“However, (and if and when you have children you will understand this) when someone gets in your face and says “you need to shut your baby up” the reaction is seldom reasoned, rational, and cheery”
Frankly I think that’s the basis for the reaction on this thread. Unfortunately I’ve seen many instances where the parents wouldn’t have done anything if someone didn’t say something to them, with their children screaming, kicking, jumping, my personal favorite of trying to climb over the seat to the row behind. I’ve been flying every two weeks for the past two years. Many parents seem to think the plane is a built in day care. The kids can do whatever they want while mom or dad sleep or read. The flight attendant’s reaction seems over the top, but as was shown with the sippy cup incident, usually these stories are skewed.
I've seen a few incidents like that as well, but it didn't sound like this was one of them. I fly fairly frequently myself, with a lot of my travel being for business between Dallas and Orlando. As you might guess flights between Dallas and Orlando almost always have lots of families often with small children. In most cases that I have seen, the parents make sure that their kids behave themselves and the incidents you are describing are very much the exception rather than the rule.