Screaming Plane Baby

Following on from the current You Know That Thing Where, there was quite a bit of discussion about crying babies on public transportation, why that occurs and what can be done about it that really was unsuitable for the upcoming trope page.

So for the purpose of letting that discussion have somewhere to go (particularly the useful "how to deal with it" parts), I'm starting this conversation.

So, tips for new parents who find they must take a baby on public transportation, especially planes?

edited 11th Sep '11 8:35:22 AM by SKJAM

Make sure they stay awake as long as possible before the trip, so they can sleep on the ride.

♭What.

For planes particularly, have something that they can and will suck on. Babies don't know how to make their ears pop when the pressure changes, and if you've ever been unable to do so, you know how bad it hurts. They cry because they're in pain.

...if you don’t love you’re dead, and if you do, they’ll kill you for it.

Apology notes for the other passengers. My parents took me on a trans-Atlantic flight when I was six months and apparently I was so bad that when my parents ran into another couple who had been on that flight at Oxford Circus they asked my parents when they were going back so they could make sure they were on a different flight.

i. hear. a. sound.

Benadryl. Knock the little bastards out cold by dosing them right when they announce boarding. They'll be sound asleep when the plane takes off, and unless it's a loooooong*

flight, they shouldn't wake up until you've landed.

*

That’s the epitome of privilege right there, not considering armed nazis a threat to your life. - Silasw

Seconding the wear them out prior to the flight and giving them something to suck on. Distracting them by playing with them can work, too, depends on the kid. My oldest didn't seem to mind either way. Not sure what the youngest will be like, though, she's usually a clinger when she's in discomfort, rather than a screamer.

Happiness is zero-gee with a sinus cold.

How do you get their ears to pop? I doubt you can give babies gum.

Pacifier, thumb, teething rings, stuff like that. They can't manually force their ears to pop, and don't know that that's what they need to do, so you have to give them something that may help. Even if it doesn't actually pop their ears, the suckling on whatever helps soothe their nerves. I can always tell when my youngest is cranky and tired, as she starts sucking her thumb as a way to placate herself.

Happiness is zero-gee with a sinus cold.

@Blue Ninja: Where do you fly, that most flights take less than three hours?

♭What.

Ask the airlines for advice. They have experience of the issue.

@Blue Ninja—have you tried this out on your own children? Are there dosage issues?

The routes I have flown most often were Vegas-Omaha, Vegas-Seattle, and San Diego-Seattle. I think the Omaha one was the longest at ~3.5 hours.

Yes, and not if you know what you're doing. One standard dose for their age is usually enough to get them to fall asleep on their own - and really, you just need them to be quiet enough for the beginning of the flight that they haven't pissed off everyone on the plane before you reach cruising altitude. Any bottle of the liquid children's Benadryl has instructions on how much to give children of X years; half the smallest dose should be good for a six month old.*

^{It's not like you're giving them a sedative, Benadryl just makes you feel sleepy, so it's possible that they'll stay awake despite it.}

Older kids don't need it, but under 4 years, this is what I recommend. If you time it right, they fall asleep before you're on the runway, and stay that way for at least the first two hours. It also helps to aim for evening/night*

^{or ridiculously early morning, I guess, but I don't want to get up at 2am to get to the airport on time for a flight, let alone get my kids up for it}

flights, so it's near their bedtime anyway, so they're not fighting sleep because it's mid-morning when they're used to running around.

That’s the epitome of privilege right there, not considering armed nazis a threat to your life. - Silasw