tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post4552533237455951110..comments2024-03-29T02:43:11.575-04:00Comments on Jungle Red Writers: Flying with BabiesJungle Red Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646429819267618412noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-67907816137441223882016-08-23T17:22:39.777-04:002016-08-23T17:22:39.777-04:00Denise Ann, yes! So far no video screens in our fa...Denise Ann, yes! So far no video screens in our family. Bring books. Maureen Harringtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03499876353651763590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-46983272285516643972016-08-23T16:21:06.736-04:002016-08-23T16:21:06.736-04:00I think parents have enough to worry about with al...I think parents have enough to worry about with all the supplies that babies and young children require!! What would be in the goody bag? Candy?? Very odd. So, I vote no.<br /><br />I traveled a lot with my kids, often alone -- both driving and flying. A memorable trip was one from DC to Portland ME when I had a year old and an almost three, and I was pregnant. I got to use one of those handy barf bags as we descended into Portland. The flight attendants were wonderful.<br /><br />These days, my grandchildren have built-in video screens in the minivan!<br /><br /><br /><br />Denise Annhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02790883493798517829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-66396416911996039952016-08-22T15:54:06.958-04:002016-08-22T15:54:06.958-04:00Deb, I hope you find plenty more excuses to post p...Deb, I hope you find plenty more excuses to post pictures of Wren. She's adorable!<br /><br />It never bothers me to be around children on a plane or train. I always feel awful for the poor parents if a child is crying. I'd like to ask the critical adults if they've ever been children <br />themselves! <br /><br />I usually fly alone. On one trip, a flight attendant asked if I would mind if an unattended child sat with me. Her original seat mate apparently was upset about sitting with a child. I had such a nice time with that child! It was her first flight and she was scared. She was nine years old and on the way to visit her dad. I told her everything I like about flying and explained about the turbulence whenever it happened. When we landed she exclaimed " that was lots of fun!"<br /><br />Deb RomanoDeb Romanohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01650858888197217258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-28088074524905124632016-08-22T13:19:41.916-04:002016-08-22T13:19:41.916-04:00First off, that Wren is a delight to see pictures ...First off, that Wren is a delight to see pictures of, so please post as many as you like, Debs. She is a true cutie patootie!<br /><br />I so enjoyed all of the stories about flying with children. Susan, the nun hit the nail on the head. Rhys, that was one smart flight attendant. Hallie, Naomi's streaking is hilarious. Julia, good move to let the other passengers off first, and how nice they weren't all grumbling. Hank, Jet Blue may have just given incentive to someone to poke a baby. Lucy, did you ever give your brother a nice house? <br /><br />I didn't fly with my two kids until they were around five, and it was easy to provide goody bags to keep them busy and happy. I took my older granddaughter (now 15) on her first flight when she was 8, and it was so much fun to see her excitement. I did have the long car trips with babies and young children, which were challenging at times. Now there are the portable and in-car DVD players to entertain children all the way to Grandma's house. Kathy Reelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17004247271452356577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-70359522743425578122016-08-22T11:25:05.022-04:002016-08-22T11:25:05.022-04:00Aww, Wren is as sweet as sugar. So fun, to see thi...Aww, Wren is as sweet as sugar. So fun, to see things through her new eyes, I'm sure! <br /><br />On my way back from Prague in June there was a man and I guess his dad traveling with two young sons. One was content (when I saw them, while waiting in line for the loo) to play with an electronic device, but the younger one was wailing nonstop. The two men were bleary-eyed and not paying any attention to the poor kid, so I starting playing a discreet game of peekaboo with him. The men, sitting four feet from where I was standing, didn't even notice, but another passenger in line, did, and she joined in. We had that kid calmed down in just a few minutes. I think the dad and grandpa were just overwhelmed and tired from not sleeping on the long flight. That was also when Air France pilots were on strike, and all of Europe was a mess from all the canceled flights. <br /><br />My grandson, before he was two, had 50,000 sky miles, almost all of them international. My daughter says the best place in the plane to sit with a child is the bulkhead seat, because there's a protected play area. Karen in Ohiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18002794561817071780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-48190813248018443902016-08-22T11:20:49.232-04:002016-08-22T11:20:49.232-04:00She's too cute! I think expecting the parents ...She's too cute! I think expecting the parents to mollify other passengers with gift bags is a bit much; they have enough to organize. I did once mollify a crying neighbor with DumDum suckers my nieces had given me for the flight -- helps with ear pressure. <br />I've thought there should be baby/no baby sections on planes, and I'd gladly sit with the entertaining babies and children. On one flight from Europe, a couple were bringing back two 18-month old boys they were adopting. They couldn't sit together because