Kids first flight - Benadryl or Dramamine?

[DadMomBoyGirlBoy]

Our kids (6,4 &2) will be going on their first plane flight to Disney in a few weeks. I always get motion sick on planes and usually take dramamine. Our pediatrician said that didn't mean our kids would get motion sick - which I understand but I also know what an AWFUL feeling it is and want to prevent it if possible. Any suggestions? I'm afraid to give them something that will make them too sleepy or cranky and I've heard Benadryl and Dramamine could have either effect.

 

[MomNeedsVacay]

Our kids (6,4 &2) will be going on their first plane flight to Disney in a few weeks. I always get motion sick on planes and usually take dramamine. Our pediatrician said that didn't mean our kids would get motion sick - which I understand but I also know what an AWFUL feeling it is and want to prevent it if possible. Any suggestions? I'm afraid to give them something that will make them too sleepy or cranky and I've heard Benadryl and Dramamine could have either effect.

I wouldn't give them anything. They should be fine! My 4 and 2 year old fly 3-4 times a year and have never experienced flying motion sickness.

 

[mylilnikita]

I think a bigger issue would be their ears not being able to decompress, so go with Children's benadryl along with things they can chew or suck on. Sometimes it makes kids sleep. My DD sleeps as soo as the plane lifts off even without any medication.
Good luck and have a great trip!!!!!!!!!


I did this with DD before her first plane ride, play airport security so they know what to expect. Also I would put her in a chair pretend that she is strapped in and move the chair as if to simulate turbulence, then they somewhat know what to expect and hopefully think it is fun, once again my DD9 is weird that way.

 

[Tink-n-Belle]

I once took something and it made me really sick. I wouldn't give them anything unless you know that they have a tendancy to get sick. Do they get car sick?

My kids have been flying for 10 years and as the previous poster mention, I'd be more concerned with ear trouble then tummy trouble.

We have our kids chew gum during take off and about 1 hour before we are due to land.

HAVE a Great Trip!!

 

[Aliceacc]

I'm not big on medicating the kids unless there's already a problem.

Why not talk to your pediatrician?

 

[taitai]

I have never given my kids anything before a flight and we fly all the time and have been just fine. In terms of the ear thing, when they were smaller, I would bring sippy cups and have them drink those and encourage my one thumb sucker to suck away. Now that they are a bit older and that guy no longer sucks his thumb, we do just fine with tootsie pops or other suckers.

If you really feel the need to give your kids drugs, absolutely do a couple test runs at home first. For some kids, those meds do cause some anxiety/hyperactivity and that is the LAST thing you want on a plane. If it does make your kids sleepy, you need to figure out if will simply knock them out or if it will make them tired and drowsy at the same time they are being overstimulated by their first flight experience resulting in a cranky kid who can't deal with all the new experiences while so tired.

Good luck. Flying with kids is NEVER as bad as we worry it will be.

Taitai

 

[Matt'nMeg'sMom]

I was a flight attendant for 5 years, my husband still is a flight attendant (20 years and going strong.) I'm also a mother of two very well traveled kids.

If your children respond normally to Benadryl - meaning, it makes them sleepy - then use Benadryl.

We would give our kids a dose right after we got to our seats, which would give it about a half hour to take effect. They would fall asleep on take off and wake up cheerful and ready when we got to the gate.

The best advice our pediatrician ever gave me: "They're not sick when they're asleep." I've told that pearl of wisdom to my children many times, and they believe it whole-heartedly. Whenever they get a headache or any malaise - they immediately say they need a nap. It works WONDERS.

I would also add that a sleeping child is a happy one.

 

[bumbershoot]

I wouldn't give them anything.

I once had to give DS a prescription benadryl-like medication for a dental appointment (omg I was so angry with the dentist for doing that, and have flat out told him I will NEVER do it again), and it had the opposite effect on DS. He was his normal self for the dental appointment (totally fine) and then as the day progressed he went, for lack of a better term, berserk. It was awful. And unpredictable. I'd hate to be the parent of a kid having a reverse reaction like that on a plane, but I'd hate even more to be unrelated to the kid having such a reaction on the plane...

 

[NotUrsula]

Just FYI, they are both essentially the same medicine. Benedryl is diphenhydramine, and Dramamine Kids is dimenhydrinate. Essentially, diphenhydramine is the purer (and more potent) form of the drug. When it encounters the water in the body, dimenhydrinate breaks down INTO diphenhydramine. What that means is that the motion sickness and antihistamine effects are essentially the same, the sleepiness side effects of Dramamine tend to be less.

Neither one of them will help with ear pain. For that you would want a decongestant (pseudoephedrine by preference) if you are going to choose meds. Having a water bottle to sip from during ascent and descent will help, though not as much as decongestant would have.

PS: NEVER try a med for the first time on an aircraft. You always want to test it first to make sure there are no unexpected reactions. Antihistamines normally make people drowsy, but kids especially can have an opposite reaction and go hyper -- REALLY hyper.

 

[all4fun]

What NotUrsula said Benedryl and Dramamine are essentially the same thing.

We have never used any meds when flying on numerous flights and the only trip where I wish I could have give ds something was on a flight when we both had head colds and he was crying in pain (not just crying because he was a little uncomfortable, he had tears running down his face). It was really awful. I had the same ear pain since I also had the same cold. All other flights though - he's been happy as a clam and has never had a problem on take off or landing. If you're really concerned about motion sickness, you might look into a homeopathic method of relief like this one here. I've never used this one (but did use their teething tabs back when ds was going thru that and they worked great). Just thought I'd mention it.

Hth.

