A mom on a plane with her toddler was left on “the brink of a disaster” after failing to pack the most essential of items in her hand luggage.
Young children have something of a reputation for causing disruption on flights. So much so, in fact, one survey found 59 percent of people were in favor of planes and trains having special child-free areas.
Parents are very much aware of the reputation that precede an infant boarding a plane though, and know it is important to plan for every eventuality when it comes to managing their little one’s behavior on a flight.
Sometimes, however, to quote Robert Burns, “the best-laid schemes of mice and men go oft awry.” That was certainly the case for Maddy Rasmussen from Philadelphia and her toddler son Beckham.
It wasn’t that Rasmussen had forgotten to pack snacks for Beckham or even his favorite toy. No, it was much worse than that: she didn’t have any diapers with her on the flight.
Rasmussen did have valid reason for the oversight though, as a caption accompany the video explained. “Woke up at 3:30 AM for the flight and put the diapers in the checked bag,” it read.
The situation forced her to take extreme steps to try and address the issue. In the video posted to Rasmussen’s TikTok maddyrasmussen1, the quick-thinking mom can be seen stuffing her son’s pants with sanitary pads in an attempt to stem the flow of any escaping liquids or solids.
“Mom forgot to bring a change of diaper on the flight and we are on the brink of a disaster,” an onscreen caption reads. At the time of writing the video has been watched over 800,000 times since being shared earlier this month.
Rasmussen gave Newsweek permission for the video but did not respond to additional requests for comment.
But she did share more information on the comments, saying: “Oh we going on a plane? 20 diapers just in case,” one viewer commented with Rasmussen responding: “That’s normally me too. Just not this day.”
Another said: “Ma’am that baby is conscious enough to carry to the potty in an emergency situation. He’s watching what you’re doing and is interested. give it a try…”
Rasmussen replied: “We’ve tried at home and he wasn’t ready, so doing that on an airplane with a sleep deprived toddler is actually a really bad idea. Thanks though!”
A third, meanwhile, was amused at Beckham’s response to the sudden appearance of the sanitary pads. “He’s like woahhhhh what is this??,” they said, with Rasmussen responding: “Just normalizing period products at a young age.”
Elsewhere, one viewer offered up a sensible suggestion that would have helped Rasmussen in her predicament. “I wish they gave free pampers in the bathroom like tampons and pads!!!” they said. Rasmussen evidently agreed, replying: “Seriously!!”
The only hope is that her newfound viral fame might help ensure other parents avoid making the same mistake.
The post Mom Wakes at 3.30am for Flight—Horror As She Later Realizes What She Forgot appeared first on Newsweek.
