Delta passenger's viral video ignites debate over how parents should handle screaming babies on planes

Yahoo

09-06-2025

A Delta passenger has sparked a viral debate about an age-old traveling question: How do you handle a crying baby on a plane?
A Barstool Sports contributor, Pat McAuliffe, shared a video on X on Saturday of himself sitting on a plane, while a baby could be heard crying off-camera. He went on to roll his eyes and stare blankly at the camera, visibly annoyed by the screaming baby on his flight.
In the caption, McAuliffe shared his candid thoughts about how the parents should have soothed the baby.
'If your child is screaming on a flight (that's late with no AC and hasn't taken off yet @Delta) show it a f***ing phone,' he wrote in his post, which has more than 15 million views. 'Brain rot the baby on TikTok until it's quiet. Is that too much to ask?'
In a follow-up video of himself on the flight, as the baby was still crying, McAuliffe clarified his initial comments about how parents care for their babies on a plane.
'I do feel bad for the parents but at some point you gotta try something new. Walk his ass up and down the aisle, distract him, do something. It's still going on. Simply praying it'll stop is not acceptable,' he added.
He then questioned at what point the baby's screaming 'becomes a medical emergency,' since the child was 'crying for two hours.'
'Also why are these people not at least talking to their kid to soothe him? STAND UP AND WALK HIM AROUND,' McAuliffe concluded.
Many people, including parents, criticized McAuliffe's harsh response to the crying child.
'As a parent of three, shut the f*** up and put your headphones and enjoy the flight. That parents is in absolute hell,' one wrote.
'Is it too much to ask to buy proper noise-cancelling headphones..?' another added.
'I can guarantee you that the parent is stressing out way more than you flying by yourself with ear buds in. Grow up,' a third responded.
Others went on to urge McAuliffe to react to the situation differently, with one writing: 'Bro, if this is the worst thing in your life, consider yourself lucky. Man up and see if the mom is okay and if she needs anything. She is probably trying her best.'
However, some people instead claimed the parents on the flight should have soothed their crying baby on the flight. They also shared some of the bad experiences they've had with loud babies on a plane.
'I agree. This is the parents' fault. I have two and we can entertain our babies on the plane,' one responded. 'If the babies cry you are failing as a parent. Plain and simple. Get creative.'
'This happened to us, and while I'm fine with crying babies, it went on for three hours with the parents doing nothing, seemingly immune to their baby's screams,' another wrote. 'A responsible parent would consult a pediatrician before the flight for tips on making a baby comfortable with flying.'
'It's awful. This just happened to us recently. Sat in business, the flight was pretty empty,' a third wrote. 'No one behind or in front of us. Suddenly, flight attendants placed a family with two wild kids right behind us. Screaming, crying, kicking, and slapping the trays non-stop. Absolute torture.'
Last year, a mother named Jess also sparked a debate when she shared a video of her baby crying on a three-hour plane. She admitted she became 'progressively more and more defeated' on the journey. However, she wanted to share the video to let other mothers know it's not their fault if they can't stop their baby from crying for long periods of time.
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 empathized with the mother.