Mother hands out gifts to help passengers deal with her crying baby

We’ve all been there before, boarding a flight only to realise we’re in earshot of a crying baby. While it’s hard for passengers to keep their cool, most people forget how stressful it is for the parents.

One thoughtful mother travelling on a long-haul flight from Seoul, South Korea to San Fransisco, California with her four-month old child packaged over 200 gift bags to hand out to fellow passengers on board.

A photo of the goodie bags were posted on Facebook by a passenger who described the gift as a “very touching gesture” by the mother. The bags included earplugs, a few lollies and a sweet note to explain the mother and son’s situation.

It read: “Hello, I’m Junwoo and I’m 4 months old. Today, I am going to the U.S. with my mom and grandma to see my aunt. I’m a little bit nervous and scary [sic] because it’s my first flight, which means that I may cry or make too much noise. 

“I will try to go quietly, though I can’t make any promises… Please excuse me. So my mum prepared little goodie bag for you! It is some candies and earplugs. Please use them when it’s too noisy because of me. Enjoy your trip. Thank you.”

Read more: Flight attendant says baby crying on board is ‘absolutely unacceptable’

Despite the mother’s kind warning, the passenger said he didn’t hear a peep from the child for the entire 10-hour flight.

Most commenters on the post were in full support of the mother as they described the gesture as “sweet”, “thoughtful” and “beyond considerate”.

One commenter said the sentiment was nice but it was up to other passengers to make mothers feel comfortable on board.

Their comment read: “That was a nice gesture, but I think people need to be more understanding on flights and not make parents and their children feel so “unwelcome” on flights. We were all babies at one point in life…”

Another said the gift was not needed: “Not necessary, most people understand the stress of traveling with children.”

Read more: How to avoid sitting next to a baby on a flight

As most parents have experienced before, travelling with children is already one of the most stressful experiences without the added issue of annoyed passengers.

For a win-win flight for both passengers and parents, make sure you always bring earplugs on long-haul flights. This way everyone can enjoy an uninterrupted sleep and parents can relax slightly more. And if the sound is truly unnerving, you can always politely request a seat change if the flight is not completely full.

However, it’s always good to keep in mind, no matter how stressful the sound of a crying baby is, it’s nothing compared to what the parents are experiencing!