BEIJING: A video of a father in China travelling on a high-speed train with triplets who were “hung” in their seats and calmly waited to be fed without any tears or fuss, has gone viral on social media.
The triplets from Changchun, Jilin province in northeast China, who are just eight months old, recently experienced their first high-speed train ride.
A trending online video shows the three babies comfortably “hanging” in baby carriers attached to train seats.
The infant trio are happily sucking on their pacifiers while patiently waiting for their father to feed them one after the other.
Occasionally, they chew on their fingers or exchange glances. The baby nearest the window even falls peacefully asleep.
“We were on a high-speed train from Changchun to Jilin, and it was time for their daily solid food feeding, so I hung them on the seats to make feeding easier,” said the father, whose name was undisclosed, in a report by China Jilin Net.
Many netizens playfully referred to their arrangement as buying “hanging tickets”, marvelling at the father’s smart solution.
Experienced parents explained that the “baby carriers” typically used to carry infants can be hung on train seats, not only freeing up their hands but also helping to keep the babies quiet.
Noisy children on high-speed trains have long been a headache for many passengers in China.
Instances of parents failing to manage their disruptive children often ignite heated debates on mainland social media.
In August, a female passenger from the southern province of Guangdong had to endure a child jumping around in the business class compartment for more than two hours while the child’s mother played with her phone.
When the passenger asked for a seat change, the mother said: “You are all adults, but my child is only two. What do you expect me to do? Don’t you have kids?”
The mother even criticised other passengers for scolding her child.
Although the law in China clearly stipulates that passengers must not disturb others with loud noises and that those “disrupting the order of public transportation” can face penalties.
In practice, disruptive children and their parents often face no legal consequences.
The well-behaved triplets and their attentive father have received an outpouring of praise on social media.
One person said: “These babies are so well-behaved. No crying, no fussing.”
“This dad is amazing. Truly a super dad!” said another.
Others called for more tolerance on public transport, saying: “It’s not normal for such young babies to not cry or fuss. Crying is what normal babies do. I hope society can be more understanding towards infants and young children.” - South China Morning Post
