not. I wonder what the difference is?

Cat says:

03:22pm | 01/07/11

John even a healthy happy baby will cry at the very least between 1-3 hours a day, a baby on a plane with all the different noises, air pressure changes and without access to things which would usually soothe them (such as being pushed in a pram, or swung in a hammock ect.) is extremely likely to cry a lot more than that. You can feed them, make sure they are dry, make sure they are not too hot or cold, hold them/sing to them for comfort, attempt to get them to sleep, give them something to ease wind ect. but even then, babies will often cry for none of these reasons, they have periods of fretfullness when they are not easily comforted by anything and that is normal. Also, some kids have colic which is defined by inconsolable crying for at least three hours in a row (and often many hours more) and there is no magic cure, they have to grow out of it.

Your 5-10 year olds generally dont have the capacity to sit completely still for long periods, particularly boys - on some flights that will mean they have to stretch their legs a bit even with all the activities a parent can provide. On top of that you also have children with disabilities/developmental disorders whose developmental level in certain areas will not match their age and so neither will their behaviour. People with disabled kids still need to fly sometimes, as annoying as some behaviours may be to you it would serve you best to consider how much harder it might be to BE the child with these sort of problems for life, rather than sweating how bothersome you find it to be around this child for a few hours. And no, you can’t tell by just looking if there is a disability issue at play.

Again you show clearly how you lack the knowledge to judge children and their parents - your oppinion on what is effective discipline is not informed with any understanding as to child development(normal or otherwise) and what is or is not expected behaviour or appropriate responses by parents. To presume that all children are either perfectly behaved (via meeting your definitions) or poorly parented is laughable - ask anyone who has spent decades working with families and kids, there is no cookie-cutter perfect child and children are individuals, which means you see families where parenting child number 1 was a relatively simple matter, but child number 2 is a different story and the parents will naturally have to go through trial and error periods to work out what methods work best. Your attitude that children (who are behaving like children) should be kept away from people like yourself or drugged into a stupor because of the slightest amount of short term annoyance is both ignorant breathtakingly self-centred in view of the community of which you are a part of. You expect those years your junior to display more maturity, fortitude and perserverence under pressure when YOU, a fully grown adult, consider yourself incapable of doing that exact thing.  What on earth makes you think your need or desire to travel trumps that of families with children? It is nothing but selfishness and I tire of such sour views.

Benevolent Rapscallion says:

05:23pm | 30/06/11

In the compartment where the animals are stored would be a good start.

fairsfair says:

01:44pm | 30/06/11

Its not just to keep the adults happy thanks Tania. It is more for the child’s wellbeing and note that child does not just mean infant.

Also, as it is an antihistamine it can help in keeping the eustachian tubes clear and prevent nausea. Travel sickness medications are simple antihistamines. It is safe to use so why take such offence?

Not many people out there take offence to an infant crying because it needs something. It is the whingy disruptions of older babies and children that is the issue.

Tania says:

03:33pm | 30/06/11

Sorry, I thought we were talking about babies. Not older children. If phenergan is safe to use in babies (ie, under 12 months old) then why won’t the chemist sell it to people with babies???
I just don’t agree with using drugs when its not necessary. Antihistamines might make the child drowsy, but its not always blocked ears making the bubs cry. Could be a myriad of things, babies cry for lots of reasons, doesn’t mean they are sick or in pain.
Travel sickness medications make me feel completely vile, I’d rather the nausea than take them. I assume its the same for some kids too.
I’m quite sure the people complaining about babies crying on planes aren’t worried about the child’s eustacian tubes.

Fiona says:

08:14pm | 30/06/11

Fairsfair, be honest. Phenergan is mostly given to kids for the adults well being. I would think that children that are genuinely suffering from travel sickness would have some symptoms “mummy I feel sick” etc, but mostly it is used to sedate kids.

Jason says:

03:48pm | 30/06/11

You vote labor?  That explains a lot!

Kika says:

09:35am | 01/07/11

For 6 hours + straight??? I wasn’t mad at the child, I was mad at the parents and that’s the main problem - the ones who do nothing about making them stop, except walk around the plane making sure we all got an earful.

Jack says:

01:59pm | 30/06/11

Airlines are private transport, genius. And therefore have every right to tell you and your fat kid to f off to Jetstar.

John Dark says:

07:33pm | 30/06/11

You have NEVER seen a parent ignore their screaming baby? You either don’t get out much or live in some sort of perfect world. In Darktopia, all children are raised in awesome artificial wombs (with all sorts of cool stuff like educational/social programs and muscular stimulation etc) until they are 18 and are released to the world as perfectly trained adults. *Sigh* if only ...

Mon says:

01:50am | 01/07/11

Overtired babies who have been prevented from sleeping become stressed, get upset and tense, start screaming, and even though they’re tired as hell, can’t fall asleep because they’re too tense/upset from being denied sleep in the first place. I hope you sit next to one of these babies next time you fly.

Tim the Toolman says:

03:44pm | 30/06/11

“no matter how snotty people get over it,”

Translation:

“I’ll do whatever the hell I want to make my life easy, and who cares if it causes discomfort for several hundred others!  Why should I be inconvenienced when it was I who chose to have kids and chose to travel?  Everyone else can suffer for my choices!”

