My two year old is either getting sick or coming down with allergies. She has a runny nose, little cough and has been sneezing all day. She has already woke up three times since 8:00p.m. for not being able to breathe. We are traveling by plane on Friday and I'm a little worried about ears, etc. Has anyone experienced flying with a toddler that's possibly sick?
Well, the mother in me made an appointment for this morning to have her checked out. Even though she has never had an ear infection I was just a little uneasy especially with our flight coming up soon. My husband took her in, slight ear infection in both ears. What perfect timing :) They gave us an antibotic and told us to get motrin just in case. She was also perscribed some ear drops for the trip. Thanks for everyones advice, we already have her Dora straw and some suckers packed. Hopefully the flight goes smoothly!!
We recently flew with our 1.5 yr old that had an ear infection at the time. She did pretty well but was in pain during take off and landing. Talk to your doctor, but we gave her an antihistamine to dry her up (antihistamine works better at drying that cold medicine which will relieve pressure) we also gave her childrens motrin for the pain. Good luck!
Hi, I am an ex-flight attendant with a 4 year old who has traveled once a month for her entire life.
My advice...if she is prone to ear infections, get her on antibiotics. If not...she will be affected most on take-off and landing with landing being worse. if she is a thumb sucker, encourage it (your dentist will understand :-) if not, the key is to get her to do ANYTHING with her mouth....drinking, eating, talking, and , yes even crying will help her feel better.
The hardest part is to ignore the evil looking stares from other passengers.
Good luck
Hi,
I have read the other posts and agree with some and disagree with others. I would definitely take her to the doc to double check for an ear infection. The doctor will only prescribe an antibiotic if she has an ear infection. If she does not have an ear infection she should NOT take an antibiotic.
Both my 2 1/2 yr old an 13 mo old son have flown numerous times with and without ear infections. This is what we do and have never had screaming kids:
1) give motrin before take off (just in case there is some pain)
2) Give children's or infant Dimetapp (a decongestant similar to sudaphed). This will open the sinus passages. Ask your doctor about dosaging. Many doctors don't like having you give this drug to under 2 yr old but some are ok with it. This is the most important thing you can give your child before takeoff.
That's it. Good luck and don't worry too much.
I would take her into the doctor Wednesday or Thursday to have her ears checked, just in case. Talk to the doctor about medication suggestions and other ideas then.
My son has a cold too and we are driving a long way with him this weekend. I'm going to take him in tomorrow to be checked just in case. He is prone to ear infections. I do not want to be in a strange place on a holiday weekend if he develops one. I figure, it is best to be proactive than let him suffer.
Good luck
Hi J.,
Another idea is to bring a couple of cotton balls and dampen them with cold water either before the flight and put them in a ziploc or after your on the plane before take off. Place them in her ears before take off and before landing or the whole flight. Also, give her a sucker at those time too so she will swallow. This happened to my sister who had a bad cold and the flight attendant gave her 2 cold wet rags for her ears because the pressure was so painful to her ears, she wanted to scream.(As an adult)I know I am also sensitive, so I pop in some gum for those times. You should take her to the Dr. the day before you go though, just to be clear. Also, the Dr. told me to give them Sudafed because it dries them up. My Dr. told me the same but with sudaphedrine in it because it dries you up also. (You can only get it behind the pharmacy counter though, without a prescription) I take it anytime I get a cold now because it helps to avoid getting pnemonia or a bronchial infection which I had the last 2 years. Have fun!
Be Blesst!
I would possible take her in to check her ears (especially if she gets ear infections easy). From experience it is not good to fly with an ear infection. I would talk to your doctor about the rest of it as well. Good luck.
I have not flown with sick kids myself (you're braver than I am!) but I do have two pieces of advice that might help that I got from other, more worldly travelers.
- Give the child a bottle/straw cup (depending on age & ability) during takeoff (and, to a lesser degree, landing). The sucking and swallowing will help their ears more easily adjust to the rapid altitude shift.
- Prior to takeoff, spray both nostrils with a nasal spray (Little Remedies makes one called Little Noses, and there's also a number of companies that make a saline spray, if you don't want to use chemicals). The altitude change drives the spray farther up into the sinuses than the spray can do on its own, and helps throughout the flight.
That second one was a tip from my jet-setting boss, back in my pre-kid days. I know it's worked well for several adults, but I haven't tried it with kids. The physics involved should be the same, though.
