Flying & little Kids...

[momtoBrandon&Jacob]

I haven't flown with my kids yet and am wondering if their ears will be affected. Can someone please share their experiences?? They are 4 & 5. We're going 4/25 - 5/1, staying at POFQ.

 

[Jestocost]

Our two kids—now 9 and 12—have flown at least twice a year since they were very young (DS was two months old on his first flight), and they never have had any problems. Some mild discomfort that has been eased by chewing gum, sucking on candy, etc., but that doesn't last more than a few minutes at take-off and again at landing. Keeping them distracted during those periods also is very helpful.

Our kids always have been very healthy and never have suffered from ear infections or anything like that. If your kids have a problem in that area, are more sensitive for some reason or generally don't handle pain or discomfort very well, they might have more trouble.

 

[dbmarie]

We bought earplanes at CVS. They are little blue ear plugs that keep their ears from popping. It worked really well for my dd's 6 and 8 on our trip in december.

 

[ttfn3]

We have flown with DS since he was very young. When he was little, I would make sure I had some water for him and have him take small sips when we were taking off and landing. It really helped to relieve the air pressure.

 

[Paull117]

I hope I can help. My kids sometimes have problems sometime they don't. One time oldest DD when she was 5 hurt so bad the pain did not go away for almost 6 hrs afterward. It just hit her bad that time.

Kids just have a hard time with the popping. Couple things that we do to help bottle and nuk age let them have it, it is the best thing. Older than that we bring gum, dum dums, or just something to eat or suck on. If they don't go for that we just try things like singing, my youngest likes to sing the rain rain came down down down song from the pooh ride when we are landing. Don't know why. Yawning works, swallowing, and blowing the nose. Usually we can't get the kids to do this, but the singing works. If they have problems after an 1 hr on the ground the best thing you can do is give some jr strength (what ever you use) and let them rest. If they have it 24hrs after then I might go to the doctor.

I hope I helped.

Paul

 

[PlutosFriend]

My kids are now 6 and 8. We have been flying with them since they were babies. I always bring gum and snacks for them to have for take offs. They have never complained about their ears.

 

[Pixiedust34]

I flew during the no liquids restrictions with my kids, so we couldn't bring our own drinks. I brought lollipops to suck on and that promoted swallowing to prevent ear pain. If we can bring water bottles the next time we fly, I'll use those during take off and landing.

Earplanes from CVS work well, too. CVS was the only place I could find kid-sized Earplanes.

Soda is a treat for my kids as they rarely have it at home. I told them that they could have a Coke on the plane, knowing they'd drink it all, and that brought a smile to their faces. : )

 

[momtoBrandon&Jacob]

Thank you all for your suggestions. My youngest will be 4.5 when we go in April (can't wait!). He's had the ear tubes put in 2x but it was over 2 years ago and he hasn't had a problem since. He's really the one I'm worried about, but he loves candy so that's what I'm going to give him during take off and landing.

 

[2Princes2Princesses]

My pediatrician told me it was swallowing that helps. So we use drinks or fruit snacks. Also, if they are congested, he recommended decongesting them before the flight, but that would be something I would ask your doctor about.

I can vouch for not wanting to be congested. I had a little sinus congestion on the 13th when I flew and when we landed I felt like my ear exploded.

 

[dsnymomof4]

On our first trip in 2002, I thought I was prepared because I brought bubble gum for the kids to chew if their ears bothered them. Well, little did I know that DD6 did not like the flavor of gum that I brought, so she didn't want any. Takeoff was fine, but when we started to descend, her ears started hurting, so much that she started crying from the pain. A nice flight attendant came over and told her to suck on her thumb. She did, and it really helped! So, on future flights, I've always brought things to suck on - l ike those baby bottle pops or ring pops and also gum (that helps me as well). So, I would bring a variety of things to try in case they are affected by pain.

 

[momtoBrandon&Jacob]

I've been hearing about all kinds of things to bring. What about the liquid Children's Tylenol? Are we even allowed to bring that on the plane?

 

[meier56013]

Are your son's ear tubes still in? If so he won't have any trouble since the tubes will allow for equalization of the pressure because they provide an opening in the ear drum. If the tubes are out, using an over the counter decongestant 1 hour prior to take off will help also. Both of my son's have had multiple ear surgeries and had no trouble when their tubes were in. Since they have been out we have used the decongestants and tylenol with success.
I believe you can bring 3oz of liquids that fit in a sandwich sized zip lock bag, or how about the chewable tablets?

 

[stacieps]

I've always given my DD(9) and DS(7), who both fly at least 2x year since under 1 year old, Children's Sudafed to make sure they don't have any congestion that would bother their ears. I usually give it to them when we arrive at the airport (1-1 1/2 hours before flight). I've always done this, but the Children's Sudafed is much harder to find now. We happened to be at DS's allergy doctor just before our last trip and she actually recommended giving them the sudafed. Of course we always have plenty of gum and lollipops too, but we've never had any problem with either of them.

 

[Alexander]

DS (8) has been flying 2-3 times a year since he was 20 months old. He only had ear pain one time when his allergies were pretty bad. If you can get rid of the congestion, it makes a world of difference. We always had juice boxes or a sippy cup for him to drink while taking off when he was little. When we were landing, he was too excited to care about anything else.

 

[ducklite]

Please don't give them GUM! Most kids that age aren't used to having it, and it ends up all over the place. I've had a couple times where I've sat down and ended up with gum on the back of my pants.

Sucking, chewing, or swallowing all have the same effect. Bring gummie bears or ctackers for them to eat during take off and landing. Thanks!

Anne

 

[UConnJack]

Never had any problems (knock on wood) with my 7-mth and 4-year old. We had to deal with the 4-year old talking at the top of her lungs for an hour because her ears wouldn't pop and couldn't hear very well, but no pain. Both kids have even flown with ear infections and congestion, and without painkilling medication, without any problems. Can't say exactly why it affects some kids and not others, but the decongestant might help.