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Alternative to Benadryl for toddler on plane?
I am flying alone with my very active/mobile 13 month old boy on Tuesday. Everyone says I should give him Benadryl to calm him down and make him sleepy during the flight. I try not to give him any medicine and I always look for natural alternatives first. I wanted to see if you had any recommendations for a natural alternative to Benadryl? I know lavendar essential oil has a "calming" affect. And then there is Calm Child Herbal Syrup, which looks like it's marketed towards kids with ADHD though. Any ideas? TIA!
Also posted on The Nest-Green Living. 
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Re: Alternative to Benadryl for toddler on plane?
Wow. I've never heard this kind of recommendation before.
I'd bring some new toys/book/coloring stuff before dosing my kid with benadryl. My active boy does a lot better in his own seat so we bought one for him last time and this next time. And he does well when he has new things to explore and lots of snacks to munch on.
No clue about the other stuff, GL!
We always buy a seat for our DD. She is also very active. Putting her in her car seat really helped keep her calm, and she has fallen asleep on every single flight we've been on.
I would recommend doing that and bringing a DVD player.
Yeah, I'd rather not drug my child, too. I just flew with my 26 month-old DD and my 2 month-old DS. For the flight out, I played a lot of movement games in the airport with DD that helped her get a lot of her energy out. We sang lots of songs on the plane as well. Luckily, planes are rather loud in flight, so I don't think the singing could possibly have been heard more than a row away. Everyone on the out-going flights said the kids were very well-behaved. On the way home, I was exhausted and not in the mood to play. DD just realized that she knew how to yell and was practicing her new skill on the plane. That and unbuckling her seat belt. Not such a good flight. We had to break out the cell phone games. DD is now an expert at Whack-a-mole.
Anyhow, new toys on the plane and lots of exercise before the plane. Good luck!
I always got people telling me to drug my kids for flights. Ugh.
I agree with Kelbrian that having their own seat & sitting in the seat is helpful. I guess that depends on how they do in the car though - my kids do/did well.
I just bring lots of distractions (books, snacks, crayons/tablets, etc.).
GL!
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Cambria, Keira, and Bonnie Quinn
Has your child ever actually had Benedryl before? My oldest has the adverse reaction to Benedryl ... meaning she's like a crack zombie on it. ::shudders:: (Note: Benedryl was given for an allergic reaction, not flying.) Just a warning. It doesn't make all kids sleepy.
I've flown solo with my oldest several times before and here was my plan of attack ... nurse on take-off. Most of the time the combination of nursing and movement put her out for the entire flight. If that didn't work, snacks, snacks, and more snacks. And have a new, fun toy that's reserved just for flight. One time I even let her pick out a toy from the airport gift store which she thought was SUPER cool and highly entertaining. I honestly had more problems keeping her busy/happy during layovers than in flight.
I would try all of the other people's suggetions instead of using Benadryl. I have also heard that using Benadryl to make a kid sleepy can actually have the reverse effect, and it can make them wired and crazy.
If you can't use PP suggestions which I think would be best. Melatonin tablets are available and would make the child very sleeply. I honestly would not use them on a plane because it would really knock out a child, plus since they are ment to allow a hyper active child the ability to slow down relax and fall into a regualar night sleep.. I would not really suggest this at all for a plane ride..
I wouldn't use those without consulting my daughter's doctor. Doling out random medication is a bad idea, no matter how 'natural' it is. There is always the risk of giving too much.
Great idea! This and the Etch-a-sketch are go to car toys for us.
My DS is very active, and we have flown with him every 4-5 months throughout his life (first plane ride at 2.5 months, most recent at 19 months). I don't know how long your plane ride is, but at that age, DS would do well with books, cheerios and other snacks, and a new toy or two. He's not a good sleeper at all, and the white noise of the plane nearly always gets him to sleep. I would also recommend printing out pictures of your LO and family members of friends LO sees often. DS started loving pictures at that age, and looking through them was very entertaining.
We get to the airport early and let him run around (or crawl around/play on a blanket before he could walk) to get some energy out before getting on the plane. We usually have cross-country flights, so not short, and sometimes have layovers.