Benadryl?

[JerseyMamaBear]

When DS was 11 months we flew to WDW and my ped. told me to give him 1/2 tsp of Benedryl a half hour before we took off. We got settled in our seats (he had his carseat) and I gave him the Bendryl. Twenty minutes later we started being pushed back and DS was out like a light.
QUOTE]

What about a child in pain form their ears on a flight???? I don't think peds recommend in just so parents don't have to deal with their kids on a flight. Their little bodies are less able to cope with alititude change than ours. Many get motion sick or have constant ear pain on planes. I don't think anyone here is condoning knocking your kid out so that you don't have ot deal with them, but what if it is better for the childs own well being to be sedated?

Plus the biggie for us was since she was so small, 1 month and then at 11 months, you dont know what alergies they may have. Being confined to a small, recycled air, plane with any number of exposure situations like peanuts, may trigger an anaphylactic reaction. At 30,000 feet there is no way to safely land in enough time to prevent her airway from becomming so swollen to pass proper air. We take it with us many places just to be safe.

 

[NotUrsula]

Benedryl and Dramamine are very closely related drugs; one essentially contains the other.

Children's Dramamine is dimenhydrinate. When you take it, it is broken down by the body into diphenhydramine plus a mild stimulant known as 8-chlorotheophylline (which is slightly related to caffeine and has a similar effect.) Diphenhydramine is the same thing as Benedryl.

What this mostly means is that the two drugs act the same, but Benedryl normally takes effect more quickly because the body does not have to break it down first. However, in some kids, Dramamine won't cause the reverse "hyper" reaction that Benedryl does, presumably because of the presence of the stimulant. DS I found was one of those kids -- Dramamine made him fall asleep, while Benedryl wired him terribly.

Your mileage may vary -- again, always try it at home first.

 

[MrsJ Henry]

Just check with your Ped first. It's nice to get ideas of what others do but I always check with our Dr. before doing anything. Our Ped does not believe in giving anything unless absolutely needed. This incudes sickness. So I know she would read us the riot act if we asked her about this one.