Benadryl and flying

[Mrs. Toaster]

I know this is a very hot topic, but I am looking for some advice on this. We have flown cross-country numerous times with our son since he was born. We have always been appalled by the idea of giving him any kind of medication (i.e.,Benadryl) before flying. However, our last flight with him at 14 months old was a bit of a nightmare. He is now 2, and we are facing another long flight. I know all of the other travel tips- new toys, snacks, etc.. Many of our friends have confessed to giving their children Benadryl before flying. I have done a ton of reading on this, and even the pediatricians seem to be divided on this issue. Some recommend, some don't. I know that some kids actually get hyper, rather than tired, and I have also heard of parents using Nyquil or Dramamine, rather than Benadryl. I really don't mean to cause an uproar with this post, but am looking for some real advice from parents who may have tried this. I am also going to check with our pediatrician's office before we travel, as we absolutely don't want to take any risks with our son!

I really appreciate anyone coming forward and sharing their stories!

 

[disneymama73]

Our ped. told us to give our daughters PediaCare before flying to prevent pressure in their ears especially if they were even the least bit congested. Sometimes we did, and sometimes we didn't. I didn't notice a difference either way. I have never given Benadryl or Nyquil or anything like that.

Hopefully someone else will have some advice/experience with this.

Good luck!

 

[BevS97]

I don't know the answer, but would love to know too. We have an overnight flight to get back frmo Orlando to the UK and my dd finds it very hard to sleep on that flight, she just gets all excited and it's uncomfortable etc, so anything that would help her would be a godsend.

bev

 

[jmatias]

Our Pediatrician tells us to give our kids Dimetapp 30 minutes prior to the flight to help with the ear pressure.

It works great!

 

[sconstantz]

I am one of those people that gey hyped up on medication. Give me Nyquil, and I will be up all night. It is horrible. So, I was always relunctant to do this to my child, as I thought he might have "inherited" my genes.

If you are going to try this, you might want to experiment at home first. Try out what you are planning to use, and see if it helps put him to sleep or makes him drowsy. This might be an indication that it won't hype him up. Although, I can tell you, sometimes the stuff will work on me the way it's supposed to, although 95% of the time it doesn't. So, even if you try it, there is no guarentee it will work on the plane as planned. Then you are you dealing with a hyped up toddler......

Good luck.

shelly

 

[DisFam95]

Just got back. We have a MD in the family and he consulted with the hospital pharmisist and all agreed with it being ok to decrease congestion in the ears (and having the added benefit of making them drowsy) He did tell me to try it before incase it did have the oppsite effect. So I did give my 18mo Benedryl just before boarding and he slept 1 hr on the flight down and and 3 hrs on the way back (he was exhausted from too much vacation!!). Cried for about 1 minute going on take off and landing and not at all on the way back.

 

[lovemypresley]

funny you should mention this. My friend just recommended I give my 3 yr old benedryl when we fly wed. Her pediatrician advised her to do this once.

 

[ahutton]

Our pediatrician recommended it for our DDs because of congestion and ear pressure. It does also make then sleepy, but quite honestly my kids fall asleep in their car seats pretty regularly without any help - usually on the way to get groceries! Can I ask if you are planning on using a car seat? We found that was the easiest way to keep the girls calm, then it is just like being in the car, you stay in your seat with your belt fastened. They don't love it but they sure know it is not open for interpretation!

 

[peanutzmom]

Both of my kids (and myself) have hayfever-type allergies, so they have been taking Benadryl on an as-needed basis since they were small. When we moved overseas and had a 6 hour overnight flight ahead of us, I asked my ped about the kids & flying, and she said since we already knew they didn't have any problems with the Benadryl (i.e no allergies, it sedates rather than wires them, etc.), she saw nothing wrong with giving them a dose about a half hour before the flight. They both went to sleep right after take-off and slept blissfully the entire trip. On the other hand, there were also infants and toddlers screaming & sobbing the entire trip. Now, I don't say everyone should do what I do, or that parents that dont choose to do this are wrong -- I'm not a big proponant of dumping a bunch of drugs into kids for no reason (we do selective vaccinating, don't do antibiotics unless it's actually necessary, etc.), but I decided for my own family that giving my child a small amount of something that they have safely taken in the past was better for them (and me) than having them all worked up & missing a night of sleep. I don't do this every time we fly, but on our long flights (over 4 hours) especially at night, I have been known to give them a dose of Benadryl. Just a personal opinion. If you DO plan on doing the Benadryl, make sure you try it out first before you leave home to make sure it actually sedates the child instead of hyping them up, and also try using the smallest amount necessary. My kids only need half of the recommended dosage for their age/weight to alleviate their allergy symptoms (and sedate them), so that's all we use.

