Just give them benedryl...

[texmati]

DH and I are planning on making a trip on a plane with DS next month. Two totally different people have told me to give him benedryl on the ride over.

One was a nurse at my kiddos pediatricians office; the other was a mama friend I know.

Really-- drug my child so he'll be easier to deal with? I was shocked! Am I waaay of base, or are they?

[philomom]

Sadly, this seems to be a common mainstream practice.

[busymama77]

I don't know about the benedryl - never heard of it, personally, but I have heard that a couple of drops of Tylenol or Motrin will help when the pressure gets to be too much for their ears. I never had to do this with our ODS as he slept throug the entire flight and the landing part never seemed to bother him.

[treeoflife3]

yep, a lot of people do it. Me? I never would have thought of it if no one had suggested it... and I don't plan on ever doing it. I feel like there has to be a healthier and safer option for kiddos.

[Knitting Mama]

I've always heard that if you nurse/feed the baby during takeoff and landing then that will help their ears equalize because they're swallowing. That's what we plan on doing in September when we fly with Cecilia, who will be 5 months old then!

[texmati]

I guess the part that really irks me is the idea that these drugs are completely risk free. I have no problem giving benedryl, Motrin, Tylenol to my kiddo if he really needs it. but to use it to make him drowsy (a side effect) on a flight just boggles my mind!

[Asiago]

Seems wrong to me too, on so many levels.

[Mawood]

Wow, that's tough. I wouldn't feed my baby strong medication if not indicated for medical reasons. You can opt for homeopathic remedies or the flower essences (Bach) if you want to do something. Or just have it on hand if he were to get fuzzy. No side effects and it helps your baby to relax. We are doing an international flight at the end of August and I think I will take some flower essences myself to remain calm. I am already very nervous about the flight. If I am relaxed baby most likely will be calmer too

[LemonPie]

I don't get it either. I wouldn't tranquilize a kid for travel. Not to mention, there is a small percentage of the child population that will become *hyper* rather than sleepy when given Benadryl, which would defeat your purpose anyway.

[MamieCole]

Originally Posted by texmati

I guess the part that really irks me is the idea that these drugs are completely risk free. I have no problem giving benedryl, Motrin, Tylenol to my kiddo if he really needs it. but to use it to make him drowsy (a side effect) on a flight just boggles my mind!

It is SUPER common. Every time we've flown someone makes the "You should just give them Benedryl so your flight will be easy." Or worse, "So the OTHER people on the plane aren't disturbed." I just want to scream!

First of all, Benedryl isn't even MADE for infants.

Secondly, I am NOT drugging my kid just in case he might cry on the plane. If someone on the plane is that bothered by my child making normal child noises, that person is free to drug themselves to the point that they fall asleep so they don't have to hear it.

Both my boys are excellent travelers. I nurse them as often as they like, bring lots of toys and snacks and actually parent them and entertain them while on the plane. It's a little more effort than drugging them into unconsciousness, but I feel it is worth it.

[Lit Chick]

Benadryl will NOT help with ear pain. It has a common side effect of drowsiness, so the child will be easier for you to deal with.

My ped recommended using it for sleep enhancement once, and only once, when my child's post-nasal drip and the resulting irritating cough was keeping him from getting any rest. One dose and he was able to get past the irritation, got sleep, and got better. It was not for conveinece. She's not a fan of doping kids just to make them calm and quiet, and I'm not either.

If you are nursing, then that's really the best thing. It will both help with the pressue and most likely he will conk out. Have his favorite lovies, and you'll be set.

[VillageMom6]

I flew with my then-one year old and it was a nightmare. She screamed and cried so much that we spent the entire flight in the lavatory. I felt awful for her... and for me and for the rest of the passengers.

Six months later we had to fly again and I asked our pediatrician how I could help her. He suggested Benedryl. She slept peacefully the entire flight.

I figured a mildly drugged sleep versus hours of frightened crying was a good switch off.

[texmati]

Originally Posted by mamiecole

secondly, i am not drugging my kid just in case he might cry on the plane. If someone on the plane is that bothered by my child making normal child noises, that person is free to drug themselves to the point that they fall asleep so they don't have to hear it.

love this!

[cschick]

Originally Posted by MamieCole

First of all, Benedryl isn't even MADE for infants.

Secondly, I am NOT drugging my kid just in case he might cry on the plane. If someone on the plane is that bothered by my child making normal child noises, that person is free to drug themselves to the point that they fall asleep so they don't have to hear it.

