Need Advice on Flying with My 4 Yr. Old

It's been over a year since I last flew so I don't know the current regulations regarding what's allowed on board. But if bottled water or other beverages are allowed in your carryon, give it to your daughter to drink as the cabin pressurizes during ascent. The point is to make her swallow continuously to equalize the pressure inside her ears, so anything that promotes swallowing (e.g, chewing gum, Starburst or drinking fluids) will work. My daughter flew for the first time when she was five; she chugged down a bottle of water during takeoff on both the outbound and return flights and had no problem with her ears.

BTW, you might want to give your daughter something to make her swallow during descent as well; the pressure change isn't as noticeable, but it does affect a few people, including me.

HI L.

Just wondering how your flight went. I am a single mom and have been wanting to travel with my 4 yr but afraid for saftey reason. You know, traveling alone with my son. It's alittle scray. Alone, I have no problem but now that I have my son, I am more cautious. did you travel alone with your child? and how was the flight?
I don't want my son to be held back because of my fear.
Just wondering.
Have a good day!
C.

I've flown with my son a lot (he's 5 now) and he always has had problems with his ears. If she doesn't like gum, try lolly pops or some kind of hard candy for her to suck on.

I always brought several small juice boxes with me, one for going up and one for coming down...always seemed to work for my three.

Hi everyone.. I'm a mother of four currently living abroad (S.K.A) and when we travel for the summers the gum really works but like you said your daughter doesn't chew gum.. so instead maybe you can try ear plugs.. my kids usually have pain but it's when the airplane is taking off and/or landing.. other than that, they are ok during the trip.
Hope it's of some help!!
I'm looking forward to finding interesting things on this site.. thanks!!

Hi L., perhaps you can try lollipops. Too much sugar isn't a good thing but for flying only..... It may help if your little one will suck on the pops and not chew them up. The large Charms pops might do the trick. Ginnie in Patchogue

Hi L., have a wonderful time in Disney! My daughter was 6 the first time she flew, and my son was 5 the first time he flew, and we did nothing. Neither of them complained on these trips. For some kids, it's really not a big deal.

maybe you can try a walkman, mps player if you have one having her sing help move her mouth up and down it's a way of chewing gum, having her eat a snack can also help too
have fun and good luck
N.

Try lollypops and the special earplug called EarPlanes you can get in any drug store :)

I recently flew with my 1 year old and 3 1/2 year old. I did nurse the infant, but my older daughter did not complain about her ears. I don't think you need to worry about it. Unless a child has an ear infection or a sinus blockage, ear popping isn't a problem. However, if you aren't convinced, try dried fruit instead of candy -- it's healthier and keeps them chewing a while!

will she drink from a sippy cup? maybe chew skittles? if she is stuffed up though,i would not leave it to chance,i would ask the doc about a decongestant. have a safe trip

i know you got a bunch of advice, but maybe think about bringing a snack. just as chewing gum helps, so does just about anything. it's something with the motion of chewing i think it's the jaw opening and closing that "un-pops" your ears...sometimes prevents from having that build up in the ear if you chew while the pressure's building until it's been stabilized again. but yes, drinking can help it too...the sippy cup is a good idea. have fun and happy holidays.

Dear L.,
I was able to nurse my 3 y.o. dd when we flew to Disney this past summer. However, if you can't do that & gum is not an option, try a lollipop. They have so many out there. I p-u the all natural ones at the family health food store. To be honest, ears popping wasn't too much of an issue. I was also concerned, but coming home on the plane she was done nursing before we took off & she was fine. I was just doing other things with her like coloring & such & she didn't react much to the takeoff except to want to look out the window. She was so excited about watching the takeoff. HTH. Good Luck!
Blessings, T.

I give me kids gummy bears or gummy worms if they don't wnat to eat gum