Due to some unexpected circumstances I am making a 4 hour flight alone with C next week. This will be on top of a 1 hour drive on either end to and from the airport. Because of the short notice this flight is costing almost $1000 with him on my lap, so his own seat or an upgrade to 1st class is not an option. I have read so many helpful suggestions about toys, books etc.. But C does not sit still....not ever, anything longer than a 20 minute car ride is a nightmare. For my own sanity I am considering some gravol to mellow him out a bit on the flight. Has anyone done this? How did it work for you?
Re: Flame Away but has anyone drugged LO on a flight?
THIS ISN'T THE BUMP, THIS IS SPARTA!!!
Meh-that's tough. Be careful. Benadryl really wires my oldest....I'm not familiar with Gravol.
I'd consider it knowing how active Hudson is compared to my girls given your situation. GL-
Over the past week LO has been sick with a horrible cough. We have been giving benedryl at night to help chill out his cough so little dude could sleep. Just FYI, while it does make LO very sleepy, it makes him either dizzy, or he's so drowsy that his balance is horrible. He's been a walker for months and this kid can't walk 3 steps without falling down on benedryl, and it's an appropriate dose per the pedi.
Whatever you decide, give a test dose prior to the flight to make sure your LO can handle it. I'm not advocating drugging your kid..just saying that you want to try whatever med first.
Gravol knocks me the fuuuuuck out. It was a god-send getting me through motion sickness when I was young. Run it by your doctor. It's not meant for kids under 2. Their website also says it "may cause excitability, especially in children." I've never heard of that but is it a risk you want to take?
Good ole fashioned whiskey should do the trick.
If you are going to do a trial run, do it more than once. benadryl always wired me as a kid, and if lo is going to have a reaction to it, it is more likely to happen on the second exposure, not the first.
I'm with the others. Give a test dose before you go to see what his reaction is. I'm one of those weird people who have a paradoxal effect to certain medications
Benadryl, and most antihistamines = wired like nobodys business.
Caffeine, coffee and sugar = sleepy time for me
And you don't want an allergic reaction mid flight. My sister took a sleeping pill for a non stop flight from LAX to Sydney. One hour later she was itching coughing and rash allover. Thankfully her husband had Benadryl in his carry on.
Although its better not to medicate your child if you can help it. But if you don't think it will go well he is your child. And it's your decision. You are his mother. Not a bunch of Internet strangers. You know what's best and trust your instincts.
DD (5 years old) from IUI in 2012
TTC 3rd and final!: IUI #1 in progress!
I had to fly to and from an unexpected funeral earlier this year, and I would have thought about it under those circumstances. For the entire 2 hours, she shouted and jumped and climbed on me (being silly, not grumpy). She pooped midflight and needed changed in that tiny bathroom. (It must have smelled because the flight attendant literally said, "You know, there is a changing table in the bathroom.) I took her in there, and she yelled and kicked like a demon. After all I had been through, I just wasn't up for dealing with it. It was a nightmare.
Under normal circumstances, I just bring lots of toys and snacks. Some flights are better than others, but I have always survived.
I prefer to drug myself & keep LO sober.
Benadryl has never worked for us. When dr told us to use it & everyone said "OOOH, he's gonna sleep" yeah, never happened.
At the advice of our pedi, we gave Finn Benadryl on our last flight because he had a cold and was getting over a double ear infection. The reason for the antihistamine was to dry him out so the change in pressure wouldn't bother him as much.
It did not knock him out, but he did take a short nap in our laps and he is generally a crib-only sleeper. It was totally not the wonder drug that people make it out to be, nor was it the evil of all evils.
Snuggle and I took a flight to Boston when he was 4 1/2 months old. The doctor said if I wanted to, I could give him a very low dose of Benadryl (I forget the amount, but she gave me a number). She said it would help with the ear popping, which can be very painful for babies and causes fussiness. I ended up bringing it with me on the plane with the idea that if he was in pain, I would give it to him. It ended up being a non-issue, but I was ready if it was.
But, I think you are thinking along the lines of keeping him calm. I would ask his doctor, but I think this situation does not warrant it.
DD2 8.22.13
MMC 1.4.17 at 16w
Expecting #3, EDD 1.29.18
I have no experience with using Benadryl or Dramamine with a toddler, so can't help you there. My now 18-mo old DD flew great (sleeping the whole flight) up until about a year old, and since then has been a normal toddler - up & down & everywhere. My suggestion is to book an aisle seat if possible. This past weekend we had a 4 hour flight to AZ. Being in the aisle allowed my DD to stand, jump, take a few steps forward & back, etc. Much better than jumping on me and whining the whole flight.