Featured Image Credit: Thicha Satapitanon/Photo by Joel Sharpe/Getty Images
Topics: Travel, Plane Etiquette, Parenting, Reddit
Jess Hardiman
Topics: Travel, Plane Etiquette, Parenting, Reddit
A plane passenger has been left horrified after seeing a mum changing her ‘screaming’ toddler’s nappy in a seat.
There are many things that are a bit of a no-go when it comes to plane travel, whether it’s hogging both of the arm rests when you’re sat next to a stranger or taking your shoes and socks off and unleashing your personal scent to the rest of the aircraft.
But it wasn’t foot odour that one passenger recently found themselves grossed out by, having taken to Reddit to share the story of a particularly unpleasant trip involving a dirty nappy.
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The Reddit user explained they had been on a four-hour overnight flight and was sitting next to a woman and a ‘very young child’, who needed his nappy changing a few times throughout.
Unfortunately for their fellow travellers, however, the mum decided not to go to the bathroom to clean her son up, but instead made do with the plane seat – something that didn’t go down too well with the person next to them.
“I went on vacation last week and the flight back home was awful,” they recalled. “The woman in the seat behind me had a very young child, probably 1-2yrs old.
“He kept getting all worked up at various points, yelling incoherent toddler babble, kicking the back of my seat, sticking his feet up on my arm rest, and SH*TTING his pants regularly. Mom changed his diaper THREE times, IN the seat.
“Didn't bother taking him to the bathroom even though she was one row up from the very back of the plane, right near it. It stunk like hell.”
They continued: “This was a 4 hour night flight (10pm-2am). There was also a baby in another seat piping up screaming on occasion.
“Ffs, one lady even had a puppy on the plane and he made zero fuss. Perfect little angel. Maybe he had had a sedative, idk.
“But these parents should either sedate their damn kids or just not be allowed to bring them on certain flights. Good lord.”
The Reddit post prompted a huge debate in the comments, with many agreeing that child-free flights were the way forward.
One said: “I really think that airlines should lean into the idea of childfree flights. There are so many people who abhor having to fly because of breeders and their spawn I think they would see positive results. Virgin cruises are childfree.
“I wonder if the innovation will spread to other travel methods-like childfree cars on long distance train trips, etc. Childfree sections within the same car or plane cabin won't work for the same reason that no-smoking sections didn't work.”
Another agreed: “I feel like changing a diaper in a plane is some sort of biohazard?? Also 100% would pay extra for childfree flights though parents would scream DISCRIMINATION and then sneak their kids onto the flight somehow I’m sure because ‘everybody loves babies why wouldn’t you love my precious angel who shrieks the whole ten hour flight?!’”
A third added: “I honestly don’t know why it’s not a thing?? Make it once a week or once a month even and myself and other would happily end eagerly fill up those seats!”
And a fourth also wrote: “I'd pay almost double for a childfree flight. I don't blame the kids, I blame the parents.”