Need tips for ears popping on airplane

[disneyfamilyof5]

We flew to Orlando from Dallas in April of '03 w/my 3 kids. I took every precaution out there for them and myself to keep our ears from hurting since it was the first time we have ever flown. I bought us gum to chew on and also ear plugs. That seemed to work for my youngest daughter and myself but my son and oldest daughter both were crying when we landed because their ears were hurting so bad. The only thing my husband could tell them to do to stop the pain was to hold their nose and blow until their ears popped. I don't really like that idea but if it's the only thing that works, I guess we'll have to do that again. Can someone please tell me if there's something that I can buy to keep their ears from hurting when we land?

 

[cepmom]

I used ear planes last time we flew. You can get them at any pharmacy, Walmart etc. They are rubber type ear plugs meant to lessen the ear pain from flying and come in both adult and children's sizes. I had all 3 of our kjds use them and none of them had any ear pain. DH had terrible ear pain flying down to FL, so before we flew home, we stopped at Walgreen's and got a pair for him too. He was much better flying home.

edited to add: oops..I guess I didn't see in your post that you already tried ear plugs. Maybe giving them a decongestant before flying will help to dry up any fluid that may be trapped in the inner ear. I've also heard that you can get two cups from the flight attendants with a warm cloth in each one to hold over your ears. I think it helps to equalize the pressure (?). Hopefully somone else will give you exact details of that one (perhaps on the transportation board)

 

[dsnymomof4]

The first time we flew, I brought bubble gum for the kids to chew on the plane. However, I didn't realize my DD6 didn't like that particular flavor of gum, so she didn't chew it. Well, as we were approaching Orlando, she was crying because her ears hurt so much. The flight attendant came over and told her to suck her thumb (he said it was ok even though she was a big girl). Well, she did and it helped her a lot. He said the sucking motion helps to relieve the pressure in the ears. So the next time we flew, we brought along those baby bottle pops and ring pops for the girls to suck on if they needed it.

 

[all4fun]

Here's a link to the thread Tips for preventing ear pain while flying

 

[kdtwiss]

Ok, loved reading all the tips. Now here is a dumb question, and you will see from my post I have not flown in YEARS! (I am petrified actually - but we are flying down next week) Do ears hurt usually the whole time , or only on descent or what? I have 4 little ones and my oldest is autistic,so any measure of comfort I can provide will help a bunch! If it hurts the whole time I may give tylenol pre trip,if only on descent I will take it with me on the plane. TIA

 

[disneyfamilyof5]

My son and daughter's ears were popping as we got higher into the sky and when we started descending that's when their ears started to ache really bad.

 

[mmiller711]

I have sinus problems (which can cause extream ear pain) and the only thing I found that will work was sinus spray. They used to give it out on the plane if you were in pain but they have stopped. Any of them should work. I used afrin. It worked for my cousin too and she did not have the sinus trouble.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Our pediatrician recommended one dose of a good decongestant an hour before flight and another dose 4 hours after the first. We usually use dimetapp as the kids can tolerate the taste. Younger DD uses earplanes in addition to that and we all chew gum.

Good luck!

 

[NotUrsula]

Lots of peds will recommend Benedryl (an antihistamine) when flying, but it doesn't really help ear pain directly unless you get the formula that also contains pseudoephedrine (a decongestant). What Benedryl DOES do (for most children) is sedate them so they will sleep through the flight; most peds seem to think that unconsciousness is the preferred state for a small child on a plane. If the pressure isn't too severe, sleeping through takeoff and landing will allow a child to not notice mild pain until it has already passed. BE AWARE that some children react adversely to Benedryl and become totally wired; never do Benedryl if you haven't tried it first at home.

I have Meniere's disease, and I have all sorts of problems with ear pain. The key to preventing it is a good decongestant, and I find that one that has pseudoephedrine AND guiafenesin will be the most effective. If you have serious issues, a Rx steroid nasal spray is a good backup to carry in case the oral decongestant does not work. (I personally won't touch OTC nasal sprays, they are highly addictive.)

You can also ask a Dr. for Auralgan analgesic drops for the ears, which work instantly, but many pediatricians will not prescribe them because using them on children can mask the pain of a burst eardrum. If that happens the pain is excruciating, but it warrants emergency medical attention; they don't want you not noticing that it happened. Canadians can buy Auralgan over the counter, the lucky pups.

BTW, chewing doesn't do a darn thing for pressure, it's the swallowing that helps open the Eustachian tubes. (When you chew gum or suck on hard candy, your mouth produces saliva, which you swallow.) One of the best things you can do for everyone in your party is to carry bottled water or water in sippy cups; drink continously from them during takeoff and landing for best results. (It helps prevent dehydration, too.)

Earplanes are great if they work for you, but they don't work for everyone, and lots of young children will not tolerate having them placed in their ears.

 

[Windy City Heather]

I agree with NotUrsula. We have flown many times with my daughter who is almost 3. We use the sip method too. It works. We have never had any problems. Since she does not understand sipping. I wait until we are just in the air to hand her the sippy cup. On the decend, I wait until either my husband or I have our first ear pop or she looks uncomfortable. It has worked everytime.

 

[MomofM&M]

I fly with fruit snacks for my two year old whom I don't trust with gum. I break them out at the right time as a "treat" and she never refuses them or has any problems. On one flight the two kids in front of us started crying as we descended. I gave them a bag and that fixed their problem. Their mom kept turning around to thank me.

I definitely would be wary of giving Benadryl to a child if they hadn't had it before cause they could have a paradoxical reaction and end up being hyper. Also it does nothing to help the Eustachian tube dysfunction that is causing the problem. I agree, pseudoephedrine is much better. Also keep in mind babies younger than 6 months shouldn't get OTC meds cause they run the risk of having a dystonic reaction, looks very scary, like having a seizure. Not something you want to deal with on a plane!