Yes, it's hard on everyone when a baby cries on an airplane trip - especially the parents who are usually frantic with their own feelings of helplessness and embarrassment. Some moms find that nursing or bottle-feeding the baby on ascent and descent helps reduce ear-popping pain for babies. A pacifier can help with this as well. However, it's not just ear problems that cause infants to cry on planes. They often feel the tension in their parents' bodies - cramped into a small but public space in that chaotic travel frame of mind. Taking Bach Flowers can help parents remain calm and transfer their calm energy to their little one and the little one can also receive Bach Flower Therapy to help him or her stay relaxed. The exact flowers needed depend on the individual's reasons for feeling tension (rushed? nervous about flying with baby? worried about baby? etc.). Consulting a Bach Flower Practitioner can be helpful or use a self-help book (check out www.bachflower.com for books and descriptions of the remedies). If there is no time to get the exact remedy mixture, you can always use the premixed Rescue Remedy - it will usually be fairly effective for travel. There are also calming essential oils for parents and babies - an aromatherapist should be consulted as these are slightly medicinal (unlike Bach Flower Essences). However, there are oils that will help the baby actually settle and sleep on the plane, so the consultation may be well worth the trouble. Some nursing moms find that taking a pain reliever before the flight can help sedate their system as well as the nursing baby's - check with the pediatrician about this idea or even about giving the baby his or her own dose of meds. Other than that, just relax. No matter what, the flight will soon be over and everyone will survive the noise if the baby decides not to settle.  Sarah Chana