Dad’s unusual trick to keep his baby occupied during a flight is to divide opinion

There is nothing worse than the piercing screams of a restless child on board a crowded passenger plane…

And yet a father’s innovative tactic of keeping his son blissfully distracted and calm during a flight to London still managed to divide opinion.

A video posted on TikTok by Darcey – also known as @darceomatic – shows a man trying to entertain his child during the flight.

The video, which was uploaded in October 2022, has since garnered nearly two million views, more than 172,000 likes and more than 1,700 comments from viewers impressed or concerned about this somewhat innovative parenting style.

In the footage, titled “Parenting seen on a recent flight in London,” the father can be seen sitting upright in an aisle seat while the child curls up on the floor next to him.

With his left hand hanging, the father lets the boy crawl a little way down the empty aisle – before pulling him back to his seat by his pants so the child can climb back up the aisle.

Every time the toddler escapes from his father’s grasp and begins to crawl out of his arm’s reach, the man pulls him back one more time before letting him go.

The child darts down the aisle at lightning speed, but not before being rescued by a parent who is used to their toddler disappearing in the blink of an eye.

In the 35-second video, father and child repeat the maneuver several times, leading commentators to believe the technique was performed in flight to keep the restless child occupied and calm.

The carpeted hallway serves as a seemingly safe, soft platform for the child to play and run around – but not according to some people, who consider the floor to be “dirty” and “full of germs”.

Triggered by the child’s crawling and pulling back while his hands were firmly on the carpet, some in the TikTok community were outraged that the father was not concerned about possible germs.

One user commented, “My OCD is overwhelming with germs,” ​​while another said, “I think about all the dirt that must be on that floor.”

Another person wrote: “People are walking, what’s with his hands?”, while a fourth person said: “Remember the carpet is full of nasty germs from the bottom of people’s shows.” Thank you Father.

A fifth person said: “I can’t help but think about the dirty carpet and the fear. They barely clean these planes.”

With his left hand hanging, the father lets the toddler crawl a little way down the empty aisle – before pulling him back to his seat by his pants so the child can climb back up the aisle.

More than 1,700 comments were left by viewers who were impressed by the father’s speed or worried that the child might come into contact with germs

However, others praised the father for his almost effortless “parenting trick” for those on board planes with young children.

One person wrote: “Very smart.” “Keep the kid happy and calm,” while another said: “That’s excellent parenting haha.”

A third commented: “He tires the baby out, he’s actually a pretty smart parent,” while a fourth person wrote: “At least he’s calm and having fun.” When he shouted everyone soon started moaning.’

It comes after an angry airline passenger insulted a mother in October for changing her “screaming” son’s nappy in her seat.

The furious traveler took to Reddit to share her “terrible” experience, with many users denouncing the mother’s misstep and calling for other child-free flights.