Have you/would you dose your baby with benadryl for a flight

aforst · January 2015

We are flying tomorrow morning with my 9 month old (my mom and I). We are leaving around 6 am so I will be waking my daughter up very early to get to the airport. My mom wants me to take Benadryl and give it to her for the flight. It's only a 2 hr flight. I know we have no clue how she'll react to her schedule being thrown off, but I've also never given her Benadryl before so I have no clue how she'll react to that either. I don't really want to give it to her, but maybe I'm overreacting. I googled but I get a lot of conflicting opinions. Just wondering what the "norm" is on this.

aforst · January 2015

Oh, I must have missed the mass exodus. My bad. Carry on, nothing to see here.

RondackHiker · January 2015

No, I wouldn't do something like that.

allrightmeow · January 2015

NO

lildevil968 · January 2015

I wouldn't give her Benadryl, but I would give her a small dose of Tylenol. Sometimes flying can be really hard on a LO's ears.

oneblessedmess · January 2015

.......

CJS2011 · January 2015

bobyn1113 said:

lildevil968 said:

I wouldn't give her Benadryl, but I would give her a small dose of Tylenol. Sometimes flying can be really hard on a LO's ears.

Seriously? No.

Seriously, yes. My brother and I both had to have BENADRYL, gasp, before we flew because our ears were so bad we screamed the whole flight. Shockingly, we both survived. Ped recommendations obviously differed greatly back then than they do now. No, I am not condoning this practice, just saying that the reaction you all are having is pretty dramatic. Her mom probably did the same for her.

OP, don't give the Benadryl, but as PP said, maybe a dose of Tylenol or Ibuprofen, because some LOs do have a rough time with their ears while flying. Also, some LOs have the opposite effect with Benadryl and you may have a LO who is wound up the whole flight.

mrsdee15 · January 2015

I find your original post offensive.

Also, NO. I don't drug my dog, so no.

CJS2011 · January 2015

bobyn1113 said:

CJS2011 said:

bobyn1113 said:

lildevil968 said:

I wouldn't give her Benadryl, but I would give her a small dose of Tylenol. Sometimes flying can be really hard on a LO's ears.

Seriously? No.
Seriously, yes. My brother and I both had to have BENADRYL, gasp, before we flew because our ears were so bad we screamed the whole flight. Shockingly, we both survived. Ped recommendations obviously differed greatly back then than they do now. No, I am not condoning this practice, just saying that the reaction you all are having is pretty dramatic. Her mom probably did the same for her.

OP, don't give the Benadryl, but as PP said, maybe a dose of Tylenol or Ibuprofen, because some LOs do have a rough time with their ears while flying. Also, some LOs have the opposite effect with Benadryl and you may have a LO who is wound up the whole flight.

Your ears hurt because of the difference in air pressure. Benadryl is an antihistamine used to treat severe allergic reactions, motion sickness, and symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Not pain relief. Were you allergic to the plane air, therefore needing Benadryl?

Wow, thanks for letting a nurse know what Benadryl is for! You forgot sleep, though. Benadryl is one of the most common sleep aids sold OTC, it is just labeled under different names. Diphenhydramine is diphenhydramine no matter how you label it. Also, generally Benadryl is not used for SEVERE allergic reactions as you stated, typically epinephrine is. Nice try, though.

The reason we got Benadryl was to make us sleep, which worked like a charm. We were comfortable the whole flight, which was the intent of my mother and pediatrician. Again, not something I condone, just giving another perspective.

jah32007 · January 2015

HighPeak said:

CJS2011 said:

bobyn1113 said:

CJS2011 said:

bobyn1113 said:

lildevil968 said:

I wouldn't give her Benadryl, but I would give her a small dose of Tylenol. Sometimes flying can be really hard on a LO's ears.

Seriously? No.
Seriously, yes. My brother and I both had to have BENADRYL, gasp, before we flew because our ears were so bad we screamed the whole flight. Shockingly, we both survived. Ped recommendations obviously differed greatly back then than they do now. No, I am not condoning this practice, just saying that the reaction you all are having is pretty dramatic. Her mom probably did the same for her.

OP, don't give the Benadryl, but as PP said, maybe a dose of Tylenol or Ibuprofen, because some LOs do have a rough time with their ears while flying. Also, some LOs have the opposite effect with Benadryl and you may have a LO who is wound up the whole flight.

Your ears hurt because of the difference in air pressure. Benadryl is an antihistamine used to treat severe allergic reactions, motion sickness, and symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Not pain relief. Were you allergic to the plane air, therefore needing Benadryl?

Wow, thanks for letting a nurse know what Benadryl is for! You forgot sleep, though. Benadryl is one of the most common sleep aids sold OTC, it is just labeled under different names. Diphenhydramine is diphenhydramine no matter how you label it. Also, generally Benadryl is not used for SEVERE allergic reactions as you stated, typically epinephrine is. Nice try, though.

The reason we got Benadryl was to make us sleep, which worked like a charm. We were comfortable the whole flight, which was the intent of my mother and pediatrician. Again, not something I condone, just giving another perspective.

So, as a nurse you would say it's ok giving her LO this for the first time ever while not knowing if she could have a severe reaction to it while she's miles in the air and at least 2 hours away from any hospital?

I find your response inappropriate

An outside perspective: she clearly stated she doesn't condone this. I wouldn't personally give my girls anything unless their doctor advised me to but she was giving her perspective on this issue. Not giving her medical advice to OP.

