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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
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Topic Author's Original Post - Apr 7, 2009 - 09:13pm PT
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I'm going to Florida to visit my folks with our 11 month old boy.
Is it gonna be a good trip? He isn't congested or sick so air-pressure shouldn't be a problem.
I have a feeling I'm gonna have to confront somebody, I don't know why, just feel some putz is gonna push me the wrong way.
I f*#king hate traveling on airplanes and some putz is gonna bitch about my kid's discomfort and I'm prolly gonna get tazed and arrested.
Just sayin'....watch the papers, we fly through Denver.
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Rankin
climber
Bishop, CA
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Ha! Bluey, decaf my man, decaf!
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 7, 2009 - 09:40pm PT
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I know, Rankin....I just am a little apprehensive, let's put it that way.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
Monrovia, CA
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Bluey,
Be prepared for an epic man. Your darling may be fine in all respects but that isn't any guarantee. If there is a problem on takeoff it could be resolved by a good scream and cry to pop the Eustachian tube.
For you I suggest at least a couple of your beverages of choice and maybe a lude or two. For the record cabin 'altitude' is usually about 7000'. Since planes are flying quite full these days and you are on a non-stop your initial climb will be a little slower so you might luck out.
Good luck!
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Mattq331
Mountain climber
Boulder
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At that age there is little you can do to prevent him from having a cow at some stage of the flight. Frankly I wouldn't sweat it.
In my experience most people are pretty cool about children on flights unless the parent(s) are allowing them to be obnoxious/anti-social.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 7, 2009 - 10:11pm PT
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Reilly and Matt, thanks...that's kinda what I expected. After take off he should be cool if he's pissy if I can walk around.
They have us seated in the rear of the plane so it should be cool with sympathetic stewardesses.
The fishing should be good! Stay tuned for a TR!!!!!
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Flew with my boys a bunch when they were young. Mostly not too bad. But really, there's no way to tell. Phase of the moon? What he ate for dinner last night? Who knows?
The only thing I know for sure is that kids feed off the emotions of their parents. You being cool doesn't guarantee him being cool, but if you lose it, Junior is definately going to pick up on your tension/unhappiness/murderous rage...
So, take whatever chill pill works for you, and do your best to enjoy the flight.
Think of the fishing.
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andy@climbingmoab
Big Wall climber
Denver, CO
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I'm a very frequent flyer - getting close to my delta million miler status. Screaming babies on an airplane is just about the worst thing I can think of(except for as#@&%es leaning back quickly without asking first) and i'm a cranky sort by nature, but I don't really get pissed unless the parent is just ignoring the problem or being an ass about it. As long as you look like you are trying most people understand. Walking the kid around really seems to help from my way too frequent observations.
Whatever you do, don't let your kid kick the seat in front of you. Yours isn't old enough yet it sounds like, but i've yelled at people for that and the next person who lets their kid kick the back of my seat more than 3 times is getting c*#k punched.
For what its worth, you will get less sh#t from passengers if you don't fly Sunday night/Monday morning or Friday afternoon/evening. Mostly my as#@&%e business traveler brethren are on those flights, and we are tired/grouchy/pissed to be away from home and family and have much less patience/tact than folks on flights during the other times of the week.
Also, if you are a junk show in the security line and the person behind you is organized and impatient looking - let them hop ahead awhile you sort everything out. They may buy you a martini in an airport bar if you can ditch the family before your flight.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 8, 2009 - 06:29am PT
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Nice, Andy!!!!
I'm in a better mood today. I'll prolly load up on beer pre-flight @ 5:30 am.
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AbeFrohman
Trad climber
new york, NY
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dont forget to share your malty beverage with the boy.
my wife flew with our then-year and a half old girl to israel. about 11 hour flight. izzy did fine, but my wife held in a pee so long she hurt herself.
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Jim E
climber
away
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bluering, A lot of screaming kids on planes are doing so due to inner ear pressure. Kids don't know how to equalize the pressure in their ears so it can become uncomfortable and even painful for them causing a lot of screaming and crying. Have the kid feeding on a bottle, sippy cup, or mom's breast during take off. This means you will probably want to hold off regular feeding as long as possible before boarding the plane. The swallowing during feeding will help equalize the pressure and make the kid more comfortable.
If the kid is into any sort of videos be sure to bring a portable DVD player.
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mooser
Trad climber
seattle
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By the time my son turned 2, he'd flown 20 times--mostly on jets, some on DeHavilland Beavers and Otters. We finally came to peace with the fact that he's a baby/toddler on a plane, and that's just how it is. It's a confined and weird environment for them. You love your kid, you know there's not much you can do to get him to chill when the ear pressure comes, and riding your bike to Florida with him in a Burley would take too long. After having flown so much with my son, crying babies don't bother me AT ALL anymore. I know the self-consciousness of the parents, empathize with it, and just keep in mind the miracle of new life. To the other passengers, I quietly think: "Deal with it folks...just like the screaming baby, you will survive this flight, too."
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andy@climbingmoab
Big Wall climber
Denver, CO
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Wow, I did a good job spelling correctly in my drunken rant. Supertopo's auto-bleep is hilarious.