 

[Mrs. Toaster]

Thank you for all of the great replies! We have our appointment with the pediatrician right before we travel, so I will check with him then. In reply to one poster, we do use a carseat. We have always purchased a seat for him, even when he was only 3 months old and we had to fly. We have always found that it makes it a much more pleasant travel experience for everyone, and it does help him to sleep in it.

It's the long flights that are challenging, of course. Our flight to WDW this fall will be less than 90 minutes, which will be a dream!

 

[sarahsmom73]

Our daughter 2 /12 takes 1/2 tsp. of Zyrtek every night for allergies.. The only time she has had an ear infection was last spring and it was brought on by allergies... I will check this out with our Ped. I plan to see her before we fly.. We also have a night flight when we head to Disney.....

 

[HappyMommy2]

Hi!
I sure can sympathize with you on those long and difficult flights with a toddler/2-year-old! We just did a 6-hour flight with a 3-year-old and almost-2-year-old, and they did all right but---yikes!
It was exhausting for me, trying to keep them entertained!

We haven't used medications to help our kids sleep on flights because both our kids seem to be the type who just get wired by Dimetapp (a decongestant--might help with ear pain but usually doesn't make kids drowsy) or Benadryl (an antihistimine--won't help with ear pain but will commonly cause drowsiness).

I'm glad you'll be seeing your pediatrician about this because if he/she does okay meds you'll want to be sure to make a note of the correct dosages.
If you look at the instructions on the Dimetapp bottle you'll usually see that it's labeled for kids 2 and up, while Benadryl, and ther antihistimines, are labeled for ages 6 and up. So you'll need your doctor to tell you the exact dosage for your child's weight. And like others have said, definitely give the meds your doctor okays a "trial run" before you fly to be sure they will work appropriately for your child.

Best wishes for a safe and quiet flight

 

[gary4jenn]

Our neighbor is a physician and was kind enough to come over last night to check the kids' ears to be sure they had recovered from their ear infections as we fly in 6 days.

Without even asking he recommended that we give them Benedryl before flying. I asked him about sudaphed and he said it was fine but Benedryl would be more likely to make them sleepy.

So I'm off to Target to get Benedryl...

Anything to make a 3 hr flight w/ 3 kids under 6 more managable.

 

[CEDmom]

The first time we flew with DD she was 10 mo and we were returning to the states from China where we adopted her. We were facing a 16 hr flight beginning at 8am. A friend who has 4 children and who's husband is a Dr. suggested benedryl. We discussed this with our Dr. before leaving and he was ok with us using it and gave us the dosage. I gave it to her just before the plain took off and she slept for many hours after having just slept through the night. I was initially worried that I had overdosed her (new mom panic). She was fine and very comfortable for the entire flight.

Last month we flew across country and I gave DD Tylenol Simply Stuffy. I did this more to help her ears than to help her relax but she did sleep.

For a short flight to WDW or something like that I just rely on lollypops.

I guess my recommendation would be to go with your gut feelings but also to make sure you know the correct dosage before giving it. DD is very small for her age so we never rely on the age range guides.

 

[NotUrsula]

Straight Benedryl is an antihistamine, not a decongestant, so it does not act to clear existing sinus/ear congestion, though it will help keep further congestion from forming. If the issue is ear pain, the best medication by far is Robitussin (which contains Guaifenesin, the most effective way to clear stuffed ears. It also has very few side-effects.) Sudafed (pseudoephedrine) is also a decongestant. Most peds. will recommend Benedryl because they are trying to help parents out; a sleeping baby is considered to be a more pleasant travelling companion than a wakeful one.

DS had reflux, so we started giving him liquid Dramamine on flights very early on. (You usually have to order this from the pharmacist 24 hrs. in advance, most drugstores don't stock the liquid as a regular thing, though it is OTC.) Dramamine also tends to make people a little sleepy. It is not as strong as Benedryl at the recommended dosage, and it has the added benefit of helping prevent airsickness.

 

[tinkie]

Benadryl is a godsend in my opinion. I always have it on (along with an epi-pen)hand because my son has a life-threatening peanut allergy. I have given it to my 4 year old before a flight (more for congestion)and he does sleep - the only drawback is that he seems to wake up very crabby if he has benadryl. It has definately been a good thing overall.