What can you do to stop your ears from popping on plane?

Question

I know about gum and yawning, but my daughter, who's only 2 probably won't be able to do these (she swallows gum...and making her yawn? Don't think that'll happen!) Are there any medications I can give her....or anything else I can do??

Answer 1

Get two paper cups and fill the bottom with with hot, wet tissues and then cover her ears with the cups.

Answer 2

Give her some fruits to chew and it will make her ears pop. And she will eventually yawn.

Answer 3

Usually you have to get creative, since young ones rely on YOU to help them. You cannot stop the popping. The popping is due to (well, you know this, but I'll say it anyway) air pressure, and that is the kind of physical reality that drugs cannot affect.

You can cover her ears with whatever you can think of (mittened hands, cups with hot, water-soaked rags stuffed in them, but NOT ear plugs- you want the canals open, not closed) with the goal of using the heat to form a vacuum of sorts, but this will only work in one direction.

When Ascending, you want to decrease the pressure in your head, and yawning is indeed the best method to equalize. Chewing gum is an attempt to mimic the pressure relief that yawning allows.  When DEscending, you want to INCREASE your internal pressure, so that's the hold-your-nose-and-blow thing, to gently pop your ears. Do each repeatedly, as every 100 feet makes a difference. Sadly, infants get hammered by the pressure changes because it really does require equalization, and they're simply not capable of performing acts like that at that age. Even pre-teens can overdo the hold-your-nose thing, and they blow too hard and hurt themselves.

I'd imagine some adults do that as well.

Just remember that YOU will be affected, so you may as well equalize.  Do it "too much"- since you don't have an altimeter, just do it over and over (like three times per minute) until your altitude stabilizes. If anyone DOES have some crazy method for equalizing an infant, I'd love to hear it.

The only other thing I've heard of is the parent who administers a pretty high (for a kid) dose of some OTC drug like Tylenol PM so that the kid is sedated. I'd feel REAL nervous about doing that. People apparently do it all the time, but people rob banks too, and I'm not gonna do it.  I guess their feeling is "well, my kid might be hurting, but at least he's knocked out and quiet." I wonder if that's even legal.

I'd hate to have to make that decision, but just in case flying isn't the ONLY option....

We went to Washington DC when I was in third grade, and we took a train! We don't have trains here for commuting, so it was a big deal to us kids. I'll never forget that :)  Anyway, at 41 I swear the next trip I take will be a train. It's slower, it might even cost more, but how wonderful to stay grounded, see all the neat countryside close enough to actually SEE it, and lean your seat WAY back and take a nap. Go to the two-level Scenic View car and look out at whatever rolls by. Go to the dining car! Ah well, I digress. OO- easier to change the 2 year old on a train :)

Answer 4

ask your doctor for best option

i use air plug for my kids

Answer 5

give her  pacifier or give her constantly a drink, other than that give her some medicine to get her asleep

Answer 6

http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.a...

get these they work great, i dont travel without them. they work perfectly.

they sell them at regular pharmacies and also at most airports