Originally Posted by danBfree

As the parent of a 14-month old, and a true humanist, I have come to the conclusion that traveling in a premium cabin with babies and toddlers is the optimal decision to make for the betterment of society as a whole.

Premium cabins have much more room, so if sqirming must occur, it is significantly more likely to be contained in our seating area and not to disturb our neighbors.

Premium cabins sometimes have lie-flat beds, which as we recently discovered on a lovely BA JFK-LHR, allow a toddler to sleep uninterrputed through an entire flight, much more effectively than in a car seat.

Premium cabins have free and/or higher quality booze which can never hurt in calming down one's fellow passengers, as well as oneself.

Premium cabins have a significantly higher portion of well-armed fellow passengers who will arrive with earplugs, good ear-covering headphones, and quality sleep-aiding drugs; passengers are also more likely, in the premium cabin, to be given good headphones and earplugs by the airline, to better drown out any noises that my child might inadvertently make, if they neglect to bring such goods with them.

The relative calm of the preimum cabin means that my daughter is far, far less likely to be disturbed or woken up by the crying of another baby.

The larger seats and better service in the premium cabins, and the lounge access and pre-boarding that usually accompany it, allows my wife and I to be calmer and more relaxed both before and during the flight, making it possible for us to be as effective parents as possible, keeping our child quiet and entertained, and minimizing disturbances.

And of course, the significantly lower population density of the premium cabin means that should my child squirm or even briefly cry, she will bother far, far fewer of my fellow human beings, all of whom are worthy and deserving of a peaceful and uninterrupted flight, than she would in coach.

So, for those of you posters who are seeking ways to avoid being disturbed by my family, utilize a little basic philosophy, and realize that as I, a traveler with a child, am somebody who seeks to maximize the travel experience for the common good of all people - rich and poor, 1Ks and General Members, young and old - you should join the majority of the human beings at the back of the bus. I cannot promise that my daughter will not make noise in the premium cabin, but I can promise that as true humanists we will seek to minimize the impact of my child's imperfections on society by keeping to premium cabins as much as possible.