i think this is a cute idea...however, anyone who takes the time to do this is usually the kind of parent that does a good job of settling their child during a flight.

i understand that passengers get annoyed but frankly i am tired of over-apologizing for babies being...babies. we seem to have morphed into a society where one's life is consumed by kids or consumed with hating other people's kids. and neither extreme is healthy, IMO.

well put, Supergaijin.

I often keep a stash of free drink coupons (from Southwest airlines) to offer up when our kids make the flight less-than-peaceful for those sitting around us.

I know someone who travels with a few $5 Starbucks gift cards -- IF their child is a problem they can whip one out as an extra apology. I like that idea a lot. Although these bags are pretty cute, but seem a little bit like overkill.

This is adorable. I would never take the time to do it and it would be one more thing to carry when I am already overwhelmed, but what a nice way of setting everyone up to be nice and have a sense of humor! The Starbucks giftcards, while also nice, could get really expensive.

Really? This is really what life has come to? Paying off people for when kids are, well, being kids? I agree with Supergaijin.

Have my kids been terrible in public? Yes, it's been known to happen. I've also seen adults behaving badly, but they aren't handing out candies and apologies.

I think this is great, but I would expand on it just a bit more... I would buy a bunch of those foam ear plugs at the drug store (they're really inexpensive for a box of them) and include a pair in the baggie with the candy.

While some people think you shouldn't have to apologize for your baby, I don't think it's an actual apology... it's just a nice courtesy, letting the strangers around you know that you understand that sometimes sitting by a baby on a plane can be... well, loud... and you're thanking them in advance for their patients. As someone who flies twice a week but who is also a lover of babies the world over, I think this is a lovely, courteous idea! Brava!

this is cute but I also feel like we shouldn't be over-apologizing for our babies either. That doesn't mean I don't hope parents are unprepared for flights or outings but people just have to understand.

These are definitely adorable, but I agree with Supergaijin. We shouldn't have to apologize for babies being babies. You can clearly see when a parent is doing his or her best to calm a baby on a plane. Unless it's a young child repeatedly kicking the back of my seat while the parent is zoned out watching a movie, I'm pretty tolerant of youngsters on flights.

I have always felt more sorry for parents of screaming babies on flights than I have for myself for being close to them, since it's clear how trapped and limited in space and options they are -- and that they are abundantly aware of how much everyone on the plane wishes the baby would quiet down.

I'm not sure what I'd think if someone handed me one of these bundles. It probably wouldn't make any difference to me, but if it lets the mother go into the situation feeling a little less anxious or worried or guilty, then more power to her.

Incidentally, there was an interesting discussion about this on Motherlode recently, where a mother recognized herself and her child in another's comments about a screaming baby in business class.

Same as others, cute idea but I'm not filling up a bag with candy to hand out on a plane pre-apologizing for a baby being a baby.

Omg I wrote "patients" instead of "Patience." Ugh. Sorry y'all. lol

The packaging is really cute, but I don't think I would write a note that referred to my baby as being bad..babies are babies and sometimes they cry!

Plus, I would rather sit next to a crying baby than an adult with a cold that coughed all over me the whole time lol..we recently flew with my 2.5 yr old who is VERY active. He did awesome and people actually said he was so good on the plane. I was so nervous but he was fine. I think people for the most part understand that kids and babies may have a hard time flying..

There is a big difference between a baby crying on a 2 hour flight, and a baby crying on a 17 hour flight.

People understand a baby crying on a 2 hour flight. People get really frustrated with 17 hours of crying. And I don't blame them (even though I have an 18 month old). Generally, other passengers need to arrive having slept some, and a crying kid can be a major problem. And it is a problem that parents should be prepared to address with toys, active parenting, etc. And if that fails, with apologies and other remediation for passengers.