there was only on extra oxygen mask in a row, but they had willing and eager extra hands whenever they needed. Someone (might have been me) "liberated" a bottle of water for formula from first class, and later begged a diaper off a mom in the ladies room when they couldn't find any to buy in the Detroit airport. <br />On a Southwest flight from OKC, a young couple hadn't realized there were no assigned seats. The dad found two together with their older daughter, and the mom was about to sit between two scowling business types when I frantically waved her over, gave her the aisle seat, and we kept the baby entertained through weather delays and a stop in KC for more fuel. (I asked for BBQ, but no luck). In St. Louis, enough of us left that they could then sit together, but I'd gladly entertain young fellow travelers any day (as long as no one kicks the back of my seat ;-) <br /> If no babies, then I'll just read . . . currently reading NECESSARY AS BLOOD and in love with little Charlotte.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-44515897995419943792016-08-22T10:45:51.266-04:002016-08-22T10:45:51.266-04:00When I was almost two years old, we flew from Cali...When I was almost two years old, we flew from California to Indiana for my sister's baptism. My mother was concerned about flying alone tending a toddler and an infant so she asked the doctor for a little something to calm me down. He gave her a little phenobarbital (he said). Anyway, it had the reverse effect and I took the plane apart as much as a two year old can. I remember it clearly. In those days, the headrests had little cotton cloths pinned to each one to soak up the men's hair oil. I wanted them all. So I ran up and down the aisle trying to take them with a stewardess on my heels. <br /><br />I never tried to fly with kids that little. Just saying.Keenan Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16021411857589662446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-14874333982167846682016-08-22T10:10:46.688-04:002016-08-22T10:10:46.688-04:00Debs - any excuse you can come up with to post pic...Debs - any excuse you can come up with to post pictures of that adorable girl are fine we me. She is precious!Kaye Wilkinson Barley - Meanderings and Museshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07486129009717476920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-81419135652643360692016-08-22T09:57:34.101-04:002016-08-22T09:57:34.101-04:00Kait, babies under two still fly free on most airl...Kait, babies under two still fly free on most airlines, but you have to show their birth certificates, I must say I don't think holding even a two-year-old on your lap would be fun for a very long flight...<br /><br />Kristopher, so funny. I was going to mention the seat kicking thing, which absolutely drives me bonkers!<br /><br />Hallie, I'm still laughing about Naomi. I'm sure she appreciates that story these days:-)Deborah Crombiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16988750789088153601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-64171511513628009222016-08-22T09:53:35.328-04:002016-08-22T09:53:35.328-04:00Wren is so adorable. Share away!
I flew to Columb...Wren is so adorable. Share away!<br /><br />I flew to Columbia, SC when The Girl was, oh, a year and a half? I was pregnant with The Boy (7 months?) She was so well behaved and completely charmed the Southwest airline staff.<br /><br />I also remember driving to Buffalo in November when The Girl was 4 months old and we had our dog. They closed the NYS Thruway because of snow. There we were - baby and dog - stranded at a Thruway rest stop. THAT was torture because she was tired, we were tired, she was hungry - even the dog was antsy! We followed an 18-wheeler out and took back roads to Buffalo. We didn't travel to Buffalo between Thanksgiving and Christmas for a long time after that.<br /><br />I agree, adults don't need goody bags. I sympathize with most kids because airline travel is wearying. The one time I got annoyed was when I was coming back from Puerto Rico for Christmas (I was 22) and the kid next to me (center seat in the center section of a ginormous plane, after the airline told me my ticket had been canceled, so I was already in a bad mood) WOULD NOT STOP KICKING MY SEAT. And the mother said nothing! I think I was more annoyed with her than her kid.Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-59802225184929988792016-08-22T09:39:27.159-04:002016-08-22T09:39:27.159-04:00Wonderful pix Deb and I can't help but think w...Wonderful pix Deb and I can't help but think what a wonderful traveler she is! I never traveled with children of my own (there's a prerequisite there I don't qualify for :() But in the 1980s when seats were larger I used to travel to the Caribbean every weekend. For most of that time, it meant four flights. Two in, two out. I traveled next to plenty of kids. For the most part, I enjoyed them and since I had a standing order window seat often got lap duty. It was great fun to point stuff out and watch the sheer look of amazement. <br /><br />There was only one bad experience. in the days when you didn't have to buy a ticket for children below a certain age, the couple next to me flat out lied. Their kids were easily 6 and 8 and too big to lap ride. They were also the worst behaved kids I've ever encountered. I couldn't believe the airlines didn't turn them away and make them buy seats, but it was a full flight. Had anything happened...Those kids would have not had a chance. It was a huge risk the parents took to save a couple of bucks.Kaithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07758348842858993203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-75571747563099913832016-08-22T09:00:20.045-04:002016-08-22T09:00:20.045-04:00Okay--let's just say this loud and clear--Ther...Okay--let's just say this loud and clear--There cannot be ENOUGH pictures of Wren! She is, as Susan said, 'Totes adorbs!' <br /><br />And I'm with Kristopher--no goody-bags for adult passengers. If you think, in advance of a flight, that your child is going to be so bad that you need to pacify your seatmates--then maybe you'd better rethink the whole idea of flying. Goody-bags are for the KIDS--to keep them occupied--keep little hands busy, little tummies full, a favorite comfort toy there for when it all gets to be too much.