CJS2011 · January 2015

HighPeak said:

jah32007 said:

HighPeak said:

CJS2011 said:

bobyn1113 said:

CJS2011 said:

bobyn1113 said:

lildevil968 said:

I wouldn't give her Benadryl, but I would give her a small dose of Tylenol. Sometimes flying can be really hard on a LO's ears.

Seriously? No.
Seriously, yes. My brother and I both had to have BENADRYL, gasp, before we flew because our ears were so bad we screamed the whole flight. Shockingly, we both survived. Ped recommendations obviously differed greatly back then than they do now. No, I am not condoning this practice, just saying that the reaction you all are having is pretty dramatic. Her mom probably did the same for her.

OP, don't give the Benadryl, but as PP said, maybe a dose of Tylenol or Ibuprofen, because some LOs do have a rough time with their ears while flying. Also, some LOs have the opposite effect with Benadryl and you may have a LO who is wound up the whole flight.

Your ears hurt because of the difference in air pressure. Benadryl is an antihistamine used to treat severe allergic reactions, motion sickness, and symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Not pain relief. Were you allergic to the plane air, therefore needing Benadryl?

Wow, thanks for letting a nurse know what Benadryl is for! You forgot sleep, though. Benadryl is one of the most common sleep aids sold OTC, it is just labeled under different names. Diphenhydramine is diphenhydramine no matter how you label it. Also, generally Benadryl is not used for SEVERE allergic reactions as you stated, typically epinephrine is. Nice try, though.

The reason we got Benadryl was to make us sleep, which worked like a charm. We were comfortable the whole flight, which was the intent of my mother and pediatrician. Again, not something I condone, just giving another perspective.
So, as a nurse you would say it's ok giving her LO this for the first time ever while not knowing if she could have a severe reaction to it while she's miles in the air and at least 2 hours away from any hospital?

I find your response inappropriate

An outside perspective: she clearly stated she doesn't condone this. I wouldn't personally give my girls anything unless their doctor advised me to but she was giving her perspective on this issue. Not giving her medical advice to OP.

In her previous post she said while she wasn't condoning it, it was ok, my biggest beef with that, was OP clearly stated her LO had never had Benadryl before, a nurse should really be saying it's not ok to give her this for the first time ever when she won't be able to get her LO to a hospital if she has a severe reaction. I'm sorry, but that's just common sense IMO.

I didn't feel the need to repeat what @HighPeak‌ had already said. JFC.

PrimRoseMama · February 2015

I would not. I had to give DS benedryl for an allergic reaction & it turned him into a cranky, upset, wound-up mess.

EucalyptusAndPatchouli · February 2015

Paging @eva116!

starryeyed6 · February 2015

EucalyptusAndPatchouli said:
Paging @eva116!

)

starryeyed6 · February 2015

I personally would not give my child any drugs unless they needed it for a medical reason.

There's also a chance it could turn your child into a hyper mess.

Jazznit1984 · February 2015

Ok so I just flew 30 hrs alone with my 7 month old. She did well and I didn't need to give her anything. Although I did pacify her with treats at times.

I would say if the ear pressure is causing pain, yes give the babe something. But you can either give babe a bottle or put slight pressure on the outside of the ear canal to release the pressure.

But I say its only 2 hrs. That's nothing! Bring the Benadryl if you feel you'll need it. But instead get some new toys from the dollar store, some new snacks. And baby will be more then entertained. My kid played with a plastic spoon for like 3 hrs.

You can do this mommy!

Maladroit · February 2015

I'm a Peds nurse and I'd say no. Mostly because a.) baby is too young (honestly) and b.) when you do give it to her, it should be at home with you present and aware of how she'll react (a good amount of kids have the opposite reaction and get hyped/borderline psychotic with Benadryl, so you could be shooting yourself in the foot and c.) Tylenol or Motrin will probably better serve your purpose, while also being safer.

Princess_Lily · February 2015

I needed to chime in as I've had ear/sinus issues my whole life. The pain that children and adults feel on a plane ride is due to congestion - and a poor functioning eardrum.

When there is congestion due to allergies or a cold, the eustatian tube (which drains fluid from our ears) doesn't work properly (seeking), and therefore the middle ear gets backed up with fluids - causing the eardrum to not function properly. When the eardrum cannot move, severe pain can occur.

Now if your child hasn't had any issues (cold) then I wouldnt stress. Bring a bottle of his/her favorite drink and have them drink the liquids for approx a half an hour - when your ears pop, start allowing them to drink. The swallowing will encourage the eardrum to adjust properly to the pressure.
Also give a dose of Ibprofren about an hour before the plane ride.

For an adult, a pill decongestant like Sudafed has phenylepherine which can cause jittery/rapid heart rates, and theres Sudafed PE (sans phenylepherine) but IMO PE doesn't great on its own, so, on plane rides I myself use Afrin combined with Sudafed PE. Children so young can't have these medicines - so some Ibprofren and earplanes will work.

Earplanes come in child and adult sizes. Though earplanes for children have to be ordered online and stores usually don't carry them.

Tessybell2007 · February 2015

No

Eastie156 · February 2015

Nope, I wouldn't give Benadryl. Tylenol, maybe, but no to Benadryl. I've flown with DS a number of times and having him use a pacifier, bottle or sippy cup seemed to work. But, I suppose every baby is different. That said, I don't think Benadryl at such a young age is actually recommended...