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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We will be flying to Morocco next month with our three year old and 16 month old twins as lap babies. I have to say I'm nervious about the flight but its an overnighter so I am hoping the kids sleep for most of it. I don't plan on being comfortable or it being easy.  That said I am grateful that we booked with the Moroccan airline and most of the travelers will be Moroccan (I know this from experience taking our daughter as a lap baby at 17 months).  And as this thread would indicate Americans hate flying with kids on the same plane as them, not so with other cultures, who tend to be more understanding and helpful with the kids.  I think that the negative nellies have to realize that as miserable as you may be to have a kid sit next to you or behind you on a flight the parents are suffering way more, so before you spread your nastiness to the parents, take a deep breath and appreciate the fact that when the flight ends your experience with that kid ends as well.  Bring things you know your kid enjoys, ignore the nasty looks and hope that you get seated next to a kindly grandmother figure or a foreigner from a culture that actually likes children. [/quote]

I have never been to Morocco, so I can't really speak to Moroccan travelers' views on flying with children.

However, I think (at least in this country) flying has become such an ordeal that nastiness abounds in air travel and not just in respect to flying with children.  Flights get more expensive every time you turn around.  Getting to the airport on time can be a nightmare because of traffic.  Luggage is awful these days.  It is great for the airlines to charge per bag, but an annoyance to everyone who needs to take a bag that is not carry-on size.  Getting through security (I'm all in favor of security, don't get me wrong) can be such a long process that I've actually missed flights at Dulles.  Please tell me how my mascara is more of a security threat than TSA's plan to allow "short" knives on planes.  After surviving security, then there is the push to get on the plane to get the available overhead space -- not pleasant at all.  Then, unless you flying in first class, the seats are closer together than ever.  I've booked seats on flights for my family many times -- only to get to the airport to find the airline has changed one seat.  Why?

And if you survive all that, people can be grumpy, unhappy and annoyed.  And the flight hasn't left yet.  People here (at DCUM) tend to have kids and my observation is that many parents will cut some slack to other parents on a number of issues.  But even the most patient of parents can be annoyed to find herself seated next to a large 21 month old who is not interested in "sitting" on a parent's lap for the flight.  Some kids are just not good candidates for lap kids.

And while many here dispute the additional safety (and expense) of using a car seat on the flight, sometimes being in a familiar seat can be comforting to an anxious child.  Of course, the comforting factor is often unknown until you get on the flight.  Keep in mind that FAA regs require coffee pots to be stowed and locked during take off, landing and turbulence.  Your 18 month old, not so much.

I think many Americans are unhappy about flying overall.  Having an unruly toddler sitting on a lap next to you can add to that unhappiness.  Not all lap children cause passengers near them to be unhappy, but a number of them do.  [/quote]

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