Question about kids flying and air pressure

[Castlebound]

This will be my kids first time flying and I'm worried about how the air pressure during take off and landing will affect them. I looked at the Earplane ear plugs but the only ones I could find were for 11 and up. DS is 7 and DD is 5 so that won't work for them. Do they make them for smaller kids? Do I really even need to get them ear plugs? If I can find Earplanes that fit them what is a good way of dealing with the pressure?

 

[ibidforit]

I'm pretty sure you can find the small children's size at drugstore.com. They also always have them at my Meijer store. Not sure if you have Meijer's where you are. Hope this helps!

Gretchen

 

[kimwim8]

My local grocery store sells the kids' earplanes & the CVS & Eckerd Drug stores do as well.

I haven't used them for my kids, and they've been fine (mine are 5 & 3). I just made sure they had gum or fruit snacks to chew on during the ascent & descent, and kept them drinking (sipping out of a straw is probably the best). As long as they do one or all of these things their ears should pop & there shouldn't be a problem.

Good luck!

 

[riu girl]

Also interested in this thread. DS4 (but has tiny ears, he is the size of 2 or 3 year old and has had tubes) and DD7 flying for the first time this December...

Any suggestions would be greatly interested.

Suzy V.

 

[tjmw2727]

My girls have not needed the earplanes but they do have them for younger kids, perhaps grab a pair just in case.

Things that work for my girls are lollypops and yes I even allow thim in the am! The sucking helps as does the sugar - the sugar helps my oldest as she is prone to airsickness. The other thing they like water in a sports bottle top. The sucking helps with the ears and most people get deyhdrated while flying.

Avoid milk products, they won't make the kids more airsick or hurt the ears but if you should feel sick you won't want them to have had milk (yech!).

TJ

 

[Castlebound]

Ok so my carry on bag will include small suckers, sports bottles, earplanes, and fruit snacks. Anything else? We aren't telling the kids that we are flying until we get to the airport. They will be so excited!

By the way I agree about the milk! My kids are the type that when they are sick they wake up looking just fine and only after breakfast does a stomach bug seems to hit them full force.

 

[riu girl]

Sorry for my ignorance but what are earplanes?????

Suzy V.

 

[Castlebound]

They are earpluges that are suppose to help keep you from getting the pressure build up during take off and landing.

 

[Got Quattro?]

there has to always be a first time...tell them about what MAY happen and give them gum to eat.....they will be fine

 

[dudspizza]

Gauge it this way. Takeoff and especially landing are not any different from going down into a valley in your car. If your kids can handle that, they will be fine on the plane.

My girls have flown twice (at ages 2 and 5 then again at ages 5 and 8) and they have had no problems. We have gum for them to chew on and they are fine. We gave the 2 year old fruit snacks and she did great.

Now me on the other hand.... I don't do well with the decent. I use earplanes and they seem to help me with the pressure.

One note on earplanes. The manufacturer suggests you put them in an hour before you land. It is hard to hear conversations with them in, so I would not use them unless you know you need them.

Have fun. The look on your childrens eyes when you first take off is awesome.... Wide eyed!

Duds

 

[cyndibelle]

my children are 7 and will be 5 and we have never had a problem with them....unless they have a cold..sinus problems or something like that they should be just fine....give them some gum to chew on the way up and on your way down....not to worry...

 

[hezreck]

Both my DD and my Nephew were 3 at the time we flew. Nephew had tubes in his ears at the time, and no problems.
Just gave them each some fruits snacks and they were fine.

 

[mnhockeymom]

May I suggested something else to bring along? Something really hard and chewy like Starbursts. My DS 8 yrs has flown many times, sometimes I just had gum and suckers and the last time we did the earplanes. But because he has never had any big issues, he doesn't think the earplanes are comfortable and you have to put them in an hour before you land, he decided he didn't want them the last time we flew to Florida. Just our luck the pressure affected him terribly this time (but my DD 5yrs felt nothing) and his right ear was in pain - so bad that his right eye became very red and was watering like crazy. The poor kid was really suffering. He was already chewing gum and it wasn't helping. So I gave him a pack of Starbursts (something I'm pretty sure I read about on this board!) and he started chewing away and they relieved the pressure. He went through a pack and a half of those babies and just keep chewing until we landed. Must be the exagerrated jaw movement required to chew them or something.

On the return trip, we stopped at a Walgreens on the way to the airport and bought some Earplanes - we won't travel without them (and Starbursts) again!!

Kris

 

[maryliz]

This is GREAT info! We are flying with the kids for the first time in Jan, and neither DH or I have flown in about 10 years so never even thought about it. I can see my kids not liking the earplug things, so I will have the fruit snacks (they were coming along anyway ) and great suggestion about the Starbursts! When we drive through KY and TN, we are all able to "pop" our ears if necessary, and I'm not even sure I remember the kids mentioning it, so hopefully they will be fine.

Mary-Liz

 

[*Belle*]

Another happy customer of earplanes.
For info on the product, there is a web site
www.earplanes.com

 

[i like stitch]

Our method of choice has been chewing gum and there've been NO problems. This week flying home, we forgot the gum but made a game out of yawning and announcing when our ears popped---worked like a charm!

Have a great flight!

 

[Captain Blue Sky]

In reading this thread for the 3rd time, I have to share something...

My oldest daughter and I were on a return flight from DCA to CLT yesterday. We had gone to DCA for the day as an outing to tour the new Native American Museum on the Federal Mall and also see some of our old favorite museums...

Well, we were flying USAirways, on a non-revenue basis (free) and were seated in row 5 of the 737-400 aircraft.

Our ears were CONSTANTLY popping and plugging! I believe something was happening to the cabin pressurization as I have NEVER experienced such discomfort before.

Well, needless to say, we would have tried anything to help the situation. But my hunch was the front-end crew (pilots) didn't have the cabin altitude set at a level that would have prevented the middle ear pressure changes we felt...

Very, very uncomfortable. No wonder people write about this...

 

[Augustheather97]

I always give my daughter a sudafed about 30 minutes before take off and it seems to do wonders ...she used to be miserable at landings for a good hour during decent but not with the sudafed in her

 

[riu girl]

Sorry, silly question: But what does the sudafed do? As mentioned earlier in this thread DS4 (has had tubes and is the size of a 2 year old) and DD7 have never flown yet.

Suzy V.

 

[Captain Blue Sky]

Hi Suzy,

Sudafed is a decongestant, so it helps drain fluids in nasal cavities and in areas that fluid traditionally accumulates, like in the middle ear.

When air pressure changes as a result of altitude changes, the presence of fluid in the middle ear can cause pain, as water does not compress nearly as well as a gas (the atmosphere).

So, if a person takes a decongestant, it is to minimize the fluid in the middle ear and the eustachian tubes (that connect the middle ear to the throat openning) are better able to do their job, which is to equalize the pressure.

I too take Sudafed before flight, particularly if I notice congestion, and it helps greatly.

Benedryl will achieve the same results, but it also causes some sedation, and some parents like their child(ren) to sleep during the flight, particularly if its long...