Babies on planes have been something of a hot topic this Summer.
Last May, airline JetBlue ran a campaign for Mother’s Day offering free flights to passengers whose journey was disturbed by crying babies.
Meanwhile, Malaysia Airlines opted for something of an extinction method and banned babies from certain classes altogether.
Social media posts of parents giving out goodie bags to their fellow passengers in some kind of advanced apology went viral.
Then backlash to those measures from other parents arguing that there’s no reason parents should have to apologise for a crying baby went viral.
And still, the babies wailed on and passengers whose hand luggage did not scream at ear-splitting decibels and could be conveniently stowed out of the way in overhead lockers railed at having to share the world with these tiny tyrants. Tiny tyrants with whom they themselves, of course, had absolutely NOTHING in common. It’s not like they had ever been babies themselves or anything, subjecting others to their cries of distress ever.
Enter Mum and teacher, Emma Lovell who frequently travelled back and forth to the UK and experienced firsthand the stress of travelling with a young baby in the face of ill-disguised irritation from fellow passengers.
“I used to do all these things, rigging up sheets and blankets with tape to cover her, and they’d start to work and then fail miserably,” she told News.com.au.
“You’re trying to comfort the baby but you’re mostly worried about the huffing and puffing from people who A, have no children, B, have left their kids at home, or C, have grown-up children and have completely forgotten how hard it is to travel with a baby.”
So the enterprising mum invented a canopy, the Fly Babee, that is compatible with the bassinets that airlines issue and reduce noise and light that might interfere with a baby’s sleeping. It’s a bit like a portable baby cave, but hey whatever works, right?
“It’s like a little bag that unzips and pops up, like one of those pop-up laundry bags,” the inventive mum said of the Fly Babee.
“It provides a really lovely, cozy dome that blocks out 97 per cent of light and it’s 100 per cent breathable and air permeant — it essentially allows air to flow as if it wasn’t there. It’s got a rainbow opening so you can get baby in without taking it off, plenty of kick space and a little peephole to check up on them.”
“There’s also a little pocket inside for your iPad or phone so you can play lullabies or whatever you use at home. It’s just a really simple fix to a really common problem,” she said.
The clever canopy can also be used with prams and cars seats and has a UVP 50+ rating.
Visit FlyBabee
