What do you think of this toddler tantrum situation?

[Anonymous]

Was on a flight last night with a 2-3 year old toddler. Flight attendant asked mom to use headphones for ipad. Mom gave flight attendant attitude and said it would be much worse for neighboring passengers. Toddler has full fledged tantrum kicking and screaming. Toddler had a very loud whaling scream. Mom finally calmed toddler down but toddler's legs were hanging out into the aisle. Another flight attendant asked mom to move toddler's legs in. Toddler started screaming again. Eventually another flight attendant came to improve the situation. Mom and toddler moved. I am assuming they went to a different row and the toddler was able to play with his ipad without headphones.

Do you think the toddler should have been allowed to watch a movie on his ipad without headphones in the first place?

[Anonymous]

Sounds like a bad plane flight all around. Sorry for mom, child, and passengers.

[Anonymous]

Yes depending on the situation. At two, our child had speech delays but we did not know how severe till he was much older. There is no was he would tolerate headphones and would get upset when we tried to force it for things like a hearing test. Now, not is no problem but I know many kids who will not tolerate them on their head. Toddler should have been in a car seat so that would have helped secure him.

[Anonymous]

I would rather have been with snakes on a plane.

[Anonymous]

I think that mom should know her kid and not subject him to the public until he's out of that phase.

[Anonymous]

Doesn't the sound of an iPad get drowned out mostly by the plane noise?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Doesn't the sound of an iPad get drowned out mostly by the plane noise?

This.

[Anonymous]

When our kids were little (3 or under) we did not use earphones as they wouldn't keep them in. Never had another passenger complain or flight attendant intervene I think because the plane noise drowned out the sound. BUT, if it was bothering a passenger, I would have turned the volume way down. The first flight attendant described above sounds like she escalated the situation considerably and was out of line.

[Anonymous]

I think the plane noise drowns out an iPad as long as the volume is low and many toddlers won't keep earphones on. I don't think the flight attendant was wrong to ask (maybe someone complained to her). I do think the mom was wrong to "give attitude," but she had probably already had a really shitty day traveling with a toddler and didn't want to disrupt the status quo when she had him calm (no excuse, just empathy). Legs in the aisle is a safety rule. It's been enforced on me (and my lap child) before.

I don't think we can assume she's a bad mom or her kid is particularly bratty. We don't know why they were traveling, what the rest of their day had been like leading up to this, etc. Maybe there was a death in the family, missed naps, etc. Anyone's toddler can have a meltdown and when you are on a plane, you don't have a lot of options to snap them out of it, or leave. I feel sorry for all involved, including the neighboring passengers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Doesn't the sound of an iPad get drowned out mostly by the plane noise?

This.

+1

I'm having a hard time imagining an ipad being so loud it bothered someone, unless the OP is the one who complained. My two year old won't keep headphones on, but we always keep the volume very low anyway.

[Anonymous]

Larlo, you can watch the movie with headphones or not at all. Your choice.

What's so hard about that?

[Anonymous]

I would be annoyed to see an adult or older child using iPad, laptop etc without headphones, but it seems obvious that most kids that young are not going to have an easy time using headphones, and I would much rather listen to Curious George than listen to an unhappy two year old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the plane noise drowns out an iPad as long as the volume is low and many toddlers won't keep earphones on. I don't think the flight attendant was wrong to ask (maybe someone complained to her). I do think the mom was wrong to "give attitude," but she had probably already had a really shitty day traveling with a toddler and didn't want to disrupt the status quo when she had him calm (no excuse, just empathy). Legs in the aisle is a safety rule. It's been enforced on me (and my lap child) before.

I don't think we can assume she's a bad mom or her kid is particularly bratty. We don't know why they were traveling, what the rest of their day had been like leading up to this, etc. Maybe there was a death in the family, missed naps, etc. Anyone's toddler can have a meltdown and when you are on a plane, you don't have a lot of options to snap them out of it, or leave. I feel sorry for all involved, including the neighboring passengers.

Get off DCUM, you are far too reasonable

[Anonymous]

If someone complained, the flight attendant was within reason to ask. However - I would have never complained about a quiet, entertained toddler - WTF? Air travel with my toddler leaves me anxious and covered in flop sweat...I do everything in my control to avoid disturbing other passengers. But I understand if other parents' philosophy is more "I'll never see these people again."

It's public transportation and there will be all ages and walks of life on your flight. People expecting some sort of grand, comfortable flight experience need to adjust their expectations and come prepared (earbuds, earplugs, whatever).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the plane noise drowns out an iPad as long as the volume is low and many toddlers won't keep earphones on. I don't think the flight attendant was wrong to ask (maybe someone complained to her). I do think the mom was wrong to "give attitude," but she had probably already had a really shitty day traveling with a toddler and didn't want to disrupt the status quo when she had him calm (no excuse, just empathy). Legs in the aisle is a safety rule. It's been enforced on me (and my lap child) before.

I don't think we can assume she's a bad mom or her kid is particularly bratty. We don't know why they were traveling, what the rest of their day had been like leading up to this, etc. Maybe there was a death in the family, missed naps, etc. Anyone's toddler can have a meltdown and when you are on a plane, you don't have a lot of options to snap them out of it, or leave. I feel sorry for all involved, including the neighboring passengers.

Get off DCUM, you are far too reasonable

God its nice to see a reasonable post though- keep it up.