Posted by
bbvv
19 yrs ago
My baby is 8 months and will be 10.5 month when he flies in a couple of month's time (12 hrs on plane). He is teething at the moment - noticed his first tooth on Easter Sunday and it has been more difficult to settle him since then. For flying, I am worried the effect it will have on him such as ear pressure (know that he has to suck to reduce this), his teething and the fact that he is very active he does not like sitting in his carseat for long periods. Just preparing for the worse, is there anything we can give him to settle him?
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Hi, our son was 7 months when we flew with him on his first intercontinental flight. Actually, it was no problem with ear pressure. We gave him nosedrops (which you would normally give if he got the sniffles) right before the flight. They work for at least 12 hours. During the flight we gave him a nose spray which is only water with some salt. This helps him to withstand the very dry air. Have a nice trip!
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bbvv
19 yrs ago
Thanks savusavu - where do you buy these nose drops/nose spray and any particular brand.
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addis
19 yrs ago
Dear bbvv,
My boys took their first flights when they were 6 months and 4 months respectively - one was bottlefed and the other breastfed. I, too, was one worried mom (like you) - especially with my first one. I was told that it is okay to give the baby cough syrup to help him sleep soundly throughout the flight. I toyed with the idea but decided against it and had no problems whatsoever with both.
savusavu appears to be probably referring to saline nasal drops (for paediatric use). Don't know whether is available OTC in Hong Kong.
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Available OTC at Watson's Pharmacy - Brand Otrivin drops. Also Sterimar spray is a saline spray for infants that works wonders!
Advice for the plane? Don't worry about the other people - let him crawl around if he wants to. It will make him tired enough to sleep. Also ask for the basinet seat. I am not sure if he'll still qualify for the skycot with his weight, but you have more space there anyway!
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bbvv
19 yrs ago
Thanks everyone for your advice - have to get some Bonjela for his teething as it is really making him uncomfortable. Yes, we can get it over here in HK.
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I don't want to sound like the voice of doom, but we've travelled quite a few times with our daughter who is now 18 months. Each trip has been progressively worse, she was much better when she was 6 months and I was still breastfeeding.
Drugs have no effect on her in terms of making her drowsy, and she has so much energy that unless it's a late-night flight, she will stay awake the entire time. I don't mind so much, but it is exhausting, especially long-haul flights from UK to Oz.
The only tips I can give are:
1. make sure you pack an entire bag full of toys to keep your little one amused;
2. pack plenty of nappies/wipes, sometimes they just go through them really quickly;
3. ask for more pillows/blankets and build up a little bed on your lap if your little one is too small for the bassinet cot - or take the car seat and book their own seat;
4. plan for feedings on take-off and landing, that way there shouldn't be a problem with their ears.
And try to ignore the looks of other passengers!
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HKC
19 yrs ago
God I know about the looks of other passengers, that is enough to stress you out! My 2 year old is so active on flights now but what does work is Medised which you can buy in the UK. Other things are taking lots of new toys and books and stickers and wrapping them up like presents thats a great distraction! Also portable DVD player. I only had problems with her ears when she was tiny she is fine now. Its keeping her running up and down the aisle that I fine hard but at least its good exercise! I did get desparate on one flight and when everyone else was sleeping I locked us in the toilet and in the end she was so bored she fell asleep in my arms and then I just took her back to her seat!
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Just got back from the UK with a 9 month old and the 12hr flights were actually not as horrible as I had anticipated. We arranged night flights so that bubs would be asleep for most of the flight and I think that made a huge difference.
Regarding the air pressure: I agree that it is probably best to avoid medicating if possible. I breastfed on take off and landing but the mum in the seat beside me just held her baby and he didn't bat an eyelid at the air pressure. I guess the sensitivity differs from baby to baby. From my own experience, swallowing is the most effective way to unblock ears so maybe pack a dummy so even if your baby doesn't want to drink he can still suck on something?
Definitely agree with Tookey's tips -- the bag of toys in particular was a total life-saver.
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73
19 yrs ago
Hi,
My baby girl started flying at 3 months then at 8months for more than 11 hours and then at 11 months. I know it gets difficult to settle her specially now that she is walking but I always buy her a new toy and I pull it out just when we are about to take-off together with trying to feed her. She has never had any problem with ear pressure maybe because i always played with her or read her some books...and it always worked.
And also on the day that we are departing, I try not to make her sleep so that she will be quite very tired by the time we fly and then she will sleep longer.
Good luck and dont worry about it....
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