You know I wonder if the child was just crying or throwing a temper tantrum. Which means crying, screaming, kicking, biting, hitting and sometimes head butting. Yeah, realistically, even one year olds can be violent when in the middle of a melt down. I can’t help but wondering if it was one of those time when a good smack (it can be felt, but is not harmful) is in order. I couldn’t imagine sitting on an airplane with a child, one year or older behaving in such a way that makes it difficult to console or restrain without injury to oneself. However if the child was just crying, its a comfort, grin & bear it situation, which a smack on the bottom would only magnify the crying. Boy, I am so glad my kids are pretty much grown up.
Young children often have problems with the air pressure and their ears hurting.