Kid, plane and ear pains advice

Family, Education, Health and Pets
1
Hello,

We are going on holidays in two weeks, and it will be a first flight for my toddler (3.5).

We are not going very far (Portugal), but do you have advice on how to avoid ear pains? He is too old for a bottle (anyway, with the security limitations it's not really feasible), and he's still too young for chewing gum...

I would really like him to enjoy his first flight (he's very excited about it), so if you have some experience in flying with a toddler it's welcome!

2
a lollipop works really great and it's something they don't get that often so it makes the whole ride really special!

that and i bring a small brown paper bag filled with new surprises. new crayons, paper, stickers, etc. and that usually keeps him occupied for the duration as well.

good luck and enjoy!

3
He or she could not have any pains at all, as our baby who took her first flight at the age of 4 months. Generally anything that makes him keep the mount open or the Eustach's connection for pressure balancing in case of problems is okay.

Also when he's going to be excited he won't have any pressure problems.

Good luck and don't worry!

4
You should be fine...but maybe bring a cookie or snacks to chew on during takeoff/landing?

5
Does he typically suffer from pain in his ears when flying? I was afraid of this when my son was tiny but he slept through most of the flight and the pressure differences didn't seem to trouble him.

Having said this, he did say to me on the last time we flew that his ears "had something in them" when we were coming into land which I suspect was that feeling when you want them to pop. I just gave him a drink and something easy to eat and the swallowing sorted it out but he didn't have any pain. He's now three years old.

I guess if your little one is suffering from a cold or any kind of stuffiness this might cause pain, though.

6
Boiled sweet or lollipop as suggested above. Sometimes they get offered by the airline but not always. Bear in mind they will need it most on the way down for landing less so after take off / cruising.

Alternatively if the child is a thumb sucker that works too!

Enjoy the trip.

7
in my experience its the up and the down part of flying than can impact them though not all of them and not every time. climbing to cruising altitude and descending for landing.

with my children i found that keeping their jaw moving and their ears popping did the trick.

- something chewy to eat (keep them chewing)

- something to drink (keep them drinking)

- something to suck that facilitates the need to swallow (someone mentioned lollipop -good idea)

- gum is the best though your child seems to be too young for gum?

- tried and true laughing/tickle games (dad's seem to be best at this)

good luck and travel well!

8
Thanks for all your advice!

The lollipop looks like a very good idea: small, easy to transport, allowed in a plane, and he will appreaciate the little treat!

We are travelling with easyjet, so I don't expect any goodies from the flight attendants

9

Have taught mine to equalise, first have them practice blowing hard out through their nose, then get them to carry on, but pinching both their nostrils so the exhales are blocked. You can try this now, you will feel the back pressure in your ears....If they do this hard enough it will equalise the imbalance in pressure. Once practiced , it will take them only a few seconds to cure the discomfort.

10
My sister had bad ear pains as a child. My mom would get the steward to put some hot water in two cups with tissue paper to soak up the water. My sister would hold the cups to her ears. It works.

11
i would also pack a change of clothes for you and the kid in the hand luggage - just in case they throw up.

12
Good idea, especially since my son potty-trained very recently...

13
A good suggestion to ask your kid is to yawn as it releases the pressure from ear. But it not easy to ask 3.5 yr kid to yawn every time

14
my ears are screwed and i sometimes get massive ear pain when flying - feels like my head is going to explode - seriously....

i can tell you that this does help - some airlines they call it "mickey mouse ears" just make sure you drain out the hot water (it's boiling water) before putting up to your ears and watch for any dribbles that can burn...

otherwise yeah lollypops...

be careful of the holding nose and blowing out - if the kids do it too hard they can damage their ear drums - small risk but one to be aware of

15
Today's Kids in Minds on WRS deals with travelling with children, they did elaborate a little on travelling with little ones. Check it out, you can listen from their archive.

Last time I flew (few weeks ago) with my tot I was allowed cca 200ml in my kiddo's sippy cup (actually just a mini plastic disposable bottle with a suck on top, it's the Minute Maid Disney one Manor sells for 1fr I think), the security guys had me sip from it a tiny bit to prove the safety and let me have it on board.

The flying with a 3yr old is a little more chalenging since they don't nurse anymore throughout the flight and actually notice the discomfort of changing altitude, some kids, that is..

The flight was hour and a half, Swiss, and the serving wenches did bring the drinks 3x so it would have been plenty, anyways.

I had Nintendo with me (some geeky train your eyes game actually, that I brought for just a worse case tantrum scenario) and becuase we got pulled over for 90mins since the engine had to be tested with the plane still parked, I exhausted all the toys, candy, books and other fun stuff. Nintendo really worked! Haha..I was surprised. It worked for the entire flight (switched off thru landing and take off), we played voleyball on it together.

16

Its like diving in reserve.... small readjustments work much better than one big blow. If you suffer from this, start doing some equlisations immediately you feel the plane descending. Frequency is the key. Do not wait.

17
I remember my mother getting a sack of sweets when we were flying - to Japan we ranged from 9 down to 6wks, back from Japan 12 down to 6wks (lucky Mom, flying with newborn each way ).

Anyhow, I'd suggest chewy candy like taffy or else gummy bears and such in addition to lollipops, to add some variety. If your little one is interested in pacifiers that could help also.

For myself, the pinching nose and blow thing really doesn't work as I am almost constantly at least a little congested (hooray for allergies )... swallowing and yawning usually do better or else pulling down on my earlobes while my mouth is open.

Hopefully the weather is good for your trip! Sometimes the storms can make it a bit of an up and down affair which makes keeping ears feeling alright a bit of a challenge.

18
My son had terrible ear pain- 3 planes and he was very tired. The only thing that worked was the paper cup with very warm wet tissue. I think that trying to pop the eustachian tube by blowing hard may be okay in the summer, but it is cold season so you could actually force mucus up into the middle ear. Chewy sweets and plenty of drink but save it for the ascent/ descent otherwise they will be sick of them when you need them to suck/ swallow. yawning is contagious behaviouur if you fake a yawn it might trigger a real yawn with the child. My sister swears by a mild antihistamine!

19
Thanks again to all of you!

I hope we'll have a quiet flight, as I am motion sick in anything that moves

Fortunately, my son is a quiet child: a little car or two, and he can happily daydream for an hour... Nothing worse than keeping a child busy while you are fighting nausea ...

Chewing gum does wonders to pop my ears, but I don't trust my son with one. I'll bring lollipops and some chewy sweets like samll gummy bears.

20

About your nausea... ginger is supposedly good for that. I know they typically have ginger ale on planes but have never flown Easy Jet - do they have no drink service at all?

Better maybe than ginger ale though is maybe to pop by an Asian market for ginger candy or some ginger tea bags (provided they at least have coffee or tea / hot water available on the plane).