It was a smooth take-off for the 10+ hour flight on which my family had been split into two separate rows by the airline. The baby and I sat in our window seat on the bulkhead row, where a bassinet could later be mounted, while an eastern European couple returning from their honeymoon occupied the two seats beside us. Things were already a little awkward on our row as I nursed to keep the baby comfortable during the rapid change in altitude, but we gave each other polite smiles, looked in opposite directions, and pretended we were all somewhere else for a little while.
Then the baby threw up.
There are reasons I recommend parents bring a change of clothes for themselves as well as for their infants and young children when undertaking long flights, and this moment—and the second round that began later that flight—top the list. Thankfully, the flight attendants were very supportive and helpful, and although the flight was completely booked—in coach that is, the horrified honeymooners were reseated in business class.
As a result, the barfing baby and I gained the two freshly vacated seats for the duration of our overseas flight in addition to our own less-than-fresh one, and I couldn’t help but think how well it worked out for everyone. Other than having to wear lavatory-rinsed, wet clothing for the rest of the flight.
Naturally, there are also a multitude of other offenses these tiny travelers may commit while airborne. If you’ve spent any amount of time in their presence, particularly during or shortly after meals, I’m sure you catch my drift (and perhaps a little of the banana puree).
Frankly, I’m surprised we haven’t seen more minimum age restrictions imposed by airlines offering exclusive classes of service and special amenities for business travelers. Though it seems to me priority to baby-free travel would fall to the section labeled “business class,” rather than “first.” Regardless, when consumers have a choice between airlines they should choose wisely, especially those traveling with a baby or young child—and those who would prefer to travel without.
Everyone offering harsh criticism of Malaysia Airlines this week should take note that not only do they offer virtually all of the above to travelers with infants, but they have also demonstrated an appreciation of their family travelers by continuing to offer family preboarding (even before first- and business-class travelers, unlike many other airlines), and have created children’s play areas and private baby care and lactation facilities in many airports that they serve.
Now, on the off chance that any other airlines are looking for ideas on how to improve the customer experience for those traveling with or without babies, I hope they’ll consider my suggestions in: “Five Ways Airlines Can Make Happier Travelers of us All.” And remember, there are also numerous tips to help you keep that baby, toddler, and preschooler quiet and content on that next flight in Take-Along Travels with Baby, so do keep it handy. And in case you’ll be flying without an infant of your own in first class on any other airline, you may want bring a copy as well. We know how you value your sleep.
Related posts and pages:
Five ways airlines can make happier travelers of us all
What ever happened to family preboarding?
Tips for long-haul and overseas flights with a baby
The real reason babies and toddlers need ID for domestic flights
Cost-saving tips for families packing checked baggage
See more on air travel in FAQs and Popular Topics
Safe journeys,
Shelly Rivoli
Author of Travels with Baby and the new Take-Along Travels with Baby
www.travelswithbaby.com Travels with Baby on Facebook
All content of this blog (c) Shelly Rivoli
4 comments
This is a stupid idea mainly because that first class cabin is on the same stinking plane as the coach cabin with the screaming baby. Case in point, the trip to London where we were seated in First and a baby in the back of the plane was having a bad day. He was audible the entire time in our “curtained off” cabin.
Another point I’d like to make is that most parents who travel with baby travel together and first class seats tend to come in pairs of two vs three, four or five as they do in coach. Furthermore, in long haul international flights the seats are little cocoons so you’re even more insulated from the baby. This means that the odds of me being sat next to a screaming/climbing baby in first is almost nill, even if they are in the same cabin/right behind me. So as a non-parent (I know it’s weird I’m on here as a non-parent but I was looking for a shower gift) I don’t see much difference between the baby screaming in the cabin behind me than in the row behind me. They are gonna keep my up either way, at least in the first class seat I have some hope that laying next to their mom in a fully reclined bed/seat they will sleep vs fuss.
One last thing, when did kids become a nuisance which needed to be kept away from all public places save for special kid only zones? If I am not mistaken we were all kids once right? Plus, if we never expose kids to “adult” spaces, how the heck can we expect them to grow into adults who behave appropriately? I was taken to fancy restaurants as a kid all the time, know what that did? It taught me to put my napkin on my lap, keep my elbows off the table, eat with the proper fork and sit still for more than 5 seconds. We don’t need more kid spaces, we need more kids in real spaces, this rule doesn’t help.
Thanks so much for your comments, Emma! Especially coming from a non-parent here, I appreciate these (and your visit!). I have to say one thing that has guided me *a lot* as a parent so far has been the experience I was lucky enough to have as a kid, where I was involved in a lot of “grown up” situations where I knew I was lucky to be there and needed to be an aware & respectful participant–what some people would call “grown up behavior,” but I have seen so many adults exhibit less than grown up behavior since, I would not call it that. It’s always been very important to me for my kids to get to enjoy being kids but to also be respectful people in the world AND be welcome where we’ve roamed. In my travels as a parent, it’s been shocking to realize how little compassion my own American culture has for its smallest citizens, while even the childless in other cultures celebrate their smallest with reverence and joy–and compete for their chances to make them smile and laugh–especially if fussy. We get cold stares and outright complaints if a child fusses in an airplane or restaurant. But there’s also that matter of taking responsibility for one’s own happiness. For the love of god, if you want a quiet restful flight as an adult traveling solo? Pack along your earplugs. Enjoy eating your meal with two hands. And watch whatever movie you like. The future of humanity–and your social security checks–rests in the hands of those juggling the baby on row 24. Don’t glare, just dim your reading light. 😉
E – agreed that more room for moms with babies is a good thing, and fewer passengers making noise in the cabin could certainly help a baby sleep! (Just don't sit too close to the guy with too many complimentary beverages though–or the nagging cough!) 😉 Those flying in coach with an older baby may do better on long-haul flights paying the extra (hopefully only 50% of the adult fare) to purchase an extra seat for their baby rather than hope they'll sleep contentdedly in a strange bassinet mounted to a noisy bulkhead row.
argh! this makes me so mad. I can understand that people don't like flying with a crying baby, especially if they paid for first class. (though who actually pays for first class anymore?). But just because it's a baby, doesn't mean it'll cry the whole time. Or even at all.
When my daughter was a baby, we flew a lot. My husband was elite, so a few times we got upgraded. Never when we were in first class did she cry for more than 30 seconds the whole flight. We were far less annoying that the guy who has too many complimentary beverages. On time, at the end of the flight, a fellow first class passenger told me that he was worried when he saw a baby in first class but that my daughter was the best behaved baby he had ever seen on a flight and was welcome to fly first class with him anytime. All the other passengers nodded in a agreement.
Plus, mom's carrying baby's need that extra seat space far more than any of the other passengers. 😉
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