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A mother who shared footage of her baby crying on a three hour plane journey to social media has sparked a debate on TikTok about travelling with an infant.
In the viral video, which has 28 million views, Jess Spaulding (@jess.spaulding) attempts to soothe her daughter Charlotte as she cries. She is eventually brought to tears herself.
Spaulding admitted she became “progressively more and more defeated” on the journey, but said she wanted to share the video to let other mums know it’s not their fault if they can’t stop their baby from crying for long periods of time.
Spaulding attempted to calm the situation by telling her baby: “we’re never going to see these people again. It’s going to be okay.” However she also told her followers she felt like everyone on the plane hated her and she felt “like crying with her”.
Detailing the situation further in the video’s caption, Spaulding wrote: “This post isn’t meant to scare anyone from flying with your baby. It’s just to show that sometimes you have genuinely NO CONTROL over your baby crying.”
“So many people on here know Charlotte is a happy baby who doesn’t cry which is often the case. That said, sometimes there are times where you can try EVERYTHING and they just don’t stop.
She continued: “I wanted to post this to remind the moms that go through this that it is not you. You did nothing wrong and you are not a bad mom. Stay strong mamas!! It’ll continue to get better so I hear.”
Spaulding’s post quickly sparked debate on TikTok, with commenters divided between users who said the situation was their “nightmare as a passenger” and others who empathised with the mother. One person wrote: “I’m really sad no one offered to help out.”
“Flying with a baby is crazy,” wrote one disapproving person, while another commented: “Thank god you still managed to constantly document this with your phone. That probably made the baby feel so much better.”
Meanwhile, one empathetic viewer wrote: “Whenever I hear a baby crying and feel annoyed I remember that the mom is probably feeling even worse.”
A cabin crew worker even rushed to advise Spaulding that she may not have had to handle the situation alone, writing: “As a flight attendant, we’re always here to help if you need a break! Never be afraid to ask… most of us are dying to get our hands on the babies!”
Another supporter added: “Noise blocking headphones are my own responsibility when entering a confined space full of strangers. You’re all good with me, friend.”
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