I don't really mind kids on flights
...just as long as their relatively quiet, respectful and not kicking the back of people's seats.
If they are screaming for attention, and kicking the aforementioned seats they they should be fucking locked up - there's no excuses for piss-poor parenting, especially in a confined public space which people pay a premium for.
(dchurch bah, Mon 5 Mar 2012, 13:59, 1 reply)

This is the thing, isn't it?
Babies cry, OK, I get that. But if you can't shut your fucking 8 year old up and stop it acting like a twat, then you shouldn't be on the fucking flight.

I think that anyone that wants to fly with children should be made to go through an exact simulation of check in, flight, security, the works. If their children play up, then they aren't allowed on the real flight.

It works for astronauts...
( scarpe We Stole Bikes, Mon 5 Mar 2012, 14:12, closed)

i'm not talking about
8 year olds, I'm talking about babies.

People seem much more tolerant of badly behaved kids than badly behaved babies, which to me makes no sense. A kicking 8 year old is a monumental pain, but you don't hear people saying they shouldn't be on a plane.
(username failed moderation, Mon 5 Mar 2012, 14:31, closed)

You do if you are in conversation with me,
I think we've had crossed wires all along. As I said, Babies cry, I get it. Personally i'd ban them outright but I do at least realise that is neither practical or probably even legal, so I'll have to accept it. At least until I am Holy Supreme Ruler Of The Way Things Are Done. But if you have a child that should know better and doesn't and you don't do something about it, then you should have your passport taken away*.

*Again, probably neither practical or legal, but there you go.
( scarpe We Stole Bikes, Mon 5 Mar 2012, 14:35, closed)

Yep.

( PMGT -Bacon., Tue 6 Mar 2012, 2:44, closed)

Taking a baby on a plane isn't such a brilliant idea.
In fact it's pretty cruel. The reason they scream is that their eustachian tubes are much narrower, making it much harder for them to equalise the pressure between the cabin and their middle ear so it's extremely painful for them. It's scary too 'cos you can't explain to them what's happening.
Taking babies to foreign countries isn't advisable either. Healthcare can be harder to access if they become unwell and they're much more vulnerable to gastroenteritis than adults, rapidly becoming dehydrated.
Overall I would suggest waiting 'til children are toddlers before flying them anywhere.
( 2 Can Chunder Word to your mums, I came to prod bums, Mon 5 Mar 2012, 14:40, closed)

The ear argument is rubbish.
You just give them a bottle, and they're fine.

I'd be interested to hear how you're going to explain to my mother that she can't see her new grandchild for 2 years, because he might get the shits though.

Forget it, people travel, people have babies. Therefore, babies travel.
(username failed moderation, Mon 5 Mar 2012, 14:52, closed)

Put her on the phone and I'll tell her
"It has been decided that, as a fully grown human being, in control of all bodily functions and able to sit still for an extended period of time without screaming at the top of your lungs that, if you wish to see your Grandchild, you can get on the fucking plane instead".
( scarpe We Stole Bikes, Mon 5 Mar 2012, 14:54, closed)

I'm slowly losing
this argument.

Chip chip chip. Fuckers.
(username failed moderation, Mon 5 Mar 2012, 14:57, closed)

She probably wouldn't bother. It's a baby, I'm sure she's seen hundreds of them.
Unless it's got some spectacularly impressive birth defect she's not missing out on much.
( 2 Can Chunder Word to your mums, I came to prod bums, Mon 5 Mar 2012, 15:11, closed)

Tempting to make
a thalidomide joke here, but I shan't.

Oh, wait . .
(username failed moderation, Mon 5 Mar 2012, 15:16, closed)

Oooooh
Right on topic, with a first world problem.
(ubergeekian, Mon 5 Mar 2012, 17:36, closed)