There was a boy sitting next to me on a plane, and he looked somewhere between 6-9 years old.  During the 2 hour flight, the kid farted probably about 5-9 times.  There was no reaction or change of movements by him or his dad (sitting right next to him) when this happened.  ALL of the farts stunk!

I was noticeably affected and made sure to appear so because I found this situation to be pretty rude on the part of the boy and his dad.  I do not have much experience being around boys as they grow since my family tends to make a lot of girls. Since this happened, I found out from others that this is not atypical behavior from them.  I still do not agree with that though, especially on a flight around other people who are not your immediate family.

But towards the end of the flight, the boy started displaying frequent and loud hiccups, almost uncontrollably.  It seemed like he had no inhibition of his digestive exits.  But then I started to think to myself that he either had digestive issues or was not tolerating whatever he ate (i.e. he did not digest it well).  I happened to catch what he ate at the beginning of the flight, and it was all junk food.

So here is my message to parents: if you have a 5-9+ yo kid who passes gas like this, do not give them junk food within 2-3 hours of a plane ride.  Just give them some fresh fruits and veggies, and maybe some ginger or peppermint tea.  This can help to keep their tummies calm and everyone else around them happy.