Judge me!

[Freesia123]

I am open to judgement people, good or bad. My dd1 is horrible sitting still and we have a seven hour flight with her on my lap in two weeks. I can't afford a seat for her and I'll also be with a well behaved but needing lots of attention 4 year old. Oh, and alone with no other adult. Is giving benedryl to make the baby sleep absolutely horrible of me? She's had it before (she went 23 hours without sleeping and approaching hysteria) so I know she doesn't have any allergies to this. Be honest, but be NICE.

 

[robinb]

I am open to judgement people, good or bad. My dd1 is horrible sitting still and we have a seven hour flight with her on my lap in two weeks. I can't afford a seat for her and I'll also be with a well behaved but needing lots of attention 4 year old. Oh, and alone with no other adult. Is giving benedryl to make the baby sleep absolutely horrible of me? She's had it before (she went 23 hours without sleeping and approaching hysteria) so I know she doesn't have any allergies to this. Be honest, but be NICE.

I flew plenty of times with a lap baby, but never for 7 hours. I can't even begin to imagine holding a squirmy 1-year old for 7 hours straight. Frankly, I think you have bitten off more than you can chew here and you should try to find the money for a seat for your 1-year old. Many airlines will charge less for an infant than a child or adult. She needs to be in her comfortable car seat where she can relax and you don't have to hold her. I don't think that drugging her is the solution and while I am not usually a worry-wort I would be concerned about her having a bad side effect in the middle of such a long flight: http://www.tampabay.com/news/health...-practice-of-medicating-kids-to-sleep/1191735 .

 

[zy144622]

My Dr has recommended it before. Unfortunately for my DS1 it had reverse effects and makes him hyper. If you plan do do this give yourself a trial run to see if your child actually gets sleepy. For our flights we bring tablets/iPods/iPhones with movies/games loaded on them. Works well keeping DS1 and DD4 happy.

 

[Freesia123]

Getting another seat is just not possible.

 

[Aliceacc]

I would speak to my pediatrician.

He or she will know better than we do.

But if this trip were for anything short of a family emergency, I would find a way to change things to that child has a seat. I don't think you can expect a one year old to sit calmly on a lap for 7 hours.

 

[Freesia123]

Thank you for the article!

 

[Freesia123]

I don't expect calm! Lol! I do t mind the wiggles, it's more her enjoyment I'm worried about. She'd be happier asleep but does this outweigh the risk?

 

[jennylyn_b]

I'm not going to judge you but there is no way I would give my child meds they don't need. I hate how I feel after Benadryl so I wouldn't do that to my child unless she was really sick and needed it. We have flown with her at 12.5 months and every six months since that. She will be 3 on our next flight in Oct. She was a lap baby but our flights are 3 hrs not 7.
I would have booked the flights during her nap time or really early or late to try to coincide with her normal sleeping. Bring lots of distractions and enlist the older sibling to play and distract her. Good luck

 

[Missy29]

I would never give Benadryl to child that did not need it. I would also not sit with a child in my lap for 7 hours either, that would be miserable for you both. The baby (and you)would be much more happier in a car seat in their own seat. Me personally would not go if I could not afford one more plane ticket.

 

[luvdumbo]

I highly recommend not giving a child under the age of 2 Benadryl as a sleep aid.

 

[davedmaine]

I am open to judgement people, good or bad. My dd1 is horrible sitting still and we have a seven hour flight with her on my lap in two weeks. I can't afford a seat for her and I'll also be with a well behaved but needing lots of attention 4 year old. Oh, and alone with no other adult. Is giving benedryl to make the baby sleep absolutely horrible of me? She's had it before (she went 23 hours without sleeping and approaching hysteria) so I know she doesn't have any allergies to this. Be honest, but be NICE.

I judge you to be a bad parent. There.

 

[Crazie4daMouse]

It might be easier to not have a non-stop flight so the baby can have some different scenery and maybe stretch out on a blanket in the floor of the airport. A short layover could be a nice break for all of you. My sister and niece are both flight attendants and I can't tell you how many stories they've told about babies being miserable on long flights. Do yourself, your children and your fellow passengers a favor and break the flight up. I wouldn't under any circumstances drug the baby. It's extremely dangerous and just not worth the risk. Think about how alcohol effects you on a flight. You could very easily overdose your baby unintentionally and then what would you do in the air? It's just not worth it.

 

[Julie711]

I would recommend speaking with your pediatrician about any medication. My DS was a lap baby his first trip (12 months) and will be a lap baby this September trip and will be 22 months old and had no issues the first time but we only have a 2.5 hour flight. Just bring along alot of toys, snacks, bottle & pacifier and hopefully she will nap most of the flight!

 

[Freesia123]

Thank you. No go on the benedryl.


A bad parent doesn't get facts. I asked, I got facts, I am not a bad parent.

I want what is best for my child within my resources. I can't afford a seat, but going and maybe being miserable outweighs not seeing her grandparents or going to Disneyland,

Thank you for everyone's opinion. It really helped.

 

[Crazie4daMouse]

Thank you. No go on the benedryl.

A bad parent doesn't get facts. I asked, I got facts, I am not a bad parent.

I want what is best for my child within my resources. I can't afford a seat, but going and maybe being miserable outweighs not seeing her grandparents or going to Disneyland,

Thank you for everyone's opinion. It really helped.

I don't think you're a bad parent at all. You wouldn't have asked anyone if you were. I hope everything works out well for you all and you have a wonderful trip!

 

[maxiesmom]

I don't expect calm! Lol! I do t mind the wiggles, it's more her enjoyment I'm worried about. She'd be happier asleep but does this outweigh the risk?

Keep in mind the people seated near you shouldn't have to put up with their seats being repeatedly bumped either. You will have to figure out how to hold one child and see to the needs of the other at the same time, all without jostling the seats of those around you. Not an easy task.

Also any electronics need to be used with headphones. So if your child is not used to using them they should start practicing with them now. Not much worse than a child frustrated because they have a gadget along but can't use it.

 

[Crazie4daMouse]

There is always the chance that the flight will not be full and you will have an extra seat beside you. Fingers crossed!

 

[sweetcreams]

Thank you. No go on the benedryl.


A bad parent doesn't get facts. I asked, I got facts, I am not a bad parent.

I want what is best for my child within my resources. I can't afford a seat, but going and maybe being miserable outweighs not seeing her grandparents or going to Disneyland,

Thank you for everyone's opinion. It really helped.

 

[Freesia123]

I've had an extra seat almost every time I've flown! Hopefully there will be pixie dust. I do give my kids anything they want on the plane to prevent meltdowns. My oldest knows her plane etiquette thankfully!

 

[christineangel]

My sister just flew with her one yr old. On the way, the flight was pretty empty and the flight attendant suggested to move to an empty row. On the return flight, she got the first row and that gave them a lot of room and there were no seats for him the bump into. I've also heard the tip 1 new toy per hour of flight. Try the dollar store. The simplest things can keep a kid entertained. Mine loved stacking snack containers on our flight at that age. Stickers...the small board books for stacking and reading.... Figurines in a bag to load and unload.

Ditto on some electronics ( with age appropriate volume control) for the older child.