Parents hand out goody bags to apologize for baby on flight

No one wants to sit next to a baby on a plane, because you know he or she will start screaming and crying at some point.

But what if the parents of that baby actually apologized, and gave you candy?

That's what happened to passengers on a flight to Miami this month.

A baby (with the help of her parents) passed out small goody bags to some of the people sitting close to her family.

The bags contained a note, that read, "Hi stranger! My name is Madeline. I will be 1 on December 17th and this is my first flight. I'll try to be on my best behavior, but I'd like to apologize in advance if I lose my cool, get scared or my ears hurt."

Also in the bags were some Junior Mints, Rolos, and ear plugs.

Danaus Chang posted the photo on Reddit before the flight took off, with the caption, "A baby just handed me this on my flight. I ain't mad."

By the time the plane landed, the photo had received so many comments that Chang's post made Reddit's front page.

In a TODAY.com post from Dec. 20, Chang wrote in an email that he boarded the plane sleep-deprived and grumpy, and not at all excited to sit near a crying baby. But the care package totally changed his mood.

"It was like a scene straight out of 'The Grinch Who Stole Christmas,'" Chang wrote. "I was literally sitting there smiling. I looked around and saw at least eight other smiling faces as well."

On his way off the plane, Chang told TODAY that he approached the couple to tell them how much he appreciated the gesture, and that his photo of the package on Reddit was getting a lot of comments.

"They seemed pleasantly surprised and quickly shifted attention to their baby and we said goodbye," he wrote. "By the way, Madeline was adorable."

So there is a tip to all parents planning on traveling with a baby soon: bring treats (and earplugs).