Many of us our privileged enough to travel often, take our children to restaurants, etc. But for many people, nights out are a very rare treat and travel is once in a lifetime. We shouldn't need to apologize for our kids being kids in truly day to day scenarios (grocery store), except to employees (we have one whiny kid - they see them all day). But we should be prepared to apologize if the actions of our children (even natural reactions) are putting a damper on a truly special activity.

And to the points above, adults should also apologize when they inconvenience or annoy someone. Everyone should probably be more polite than they are. Just because someone is rude to you doesn't mean you now have permission to be rude to the rest of the world.

Individually packaged ear plugs and candy is a genius idea. I'll be packing them for our next long flight to see the grandparents.

we gave out $5 starbucks cards to the row in front of us at the beginning of girlie's first flight, in part because we had no idea how it would go. it turned out that she handled it beautifully, but it made us feel better to acknowledge upfront that it could be a bit of an issue to those in front of us. i didn't consider it an apology but more of a thanks in advance for their patience & understanding.

Doesn't anyone believe in karma? Your baby's bad, but you try your best...all is well. You get upset with someone else's baby...you're gonna get it later, even worse. :)

I am a couple weeks away from a 9 hour flight with my two kids and there's NO WAY I will have time to event think of passenger apology gifts. I'll be lucky if I remember to bring our passports...

I have 2 kids, 4 and 1, and both have flown several times. Honestly, we have never had a bad experience with the kids (and we took the oldest to Paris), but the dirty looks I got before we even sat down really frustrated me. Some of the people would then comment on how wonderfully behaved my children were after the flight--though they should have added "sorry I gave you the stink eye!"

This is a sweet idea, but I do think it's unnecessary, for me anyway. If worse came to worse, I can always buy the row a round, but thankfully I've never had to go that far. :)

Now the guy with bad gas in seat 17 D, he owes me a martini.

As the author of this project, I’m loving that it sparked a debate. However, I do feel the need to throw in my 2 cents. While I realize of course that ‘kids will be kids’, I’m still a new mom myself and recognize that not everyone loves babies {or more likely that they just don't relish the idea of spending 5+ hours holed up with a baby that's screaming}.

Air travel is no picnic for anyone, so my thought was create a sense of community among fellow passengers with a “we’re all in this together” philosophy. It’s always nice to be on the receiving end of a little surprise, and this one made people laugh and lifted their spirits at the beginning of a long flight. We can’t always control the behavior of our children, but at least we can own it... and accept all the help & goodwill we can get in return.

I love your way of thinking, birthdaygirl. This certainly isn't a requirement when traveling with kids, but it acknowledges the fact that people always cringe when someone with a small child sits near them. And it never hurts to lighten the mood on an airplane when most people can get pretty moody.

Though I wouldn't be able to do this (only because I'd be waaay to shy to pass things out to people)- I would be happy to receive the little courtesy and I'd think it was a sweet gesture. Also, very cute packaging and label.

those chocolates would be melted in the bottom of my bag before we even made it through security

I would be touched if I received one of these bags! The idea of someone thinking about others and beyond themselves is a welcome novelty, especially during the stress of air travel!

we just flew with my 4 yo and 19 month old two weeks ago. my carry-on was ENORMOUS and devoted solely to entertainment and snacks for the kids. i had it all. planned. out. and then the 4 yo was an angel and just watched dvds the whole time. but my son? screamed! not matter what we did. i was so embarrassed. i still probably wouldn't bring these with me the next time, although kind of cute idea! but i apologize again to anyone who we annoyed on the plane :)

I'm concerned about the precedent this kind of well-intentioned gesture is setting. Essentially, this says, "I anticipate in advance that my child will be a burden, so I have gone to trouble and expense in a way that is not directly related to keeping my child from being burdensome in the hopes that I will be able to bribe you, the adults on this plane, into showing the patience and tolerance you ought to show others regardless of the reward." If this catches on, does this mean I will somehow deserve the stink-eye if I DON'T give out goody bags when I sit down on the plane with my son? And what message does this send to kids--"We anticipate that adults will hate you, so I am giving them candy in order to make them like me, at least?" Again, I realize that the idea was well-intentioned and well-received, but I am concerned about the possible implications.

