hi there,
im looking for parents of babies suggestions on stopping "ear popping".
its the only thing im concerned about with the wee fella flying.
any tips or advice are as always greatly appreciated
cheers
Paul

calpol before you board, a dummy will help ,as the sucking action helps to stop the popping feeling.If s/he doesnt use a dummy then stick your finger in his/her mouth.Or is there a toy/rattle that likes to be chewed ??
Mine didnt have a problem tho,so dont worry.

If he is bottle fed make sure you have bottles available for him at least for the climb AND decent.

My girls either had their thumb or dummy. They were born in Montreal and we made regular trips home. Depending on the age of your son ear popping might be the least of your worries. Air Canada attendant didn't even know which loo had changing table (my 1st trip alone with 9 week old) and treated me like a leper. If he is older small snacks are vital as the airline won't help. You will be expected to eat your meal whilst holding your child and don't even think about asking for a pillow. If your little one is like my oldest (she usually fell asleep 10 mins out of Heathrow after being awake the whole 7 hours) you might find seats towards the back easier, as you feel a little less tense about the little one bothering others.
hope I haven't put you off but honestly don't expect too much help.

How old?

If still bottle/breast feed age then just provide something to drink. Simple

If older then lollypops worked great for us.

Remember to have enough for going up and coming down.

Keeping them entertained for 8+ hours if its not a night flight is a bigger problem, but thats been covered here before.

We had none of the above issues, the Air Transat crew were great.

he is 13 weeks old today and is exclusively breat fed.......thanks for the advice so far

As others have said before, drinking/sucking and swallowing for the whole of take off, and, more importantly, as soon as the plane starts descending.

Good luck to you all.

Easy then, dont worry about it. With any luck he will sleep through most of it.

HIya....

I flew with my little one when he was 10wks...He was awake on take off so I fed him (br fed) just in case!! He was asleep on landing and we just left him...He was fine...much easier than his brother who was bouncing off the walls so to speak...Alternatively you can always let him suck your finger..
Good luck
L

My 13 week old has just come back from Canada. We went out on the 27th and came back on the 3rd. He slept on the journey back but was very fidgity on the way there. However, he was breast fed during the ascent and didn't seem to notice his ears popping.

this ^^^^^

Calpol is the best invention ever for flying with small people. Drug 'em, I say, drug 'em to the point of total oblivion.

Seriously, it can help a lot. Our eldest was a bit (but not much) older than 13 wks the first time he flew. can't remember whether it was Calpol we had but our HV suggested either that or some other infant formulation of paracetamol. We were a bit dubious at first about "drugging him up," but gave him the recommended dose in the departure lounge just before boarding, he slept right through takeoff and landing. Mind you, that was a short-haul flight, don't know what he'd have been like on a journey to Canada at that age...

Much better than Calpol, try Medised. It makes them very sleepy within 20mins and can be purchased over the counter. Buy the small bottle due to liquid restrictions in cabin.

Best,

Chipotle

thanks guys ....plenty to digest.....im hoping for a sleep right through apart from a feed and change......the only prob is that we land in halifax to drop off folk and fly onwards to ottawa,so there will be two take offs and landings.
it will be fun
Paul

I'd 2nd Medised, what a life saver. Really, as others have said you shouldn't have any trouble with them at that age, it's when they start moving that's when the problems start!

This does NOT apply to babies but I used to suffer terribly from earache when I flew. I went to my GP and she suggested taking Sudafed for 3 days before I flew. It works but drying up any liquid or congestion in the inner ear which causes the pain from pressure during flight take-off and landing.

I tried it and it worked. I now use it all the time before a flight and have never had earache since