ear plugs for airplane

[mumeof3]

ok went to CVS today and bought their version of earplanes,wow 5.99 a pair.Anyway I have to search for kid ones{they were out}for my smaller guy,I never needed anything for myself except one time I got a killer earache but had a cavity...or filling something dental...
how do I know if my kids need them??do I just put them in before take off or just wing it and see if they need them?

 

[sneetch]

I usually use them right before taking off, and then again when the plane starts to descend. I've seen pleanty of little kids crying their eyes out because of their ears bothering them on the plane. Better safe, than sorry I say. Another thing that helps me in addition to the earplanes, is to take a decongestant like sudafed an hour before my flight, then like maybe 5 minutes before we take off, I'll use a vicks inhailer. It really helps.