 

[wdwfamilyinIL]

As a RN I want to second what has been said by a few on this board, don't give the meds based on a reaction you had, just because you get this way doesn't in anyway mean the kids will have this problem. I also want to say just to give a med to make them sleepy isn't right either, all meds have side effects, why risk anything just to make them tired. The sippy cups are great, chewing gum (which helps with n/v by controlling stomach acid, and helps with ear fluid pressure), sucking on a sucker, I love earplanes also.
You would also really hate it if you gave the kids something, and it made them sick while on vacation. If your chld takes meds on a normal basis, maybe you could look into adjusting the times on those, but otherwise try unmedicated forms. Afterall your kids might be just fine the whole time, I fight my ears all the time and my children have never had the first pain.

 

[CastleCreations]

As a RN I want to second what has been said by a few on this board, don't give the meds based on a reaction you had, just because you get this way doesn't in anyway mean the kids will have this problem. I also want to say just to give a med to make them sleepy isn't right either, all meds have side effects, why risk anything just to make them tired. The sippy cups are great, chewing gum (which helps with n/v by controlling stomach acid, and helps with ear fluid pressure), sucking on a sucker, I love earplanes also.
You would also really hate it if you gave the kids something, and it made them sick while on vacation. If your chld takes meds on a normal basis, maybe you could look into adjusting the times on those, but otherwise try unmedicated forms. Afterall your kids might be just fine the whole time, I fight my ears all the time and my children have never had the first pain.

Also as a nurse, I agree with everything you just said. NEVER give a child a medication unless it was needed. Making a child sleep, just to make traveling easier for you, is wrong and borderline abuse, in my book. I agree to give them some gum, and give the littlest a bottle, or sippy cup (whatever she uses at home), during take off and landing, and hopefully they will be fine, but medication would be my last resort.

 

[Honeymooner04]

Another former flight attendant here and I agree that you shouldn't give your kids anything. I occassionally get carsick (when I have to ride in the middle in the backseat) but have never gotten airsick. My daughter has never had any trouble ever. Just make sure you have something for your kids to drink when taking off and landing and you should be fine. Have a great trip!

 

[jessica52877]

I wouldn't give them anything. I am also a not sick, then no medication. But more then that, my son has had benedryl one time and he did exactly as some have said, went bezerk hyper crazy! It would have been horrible if I was on a plane. Also concerned if they would react medically to it, being stuck up in the air is not a good thing in an emergency.

 

[MommyBuzz909]

I've been flying since I was 5 years old (granted I was only on flights from LA to San Fran) but usually my mom would just buy me some activity books and some gum and I'd be good to go. When my son was a baby, we'd fly from LA to Atlanta to visit my dad, and I'd give him Tylenol to know his butt out!! There's nothing worse than a crying baby on a plane. Now, he's totally fine and loves it....he either watches a movie to knocks out.....

See how they do before you give them anything, but so bring stuff with you just in case.....

 

[Omma]

My youngest dd gets VERY carsick and also has problems on planes. I give her dramamine when we fly. But more than anything I have found ears cause us trouble when flying so I make sure to have suckers, gum, sippy cups, to help them out during take off and landing.

I'm thinking about trying the motion sickness wristbands for my dd this trip. Has anyone tried those? OP - maybe you could try those if you are worried about motion sickness and do not want to give your kiddos medication.

Have a great trip!

 

[TinkerbellMama]

I would never, ever medicate my child unless medically indicated.

JMO.

 

[jagafen]

I did this with DD before her first plane ride, play airport security so they know what to expect.

Just wanted to re-iterate this suggestion.... I flew with DS 5, alone (e.g. without hubby) over Thanksgiving, and did a lot of prep with him for security. He was old enough to understand basics (like keeping everyone safe), but I did not go into details about why there was a need for increased security. When we had our "stranger talk" when he was 3 or 4, I told him about "good strangers" like policemen, store workers in uniforms, and other mommies with kids (nice people you could ask for help), and "bad strangers" (everyone else!!). That helped too.....we were strangers to the security people, and by telling them who we were, and by taking off our shoes (they wanted to see our socks), and letting them take pictures of our luggage, they would be able to tell if we were "good strangers" or "bad Strangers"....then they wouldn't let the bad strangers on the plane!! IT worked really well for him, and I think because he was prepared for taking off his shoes, putting his stuff on the belt, etc. it didn't seem to phase him. It was sort of funny though....the ID checker just before security asked him his name, and DS wouldn't tell him.....even though he looked like he was dressed in uniform/police-like! DS looked to me, and AFTER I told him it was ok, he told him his name!!! I guess not all the info processed in his little brain!

 

[krystalleigh1]

Ds3 has always had ear problems. And it just happened that any time we flew he also had a cold so I gave him an antihistimine and decongestant when we flew. Well, last time we flew ds had no cold so we skipped the meds. We found out the hard way that he has motion sickness. It hit him a little at take off but mostly it was on the landing. He was miserable and just about vomited all over the place. Probablly would have if the flight would have been just a few minutes longer. It took him an hour or two to recover after landing.

I've always had bad motion sickness, dh has none. I guess ds inherited that from me. The thing is, ds NEVER showed any motin sickness signs before that last plan ride. Now he's showing them in the car at times (when he's hungry mostly), but nothing before that last plane ride.

Now, I'm not saying to give them meds but if you don't do it make sure to bring some liquid benedryl along in case they show signs on the flight. Maybe if they show signs on the flight giving it to them will help make it less severe?? And if you're on your way to WDW think about what you'll do for motion sickness on rides too.

 

[fortheluvofpooh]

whatever you do try it out before you fly. Also Motion sickness is an inherited trait. Just and FYI.