C8 - Sunday, December 11, 1983 - North Shore News

OOS rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr——:—CCi‘C

Flying has its ups and

FEW YEARS ago |
printed a letter from a
male reader who was
highly incensed about
the behavior of travell-
ing kids, especially on
aircraft. Wish I’d kept it
because he had some
marvellous examples of
behavior guaranteed to
make the most placid

adult start searching for
a parachute.

travel-
wise

by Barbara
- McCreadie

Most of us, whether or not
we admit it, are tense when
we fly. Some of us, me in-
cluded, are strung up tighter
than a guitar and small trrita-
tions take on the proportions
of a national disaster. Ever
sat for three hours while so-
meone’s brat kicks the back
of your seat? Or plays upsy-
downsy with the meal tray?

1 prefer an aisle seat as
most claustrophobics do |
do not prefer an aisle seat
when three little kids are us-
ing the aisle for a) a jogging
track, or b) hopscotch Some
parents consider it perfectly
okay for hule Johnny to use
the armrests of cach seat for
his own version of leaptrog

Having had three babies of
my own I'm well aware that

Bob MacDougall

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crying is part of the game
plan. However, most healthy
babies don’t how! for six
hours without a good reason.
A sick baby shouldn’t be on
an aircraft.

The change in altitude
blocks anyone’s ears and can
be very painful. For this,
adults chew gum or suck on
hard candy. Babies can be
soothed by feeding them a
bottle or using a pacifier.
Toddlers should be given
something to suck that won't
injure them should there be a
rough landing, perhaps a
rope of licorice (red please,
not black), that Mom can
hold while junior chews.

For the past few years,
children's car seats have been
constantly in the news. New
vaneties of safety seats have
been tested and the market
has been flooded with super-

safe methods of hitching
your kid firmly to the
upholstery. And how do

these same kids travel on an
aircraft? Why, tucked in
Mom’s arms, that’s how.

As the kids get old enough
to sit in a seat, they get the
same adult belt as the rest of
us, padded with pillows. If
they are under two years of
age and flying for free, they
aren't entitled to a seat unless
the plane is underloaded.
Can you imagine what a fly-
ing catapult a large toddler
would be in an emergency?
There would be nothing a
parent could do to prevent
serious injury. Strapping
your own seat belt around
both of you 1s no answer -
your body, pressing from
behind on impact would cer-
tainly injure him if not
worse.

1 wish | had an answer It
seems to me that airline
designers could come up with
some sort of harness for kids
that could be attached to a
part of the seat or bulkhead
It might’ mean that parents
with small kids could only be
assigned certain seats but 1s
that such a bad idea’

If vou must fly with little
kids. do everyone a favor
Call the airline and try to
pick a flight where the load
factor will be light) Then. if

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possible, the airline will give
you a seat with a vacant seat
beside you. Do the best you
can with the seat belt and
never let the child be without
some sort of restraint. Evena
sleeping infant can be tucked
diagonally into a belt if you
raise the armrest between
you. A bulkhead seat gives
you far more foot room but
these are limited in number.
Some, too, are in front of
emergency doors and will not
be given to people with kids.

Most aircraft have wash-
rooms equipped with a shelf
to change infants. There is
hitthe excuse for a parent
changing a diaper at her seat.
It’s best to avoid certain

L amps,

HAWAII’S
SUPER SHOPPERS
GUIDE
FOR YOUR VACATION

Reg

Ck casional Chairs,

umes to visit the washrooms -
when the meal or drink carts
are plugging the aisles or
when the line-ups are long.
Go during the movie or right
after the meal trays have been
cleared. If the flight is a long
one, there’s usually a rush
about an hour and a half
before landing. Ask the at-
tendant before you start with
baby and diaper bag.

Small children can do some
dreadful — and some
dangerous things in plane
washrooms. Don’t let them
go alone. I’ve also heard
about teen-aged kids that
sneak cigarettes in wash-
rooms. If you think one of

CONTINUED ON PAGE C9

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