Good luck with your travels. I'm flying to Ghana in a few days and not looking forward to it. Screaming babies are way more prevalent on flights to Africa than anywhere else that i've found, but a scotch and an ambien takes care of it nicely.
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pip the dog
Mountain climber
planet dogboy
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Jim E's point about infants and ear pressure is enormously important. He explained it very well. Be absolutely sure to follow that excellent tip.
I forever see (hear) infants in agony because their parents don't know about this. (I fly almost weekly). Sad thing.
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boognish
Trad climber
SF
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Getting them to suck on something to releive ear pressure during take off and landing is key. The other key we found out the hard way was to pack extra clothes and diapers. The pressure change during take off and landing effect more than their ears. We had 2 huge blow outs coming in for a landing. Luckily it was the last stage of the flight, cause we went to the baggage claim with a naked baby in our arms and a stinky secrutiy ziplock bag full of onesies. Pretty funny.
People are really nice if you are trying, and really helpful if you are struggling.
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the Fet
Supercaliyosemistic climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
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Yes have a bottle, food, or pacifier ready to help the inner ear. I wouldn't hold off any regular feeding though that could cause him be more ready to cry anyway. Swallowing and moving the jaw clears the ear so a bottle/food works better than a pacifier.
My son let out the nastiest diaper load right on take off on a little commuter plane once, no bathroom. I had to change him in the seat, the whole little plane stunk so bad. Everyone was cool about it though and the air cleared out after 10 minutes or so.
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pip the dog
Mountain climber
planet dogboy
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boognish,
> People are really nice if you are trying, and really
> helpful if you are struggling.
well put. any other type just ain't 'people' -- and are hence simply to be ignored. if anyone dares give you grief, i urge you not to break their weasel neck but instead simply tell the... cabin crew (i was gonna say 'air waitress' but i didn't -- ooh, i am so bicoastal PC!)
~~~
i can speak with some small authority on the passenger front as i've racked up enough air miles to make it to the International Space Station (but not quite back). Low Earth Orbit, baby! LEO!
[as opposed to LEB -- that's an entirely different orbit. fwiw, i just a moment ago realized that _that_ top thread title is actually "Salinity of the Hudson et al" -- and not "Salinity of Hudon et al" huh... and here i was wondering why it took 290+ posts to answer that one. ~0.9% of Precious Bodily Fluids --- about 9ppm of total body mass. unlesss Mark is especially hypovolemic or hypervolemic, which i doubt.]
ooh, that was quite the digression. oopsey...
~~~
and oh yeah, i have no children. not a one (try as i may...) but i have flown coast to coast with an actual 11 month old on my lap, boston to sf. my brother's kid -- he had the the other one on his lap. twins. he's an md and it was he who explained the connection between howling infants on planes and inner ear pressure to me. that and the simple fix. hence my post.
~~~
so anyway, i'm the frequent flyer bachelor dude you think will give you a hard time because of your kid. trust me, the most and best of them won't. they'll actually envy you, in a manner imponderable to an actual parent. trust me on this. if by dumb luck you do end up with a prick within earshot, just tell the air waitress (oops... ok, i'm not so bicoastal PC) and they'll shut that down in a heartbeat. promise. seen it, done it. so bare no knuckles (unless you really want to spend your entire vacation and then some as the prom date of Guido The Icepick down at the lockup).
~~~
i'm tempted to tell you the story of the stiff Hassidic guy with the infant on his lap sitting next to me on one flight who clearly hadn't a clue as to even the basic operating instructions for infants. the guy who ignored me when i told him what brother md had told me. the guy who dropped that precious child into my lap once she started howling and then puking soon after takeoff.
but i won't. rather, i'll end this mutant post on a more upbeat note. here's something that has always cracked me up: i tell friends my brother has twins, a little boy and a little girl. and they always, always immediately ask "oh, are they identical?"
and i pause and repeat, slowly, "a little boy and a little girl"
and they forever ask (again) "yeah, but are they identical?"
"a little boy and a little girl"
"but are they identical?"
and so on... endlessly. lather, rinse, repeat.
well, always cracks me up.
^,,^
~~~~
oops, rather a long one. oh how i am hating this specific contract and these specific suits.
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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
Fresno
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I look at it this way, blue...
You're going to get on a plane with your kid. Your kid is gonna cry. Maybe too much, maybe not. If too much, people are gonna get pissed - if this was two years ago and someone else's kid, that person would have been you. No one wants to hear a screaming kid for hours, not even a parent.
So, be prepared that this is how it's gonna be, understand there's nothing you can do about it and you'll be set.
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tolman_paul
Trad climber
Anchorage, AK
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Expect the baby to cry. As others have stated, even without sinus problems babies don't know how to clear their ears, and the pressure will be uncomfortable.
Since waiting until the babie isn't an option, I'd say a couple things that will make it easier is, don't take the baby on the red eye. The passengers are crankier, and the same with the baby. Taking an early in the day flight will have the baby and the passengers in a better mood. Don't take long flights. A baby crying on a 2 hour flight is one thing, on a 5 or 8 hour flight is another thing.
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| Messages 1 - 19 of total 19 in this topic |
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