EarPlanes for Airplanes

[naomi78155]

Does anyone have any experience with the Earplanes? They are little earplugs that are supposed to be worn during a flight to reduce ear pressure and pain.
DS 4 has never flown and is super sensitive to noise and I think the pressure on the plane may bother him.
I think they have them at Walgreens and online.

Thanks

 

[ckrum]

I love them & never fly w/out them. I also take an extra pair for DD8. Sometimes she needs them & sometimes she is ok, but it is worth it to have them handy. Without them, my ear pain is extreme (imagine a sharp knife stuck in each ear & twisted). W/them flying is very managable & comfortable. Good luck!

 

[momto2inKC]

My dd and I use these on every flight we go on. For the most part, they have worked wonderfully! On 1 flight we both still had extreme pain, I was in tears it was so bad. I'm not sure what caused this though because we used them the same as always.

 

[laughinplace199]

My DS7 uses these every time we fly and they work great!

 

[okeydokey]

We use them too and recommend them. Just be sure to get the youth sized or they will be too big and hurt his ears. I've bought them in WalMrt and at CVS.

 

[naomi78155]

Thanks! I may head out to find some this afternoon!

 

[phins_jazy]

They work wonderfully for us as well. I think I saw some at walmart the other day.

 

[bumbershoot]

My 4 year old loves them, after having one painful experience (out of about 6 flights). You do need to put them in about 30 minutes before you start descent, so pay attention to what's going on during the flight. DS now likes to just wear them for the entire flight, and that's fine, except he then puts headphones over his ears (the big kind, not the little airplane-given/sold ones) and it kind of knocks them out.

If DS is sensitive to noise, you might get him some big headphones with space around the ears so he can take care of both things at once. To me it doesn't make sense, it doesn't seem the earplanes can work with headphones covering, but DS says it does.

 

[rabx5]

I can't speak for lil ones as my youngest is 16, but my DH swears by them and uses them every flight. I am sure they make them for lil ones.

We got ours at Walmart.

 

[waltdisneyworlddreamer]

We have never had any real problems with our ears, but this last time that we flew, DS, 10, had an ear infection. We went to the dr. the day before we left and the dr. said he had a lot of fluid, so I was very worried about the flight. However, he used the EarPlanes and had no trouble whatsoever. He sometimes gets a little stuffiness, but had absolutely no complaints this trip. They worked great!!!

 

[Kanga+2Roos]

Start looking for the child size version ASAP! The majority of the stores only carry the adult size or universal (which are the big ones). Since I don't have a CVS by me I had to run to the nearest airport to pick up 2 pairs just to make sure I had them! I didn't think I would have problems finding them so by the time I figured it out it was too late to order them online.

We just flew last week & the child size earplanes worked like a charm for my boys--just make sure you twist them in securely & keep those little fingers away from them!

 

[bumbershoot]

drugstore.com has had them every time I looked.

 

[momrek06]

I have worn them for years. They are awesome. They are sold many places now...airports to WalGreens, CVS, WalMart, RiteAid, Target...everywhere.

I believe you can take them out an hour after take off and put them back in an hour before landing. If I am going a short distance 4 hours or less, I do not even take them out. Only problem with that is you cannot listen to headphones....but I just usually read or fall asleep. My trips from the East coast to the West coast, I will take them out. Just remember to put them back that hour before landing.

I also buy a set for each way. I believe it states you can use them for round trip but I don't.

 

[naomi78155]

Thanks. I am already having a hard time finding the child sized ones. I found the adult at Walmart and didn't find any at Target. Maybe the drugstores will have them.

 

[bumbershoot]

Here. Looks like you have time for the shipment if you can't find it locally (but I don't know where you live).

We don't need them for take-off... And DS does wear his with headphones (he uses hubby's big ones with room around the ears) and they still work and he can hear. They don't stay in perfectly with the headphones which decreases their effectiveness, but the only thing that has caused a problem is when I've forgotten to put them in his ears half an hour before descent OR they get knocked out as descent is going on...

 

[LittleFlounder]

I tried earplanes on my my last plane trip because my ears usually get really plugged and hurt from the changing pressure. I used them on the first leg of my departing flight. They worked to keep my ears from plugging, but the earplanes themselves REALLY hurt my ears! They were so sore that it hurt to just touch them. I thought it might be because I was using the adult ones and I might have needed a smaller size.. so at my connecting flight airport I bought a pair of child-sized earplanes. They weren't any better. My ears were still EXTREMELY sore from the earplanes. I didn't even bother using them on my return flight... having unplugged ears was not worth the pain they caused me.

 

[KevGuy]

These things are great!! I have never had a problem with them hurting and they work fantastic. I don't fly without them anymore!

 

[mom_of_3_70737]

I tried earplanes on my my last plane trip because my ears usually get really plugged and hurt from the changing pressure. I used them on the first leg of my departing flight. They worked to keep my ears from plugging, but the earplanes themselves REALLY hurt my ears! They were so sore that it hurt to just touch them. I thought it might be because I was using the adult ones and I might have needed a smaller size.. so at my connecting flight airport I bought a pair of child-sized earplanes. They weren't any better. My ears were still EXTREMELY sore from the earplanes. I didn't even bother using them on my return flight... having unplugged ears was not worth the pain they caused me.

DH and I had the same experience with them. They helped with the pressure but both of our ears ached really bad from the Earplane itself. We both eventually ended up taking them out for most of the flight. One thing I did notice when I took them out was how much louder it was. They really helped with the noise factor.....I think next time I am just going to do the other methods to keep my ears clear and get some ear plugs for the noise

On the otherhand my DBFF and her DH used them and I do believe they liked them. I guess everyone is different.

 

[hoosiermama]

Earplanes are ok for us but what really works well is the followng...
ask the stewardess for styrofoam cups with hot water to cover the bottom of the cups. Place a napkin or paper towel over the water so it gets soaked up and then place the cup over your ears. The steam helps to open up the tubes and my son always does better on planes with these makeshift contraptions. Plus they are free.