<br /><br />The only time I get upset about kids flying is, as Kristopher also noted, when there is a decided lack of control/discipline/attention on the part of the parents. I am not, and the flight attendants are not free babysitters!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-11810584029793677102016-08-22T08:32:21.810-04:002016-08-22T08:32:21.810-04:00Look, I have been on airplanes with plenty of disr...Look, I have been on airplanes with plenty of disruptive and disagreeable adults and have never once been given a goody-bag. Parents have enough to deal with already, so let's not add yet another thing to their list of things to do/pack/remember. <br /><br />Most of the parents I know or have encountered with tired children on flights have been very apologetic. As long as they did what they could, I have no problem with it - flying is not fun of any of us. It's the parents who allow the older children to run up and down the aisle, have the volume on their tablet at 120 decibels, and to continuously kick the back of chairs that really need a lesson in how to raise respectful children. But even then, I blame the "adults."Kristopherhttp://www.bolobooks.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-67672003419529940922016-08-22T08:30:00.098-04:002016-08-22T08:30:00.098-04:00Debs, I'm in love with little Wren. What a swe...Debs, I'm in love with little Wren. What a sweetheart. Prefect baby pictures! We love Southwest, too. Our last flight into Tucson, the flight attendant was a comedy in short pants when he did a routine juggling and tossing snack packs to each passenger!<br /><br />Hallie, so funny! That little girl wasn't the blogger I enjoyed so much was she? I had a similar, but not quite as freedom expressive event with Alicia in a restaurant. A woman yelled at me, and I yelled back, "My daughter? I thought she was your daughter!" I was prepared for her assault, but her kids–all five–started screaming, and we snuck out.Maureen Harringtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03499876353651763590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-84240488159442496812016-08-22T08:25:19.790-04:002016-08-22T08:25:19.790-04:00OMG, Wren is just SO ADORABLE! (Totes adorbs in pr...OMG, Wren is just SO ADORABLE! (Totes adorbs in preteen parlance.) Susan Elia MacNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00349842866995778987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-29191763915523067902016-08-22T07:42:41.096-04:002016-08-22T07:42:41.096-04:00I just got home from Jacksonville Florida where I ...I just got home from Jacksonville Florida where I taught a day long seminar to the Sisters in Crime chapter--which was so terrific! But in the bathroom at the JAX airport, there was a mom and her daughter, two year old Charlotte as I came to learn. Charlotte, in little pink dress and sparkly sandals, was marching up and down the bathroom, saying, in various inflections, "No!"<br /><br />Clearly practicing for different circumstances.<br /><br /><br />It was hilarious--but I felt for that mom!Hank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-69587445745531242952016-08-22T06:25:17.660-04:002016-08-22T06:25:17.660-04:00Wren looks like such a happy baby! We traveled ext...Wren looks like such a happy baby! We traveled extensively with our boys from the time they were infants - took older to France at age three months, traveled to Mali with both when younger was eighteen months, plus our families were on the west coast, so we flew coast to coast several times a year. I nursed them for a couple of years each, and nursing during takeoff and landing was key for ear adjustment (later it was the juice box reserved for same purpose). Like others, I packed quiet games and books and let them play on the floor when they needed to. Younger made a hobby of walking to the bathroom over and over and collecting a tiny soap each time (back when soap wasn't liquid). I figured it was exercise! Edith Maxwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01388006370860482509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-45034083635228914802016-08-22T02:17:01.759-04:002016-08-22T02:17:01.759-04:00I LOVED the pictures of adorable Wren! Thanks for ...I LOVED the pictures of adorable Wren! Thanks for posting them . . . .<br /><br />When the children were small, we flew across the country [from California] every year, usually in April, and we’d have family Christmas when we got to New Jersey, but that’s really another story.<br /><br />Back in those dark ages of flight days, the children could get a deck of cards and the eagerly-anticipated-and-always-worn plastic wings from the flight attendant. And I always packed things [a goody bag of sorts] to keep them busy, including a surprise or two, and a small snack in case of an unexpected delay in the airport or on the tarmac. <br /><br />We never had any problems flying; the children were always well-behaved and got to where we were going in good spirits. Since the same process worked in exactly the same way all the times I flew with my grandchildren when they were small, I guess it was a good travel plan . . . . <br />Joan Emersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06810313925049108163noreply@blogger.com