You got it, Splitty. It seems like a sweet idea but this sends a negative message about travel with children. No one gives me a treat bag if they are gassy or need to get up every hour to use the bathroom or any other irksome behavior that is magnified by being thisclose to 150 other people. Babies are babies. I have traveled domestic & overseas with very small children and found that most people are tolerant and extremely helpful. Perhaps it is because I look so frazzled. Maybe people don't respond negatively to us because I am working so hard to keep the kids busy/entertained but a meltdown can happen anywhere. I am more likely to focus my energy on preparing the kids for our flight than making goody bags for adults.

The favors might be a little much (I'd never make them although I'd want to make friends with the person who made them) but the idea is spot on. I think it's important to break the ice a little.

Living across the country from family, I travel often with my kids (4.5 and 2.5...and a 1 month old now too) and have since my first was tiny. At least half the trips have been without my husband and often involve bulky, awkward things like carseats or bags of toys/extra clothes/what have you. I have almost always had good traveling experiences. I find that while a lot of people really don't like kids/don't think kids should travel (at least if you believe comments on blogs and online news articles on the topic), a whole lot of people are sympathetic, and they often either have young kids themselves, or remember having young kids, or plan to have young kids someday.

Generally I introduce myself (and if appropriate, my kids) to the people just in front of and behind us--sometimes including my name, sometimes just saying hello--and say something lighthearted about how I hope we won't bother them and that we have been trying to prepare for the flight. I don't think that's selling kids short or not allowing them to be themselves. Kids are kids, but it's important to remember that adults are adults and some of them are not around kids at all. Worse, some of them think that a crying child means the parent isn't doing their job. That's wrong, but it still happens.

Breaking the ice at first I think helps. Even more than that it helps to be involved with the kids, actively anticipating what could go wrong, doling out what consequences are necessary but also letting some rules slide if it keeps the peace. Not only does this mitigate problems, it also shows fellow passengers that--hey, at least I'm trying!

Last thing, keeping my cool (or trying to) is always what helps the situation the most. I actually think it even helps my kids behave better (maybe since they are so shocked to see me not frazzled?) Before getting on a plane, I say to myself--"It's 5 hours of our life. This will end eventually."

I think it's a nice gesture. I think if airlines should start selling earplugs.

I couldn't agree with Supergaijin more. I have found people to be more than understanding when we travel with our three children five and under. Most people realize we are doing our best and they, too, know what it is like to travel with children. People who are likely to complain aren't the kind to be won over by a few chocolate kisses. They are probably just jerks.

It's a decent idea in theory but if any of you are like me, every last space in the carryon is already taken and there's no way I could fit baggies for everyone in the general vicinity. And frankly, buying giftcards isn't something I can really afford.

I guess I've never been the type to get upset about babies being babies on planes. It just goes with the territory. Now that I have one, I just do what I can to make sure she's tired enough to fall asleep but not so tired that she screams the whole time and then I just pray for the best. It's only for a few hours (knock on wood....we're moving to china in a year and I'm dreading that flight) so even if they cry, it'll be over for everyone soon enough and people will go on with their lives.

The people who are going to get irritated are going to be irritated regardless.

I get more annoyed by parents who let their older children run wild or be loud. I also get upset at people who are too large for their seat so they put my armrest up and take up half of mine. Fussy babies are the least of my concerns on a flight!

I think this is a fantastic idea and wish she had said how many she passed out. A screaming baby can be heard down the whole plane, but obviously not *that* many can be given out.

The row you're in and the rows in front and behind? Just the people directly on every side of your seat (left, right, front, back)? Etc.

This is hilarious. I saw this for the first time two weeks ago on a flight from NYC to Singapore.