I will be flying for the first time w/ my 11 mnth old daughter any ideas on how to keep her calm?

Question

not sure how to keep her ears from hurting since she cant chew gum or anything.

Answer 1

Nurse, nurse, nurse!! That is the very best thing you can do during take-off and landing.

Answer 2

Most important thing to do is make sure she is drinking, eating or sucking on a pacifier during altitude changes.. 5-15 min after take off and 20 min before landing seem to be the worst changes in pressure. the reason for this is that like us, they need to swallow to clear the ear canal... baby's dont know this so if they do not swallow and the pressure builds up it will cause pain/discomfort.. other then that I'm sure she will be just fine. My daughter is 10 months and we have been on a plane every month since she was 4months.... I never had any problems. Good Luck!

Answer 3

I was told to give baby a bottle during take off and landing. You want to make sure that they suck suck suck. Not sure if a sippy cup would do the same as bottle or breast. The bottle/breast provides a more deep sucking motion.

Be prepared because ear infections can happen in children after flights. So, if you talk to your doctor beforehand he/she can give you meds to take just in case. Better safe than sorry.

As for keeping calm. LOL. I wish I knew! My son will be 10 months when we travel from Clevand, OH to Chennai India. And, I'm not sure myself. From friends that have made they journey...

1. Sling, if you have been wearing your baby this is a life saver. They feel safe and comfy...a remnant of their usual surroundings. This was the main reason I wore my baby - to make our travel easier.
2. Favorite book(s) and toy(s). My son calms down immediately with those Sassy books. The vinyl ones at Target that sing Rock A Bye Baby, Teapot, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
3. Lots of snacks and goodie bags. Pack a few little bags in your diaper bag full of new toys and such so that when she gets bored with one you can pull out some others. And, she'll think you have brought her new ones.

Please post back and let me know what you did, how it worked and advice. I'll be needing it!

I've added this to my watch list...

Answer 4

Have a bottle of her favorite fluid (most likely yours, cow's milk or formula). Have it readily available, particularly during take-off and landing. This will help make her ears less likely to plug up when the cabin becomes pressurized. Keep her favorite toys around as well. I recommend you do not feed her an hour or so before the flight, so that she will take to the bottle when you are just about to fly. This worked like a charm with my son, and he's been flying since he was 4 months old. Good Luck~

Answer 5

Explain that this something that happens every day to many people. Treat it like an amusement park ride with a slight thrill at first and then that it can be BORING. Take her favorite books or magazines, she can pick these out at the store the day before because you will not find things to interest a child of 11 at the airport. Have her decide what to pack and get her her own carry on with this STUFF in it. Her own carry on bag will make her feel grown up. Don't increase her fears by dwelling on them, this should be exciting for her.Good Luck and have a good trip!

Answer 6

Try getting her to sleep first. If she has a pacifier or teether it will help. She can chew on the teether like an adult would chew on gum. When we took our son (then13mths) on a plane for the first time we brought the carseat. there was an empty seat and we strapped it in and he was fine. However if you choose to take this route and the plane is full you will have to check the carseat at the gate and hold her in your lap. you can pay for a seat(it a reduced price) and use the carseat. This worked great for us. Depending on the length of the flight you may want to do this if you can afford to.

Answer 7

Either nurse her or give her a cup of something to drink - even Cheerios, anything that will keep her swallowing until you're in the air. Save some for the trip down, her ears will pop then too. I travelled a lot with both of my kids when they were little, we lived overseas and were on planes frequently. A little Dramamine or Benedryl is good too, makes them sleepy and makes the trip easier for everyone - the baby, mom and other passengers. Read to her, lots of treats, and a couple of new toys along with her favorite one - it drives me nuts to see people get on a plane for a trip and they have nothing for their child to do - they expect them to sit quietly for the whole flight??

Answer 8

We just took our 9 1/2 month baby on her first plane ride. The ride there was fine, but the return trip was a bit rough. Good news is that I don't think her ears hurt at all. We kept giving her those Gerber puff snacks and her sippy cup and that seemed to work just fine (kept her distracted also. Good luck to you.

Answer 9

Well, she can't chew gum, but she can drink from a bottle and that is like the same motion. I would suggest giving her some tylenol and some anti histime like benodryl before boarding this should help her alot. Best wishes

Answer 10

There are lots of tips about flying with a baby at http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/air-travel-with-baby.html

Nursing/bottle feeding will definitely help with ear pain and will also keep her calm. Bring some finger foods, too, to keep her occupied. Good luck!

Answer 11

Bring her a bottle, or a few bottles to suck on. Make sure she doesn't already have an ear infection. If she isn't hungry and has a few toys to play with, she should be fine. And with her mommy present she should really be ok.