If you flew...did you give LO a decongestant?

g8orell

My pedi mentioned giving DD a decongestant to help with the ear pain/pressure while taking off and landing. Did anyone give one? Benadryl or what? TIA!

annibes

I don't think that would help. It's all about pressure in the middle ear and I can't think of how a decongestant would help that. For take off, it's not so bad, because the air is thinning as you ascend and so the pressure equalizes easier through the eustachian tube from the middle ear to the throat because air molecules are thinning out.

Descent, on the other hand, is an issue because the air molecules are getting more compact and the pressures cause that eustachian tube to clamp shut and prevents the pressure from equalizing. 

An audiology professor once told our class that the best way to help a baby on a plane is to nurse him or feed him a bottle during take off and especially landing because the sucking and swallowing helps force the eustachian tube open. 

annibes

I take that back- decongestant could help prevent the problem from being worse.

sprice88

We didn't give a decongestant. We did give Tylenol- b/c at the time we thought she was teething. 

rommelea

We've flown a few times and haven't ever given DS anything.  We just make sure to have a bottle and/or paci ready and pop it in during take of and landing.  Even if he's not hungry, he'll suck for a few seconds and that's all you really need to get their ears to pop.

katie_cj

No, I didn't.

erinjcianciolo

we just made sure to have a bottle for DD to drink during take off - she did just fine with that......

Adriamichelle83

No, she's got tubes though, so I wasn't worried about her ears too badly. I did have a paci ready though.

kim1018

My pediatrician just told me to ONLY give Tylenol to my 6-month old a half hour before take-off for a two hour flight.