Tim the Toolman says:

03:52pm | 30/06/11

Wrong.  Robots will do that by then, and robots don’t scream.

Tara says:

03:50pm | 01/07/11

Wrong - I’ll be checking out of this world well before I need an adult nappy, my choice.

Ghost says:

04:03pm | 01/07/11

Is that any time soon Tara?

josh says:

04:36pm | 30/06/11

That’s actually a good idea, how many peopl here would support the back left section of economy class, say 3 or 4 rows - have a curtain around it that muffles the sound.

Parents are happy, kids can scream away and the rest of us can enjoy the flight in peace.

Quick someone design it and trademark the idea

Ruth says:

07:46pm | 30/06/11

I think they should offer separate no-children seating but it’s ludicrous and obsense to think you can hit a BABY.
Certainly there are many behaviour management issues for children today and babies are annoying, but babies cannot help it and cannot defend themselves. Never hit a baby or punish it for something it can’t help!

Was once a child, a recipient of corporal punishme says:

07:38am | 01/07/11

Ruth, I did not advocate hitting a baby; I advocated hitting young children (over the age of 3), who I labelled ‘unruly brats’. Regarding babies, I advocated understanding of why they cry on planes, and “[making] an attempt to soothe them with hugs and kisses.” Corporal punishment should only be used on young children who are of the age of understanding that their actions are unacceptable.

John Dark says:

07:42pm | 30/06/11

Agreed - the Me Generation is breeding and it’s only going to get worse unless something critical occurs to reverse the decline. Oh, I understand what you were implying, I just chose to interpret your comment as intelligent.

babies rights says:

10:26pm | 30/06/11

how right you are! 

none of these wankers were ever babies…....fuckwits the lot of them.

Chris L says:

03:16pm | 01/07/11

Hahahaha! Whinging about whinging! Classic!!!!!!

MA says:

10:04pm | 30/06/11

Agreed. There was an article just recently about a drunk guy who urinated on the floor of the cabin and the leg of another passenger. At least babies have nappies! As people have mentioned, there’s always smelly people, drunk people, loud people, people who put their seat back with no regard for the person behind them…it’s just the way of the world, get over it!

My now 3.5 y.o daughter flew at ages 3 months, 21 months and 2.5 y.o. At 3 months she slept the entire time, the second time she was content to colour in and the last time (a slightly longer flight) she had a nap, ate her lunch and was content to colour and look at some books. Just think, if my daughter sits behind you, you can put the seat back as far as you want because her legs hardly reach over the edge of the seat!

If I had the money to fly first class, why shouldn’t I be able to? The curtains aren’t sound proof so what difference does it make? I flew business class for work last year, was right at the end of business class near the curtain and had to listen to a baby crying most of the way from Hong Kong to Sydney - didn’t bother me, just either watched TV with my earphones or put some earplugs in.

Sandra says:

09:55am | 01/07/11

When parents started to think they are their little precious were the centre of the universe!

Emma says:

08:38am | 01/07/11

I was stuck on a flight to London from Sydney with a crying baby in the row in front of me. I had earphones in and the child still out screamed the music… Tell me, how would you of coped with that for over 24 hours?

Tomodomo says:

09:05am | 01/07/11

@ Emma…
are u telling me u’d much prefer a druken farting breath blowing onto ur face?? And the old fart’s head was virtually leaning onto my shoulder, c’mon be honest with urself stop kidding me!!
Look~ if u r a frequent flyer u’d know to just avoid the 1st and 2nd row and u’ll be FINE and away from babies ok?

Septimus says:

09:08am | 01/07/11

@Emma

Well I would write ‘ICB’, but I know that’s ‘moderated’ out of the site.

Emma says:

04:32pm | 03/07/11

@Tomodomo

I understand that there are issues faced by all types of human on planes. But I noted a fact; I was stuck on a plane from Sydney to London with a crying baby in front; I did not pose a hypothetical situation. Furthermore, my comment requested that I ask how you would have coped when confronted with this situation. – Shall I take your answer as being that because you are a frequent flyer you know to avoid the 1st and 2nd row??

Frank says:

10:03am | 01/07/11

Yeah coming to mind are the ‘culturally rich family values’ of the bogan family with 7 kids living in a van park on welfare. Dad (to maybe 2 of them) is down the pub, Mum’s shitfaced with her BFF’s out the back and the kids are running feral. Or the ‘I am the man in the house, don’t defy me bitch, I own you’ mentality of some of our more recent migrants…

And Antony, are you Muslim by any chance?

John Dark says:

12:53pm | 01/07/11

Tried a $300 pair of Bose, and all it did was make me think I was inside a bubble, with perhaps a 50% volume drop - nowhere near the “90+%” the manufacturers claimed. I could still hear lots of irritating noises (and my hearing is far from perfect), so therefore it didn’t work. Now if they could make something that produced complete and utter blissful silence, then your brats could scream their heads off and I wouldn’t care in the slightest. Just as long as at least one of the parents at any time had to listen to the cacophony, for safety reasons of course ...

Kika says:

09:31am | 01/07/11

How do you like the comment? LIKE!!! Premium economy should be a child free zone and I bet they will sell more tickets by the barrel…

Myrtle says:

09:58am | 01/07/11

Yes parenting comes with an instant case of vertigo from too much time spent on high horses ....