There are FDA dosing guidelines for infants down to 6 months. They are no longer provided with the medication OTC due to abuse, but you can get them in the US by talking to the pharmacist. When the kid suffered a severe skin reaction to a bug bite at 6 months, I called his ped, who told me over the phone to go purchase children's benadryl and request the dosing guidelines from the pharmacist. The pharmacist took one look at the kid's face and the bottle we were holding and handed over the dosing information.

But yeah, being someone who both has had to use benadryl myself multiple times over the course of my life, and on my kid a few times, I think there is a big problem with the perception that you can use to drug down your kid. First, there's the hyperactivity issue. Second, there's the fact that benadryl drowsiness/sleep often isn't restful unless it's followed by several additional hours of sleep. If I allow myself to fall asleep due to benadryl and need to be awake in 4 hours, I feel terrible and am a brat. (And so is my kid). I won't take it unless I'm pretty bad off and can struggle through the drowsiness without falling sleep, or I can sleep 2-4 hours beyond the 4 hour dose.

[Norasmomma]

YK-he may just sleep. My DD was a VERY active 15 month old when we did a 5 hour flight to Mexico and every time the plane moved she fell asleep, I was pretty shocked.

There are herbal calming remedies that might help like chamomile, but I wouldn't give Benedryl unless the kid got stung or something, people do it to get them to sleep though.

We used to give DD a Calm Child blend because she wouldn't nap, it was an herbal blend that helped relax her because she was so friggin wound all the time. It helped DH and I keep some sanity, and she would relax.

[jlasserton]

I have heard this method to be very common. If you are comfortable giving your baby a couple of drops of benadryl or rubbing it on their gums, then I don't see the problem. It does seem a little odd to do, but if other people have done it and recommend it then I don't see the harm.

[lalemma]

We have flown a ton with our 8-month-old. When he was really little (2 months) traveling was so easy - he'd just get on the plane, nurse, and pass out. It's like a white-noise machine. Now he's still a great traveler, but he's not as portable: he needs to be entertained, and he doesn't want to be in arms all the time. We're still really lucky that he's such a mellow guy, but honestly, I have a hard time judging parents who maybe have had really hard times in the past with their baby (there was a baby on a recent flight who just screamed and screamed and was clearly having a really lousy time of it) and are looking for help.

I do agree that I personally am probably not going to leap for the drugs, but...

And I have to be honest, I have a lot of empathy for other travelers who paid the same money I did for their seat and don't really want to listen to a kid scream for nine hours. I don't know about you, but I find listening to babies cry extremely physically and emotionally stressful. I can't blame others for having the same problem.

[treeoflife3]

Originally Posted by jlasserton

I have heard this method to be very common. If you are comfortable giving your baby a couple of drops of benadryl or rubbing it on their gums, then I don't see the problem. It does seem a little odd to do, but if other people have done it and recommend it then I don't see the harm.

bolding mine... I think that is a pretty risky phrase. There are lots of things other people do and recommend but ARE harmful. in the scheme of things, benedryl is probably 'not that bad' but still just because others do it doesn't mean it is a good idea or safe or healthy. I'd rather see a parent who chooses benedryl on a plane for their kiddo do it because they have researched and understand the risks and know their own child than just because 'others do it and recommended it'

[happysmileylady]

Ultimately the concept isn't all that different than an adult who gets anxious about flying and gets a script for xanex. Sometimes a person, be they an itty bitty or an adult, does need an occasional small dose of help to get through a flight.

I don't however agree with just automatically and preemptively drugging anyone when there's no reason to believe there will be a problem.

[St. Margaret]

Don't forget that a certain percentage of kids will NOT be drowsy but in fact become hyperactive in response to Benadryl. That'd be an awful situation to be in.

I've been grateful when DD and I could both get rest after a horrible night of waking up to an erupting rash (we think it was something on the grass at the park that day, newish park and she rolled down the hill some), when the Benadryl not only relieved the itching but helped her conk right out. But I would never dose my kid for sleep. I nursed her on the plane (be sure to do it BEFORE final descent) and brought exciting toys and books. Mostly she's slept on me or looked at pictures while I sang quietly nonstop. It's not assigned seating on soutwest so anyone who sat by me knew what they were getting into (having to hear me sing the rainbow song ).

If you've had a seriously bad experience, if you know your child will react horrible to a plane ride, if you know how the medicine affects him, if it's a very long flight, then it bcomes something to maybe have on hand just in case. But I think people tend to overuse it, and use it to just be able to chill out and not put in the very demanding effort required to keep a baby happy on a plane. Obviously sometimes it's more necessary.