Flight attendants have offered some helpful advice to passengers who find themselves lumped next to an otherwise adorable but crying baby.
When whizzing through the clouds on the way to your holiday destination, few things are able to bring back the airport queue tension as quickly as a screaming tot.
In the close confines of the plane cabin, the wails of an unhappy baby can feel uniquely anguish filled and intense.
Cabin crew members at British Airways have offered their advice for flyers who may be unsure about the best course of action when confronted by a perturbed infant passenger, and how to interact with their parents.
Understand why toddlers cry on flights
Contrary to popular belief, toddlers don’t cry just because they want to be annoying,.
They cry because they’re either in pain or discomfort, or because they are scared or need something.
On top of that, toddlers are much more sensitive to ‘popping ears’ during take-off and landing than adults.
Ears popping when flying is something that most of us are used to and consider a normal part of air travel, but for a baby or a toddler, this sensation can be scary and uncomfortable - sometimes even painful if the child has a cold or an ear infection.
Knowing what's going on in their heads will definitely increase your empathy levels and may ease your annoyance levels.
Offer a kind smile
Showing that you understand why babies cry on planes and showing compassion with a parent trying their very best to avoid it can be hugely important.
A kind smile can be enough to demonstrate this.
Most parents fear they are troubling all other passengers with their toddler’s wails, so knowing they have your support will put them at ease, which may in turn help the baby relax.
Offer to help or interact with the child
In an non-accusational or passive aggressive way, kindly ask if there is anything you can do to help.
It can be as little as offering to hold the child while the parents sort something out or fishing out an unexplored object for the toddler to play with.
Even interacting with the child in some way by waving or playing peekaboo can help immensely.
The sympathy shown can also help calm the parents down, who are undoubtedly panicking. Equally, don’t be offended if they turn you down.
Invest in some good noise cancelling headphones
Screaming toddlers are, if you're lucky enough to fly, one of those things that life hands you sometimes and you just have to deal with.
Besides, crying is not the only noise generator on a plane - other people talking and laughing or the crew announcing messages over the speakers can be equally disturbing.
If you intend on sleeping, pop on your noise cancelling headphones and cut parents some slack.
