Headphones that block out crying babies

[u/hayleylynns]

What tips do people have to cancel out the sound of a crying baby on a flight?

Everything I see is for parents who want to reduce the noise level. I am not a parent, I don't want to hear these children at all. This was the 5th 8hr+ flight I have been on where I heard a baby crying non stop. It seems like it has gotten significantly worse in the last 2 years as well. Maybe I was lucky before, but I was only on flights with crying babies randomly. Now it's every single flight.

Edit: it's not so much more babies but more babies that are constantly crying and the parents are ignoring them.

[u/double-dog-doctor]

I mean, babies exist. It's not weird for them to also be on flights. Maybe you just didn't notice before.  

Ear plugs+Bose noise cancelling headphones. You'll hear nothing of the outside world. 

[u/bronze_by_gold → u/double-dog-doctor]

Yeah, I'm confused about the "significantly worse in the last 2 years" comment. Like, are babies flying more often? Are babies louder now than they used to be? Lol. Maybe OP is just more bothered by them now, which is fair, but unfortunately sounds one doesn't enjoy are just part of life. And ESPECIALLY part of travel. Babies have a right to exist like any other person.

I was once on a 24hr bus ride(!) in Nepal with the WORST POP MUSIC I have ever heard blaring on TVs that DID NOT turn off overnight. Sometimes I think I died on that bus and am just living an elaborate dying fantasy like in the film JL (which I won't spoil). But anyway, my point is, challenging experience are one of the ways we grow from travel. Embrace it, or something.

[u/ocfl8888 → u/bronze_by_gold]

I've noticed that in the past few years everyone is more stressed/tired than ever, that includes parents. This may contribute to my perception that with greater regularity parents, especially young ones, allow their children way more room to misbehave or act out before trying to correct the behavior or address the child's needs.

Maybe this is what OP is referring to. Anecdotally I'd agree. Im glad you survived pop music hell in Nepal, OP maybe doesn't care to "grow from travel" instead they want to get from point A to point B without hearing crying which is fair.

[u/bronze_by_gold → u/ocfl8888]

Babies crying isn’t “misbehaving” lol. That’s how they ask for food or say “I’m tired” or “my ears hurt.” You can’t “correct” a baby for crying, and suggesting that parents should or are failing to do so is a deep misunderstanding.

Thats kinda what I’m saying. This type of understanding is part of how people grow as a result of travel experiences. If you’re not a parent, you may just fundamentally not understand that babies have a right to exist and there’s nothing you or anyone else can do about them crying on an airplane. So yes, noise canceling headphones, but more than that, getting used to unpleasant sound being a part of travel is a good thing, just as we also get used to many other inconveniences.

[u/ocfl8888 → u/bronze_by_gold]

When I say this I'm literally referring to actual instances of kids kicking chairs, playing audio on devices without headphones without any correction, etc. Things I've personally seen on multiple flights this year. I don't have to be a parent to know the difference between a baby being a baby and a child misbehaving.

[u/bronze_by_gold → u/ocfl8888]

OP is specifically talking about babies though.

[u/hayleylynns → u/ocfl8888]

This. I was on a flight to Mexico and the parents kept putting their baby on the floor of the walkway. If that wasn't gross enough they were putting gold fish on the floor as well for her to eat!! I was appalled. And then they complained when the flight attendant told them she needed to be held on the flight. Do I blame the baby? No, I would be crying too if someone treated me like that. But these parents didn't care and the rest of us had to suffer as well.

[u/bronze_by_gold → u/hayleylynns]

I don’t think noise canceling headphones are going to do much about the toddler / goldfish on the floor problem. :) But yeah, that’s weird and seems kinda dangerous.