Benadryl

I'll admit I have used this method on my kids but never at such a young age. It will really knock her out. You really should talk to the pharmacy and see what they recommend as a dose. Maybe do tylenol instead, that worked well for me when my kids were that age. I hope the flight goes well whatever you decide!

We had asked our pediatrician about the same thing, and she said that some children have the opposite reaction and become very hyper. So we didnt use it, and the flight went smoother than I imagined it would. My suggestion would be to call your pediatrician's office before the flight and get his/her input. Good luck.

Hi M.,

I agree that you should talk to your daughter's pediatrician for advice and possible dosage guidelines. I used Benedryl (under our pediatrician's advisement) for a flight to Europe that was over 8 hours when she was 10 months old, but never for shorter trips.

If you bring some new books and toys and keep her engaged, you might be amazed at how well she behaves for you. I'm always nervous about flying with my daughter, but she's been great every time!

I think it unwise to drug your baby. Not to mention Benedryl can have the opposite effect desired, and wire your child into a cranky crying baby. Take along a bag of small new toys, and favorite snacks to keep her occupied on the flight. Give her a new toy everytime she starts getting bored. Make sure you either nurse her or give her a bottle on take off and descent to help with the popping ear thing. And rest assured people who fly have heard their fair share of cranky babies.

children die from benadryl over doses i wouldnt medicate my child unless she needed to be and was perscribed by her doctor

Hi M.,
I would recommend packing a small bag with new toys, books, ect. Make sure she hasn't seen them before so that they are new. We used Benadryl for my first son the first time he flew. It made him REALLY hyper throughout the whole trip. We just flew again and did what I recommended and my almost 4 year old and 18 month old did really well. It's up to you but personally I will never do that again. Good luck.
Chris

Hi M.,
I would talk with your pediatrician.
Personally I don't like unnecessary "pre-medication", meaning that at this point you don't even know if she needs it.
How long is the flight?
If she has never had Benedryl before, you don't even know how she will react, and being stuck on an airplane is not a good place to experiment.
If it were me, I would bring toys, books, pacifier, bottle...any of her favorite things. Plus, you could always rock her or walk around with her if she really needed that.
We don't want to drug our children unnecessarily.
Good luck. I'm sure she'll be fine.

Hi M., So my daughter is 10 months and she started flying at 8 weeks and has gone many times. I would strongly advise against the benadryl. Some people may recommend it because it causes drowsiness, however it has been found that it may have reverse effects on babies. Do you really want to take that chance? No. My advice is make sure to have bottles and pacifiers and make certain that she has one of the above in her mouth during take off and landing to prevent her ears from popping. You can take her stroller right to the door of the plane and they will store it for you underneath. I've always found that useful. Some other things to take, blankies, change of clothes, toys, snacks and if you have a portable DVD player. I took mine and it distracted my daughter for the most part. They say that you must hold her the entire time, even so ask for a seat that has empty seats next to it if at all possible and then you can sit her up or lay her down in the seat and she will be comfortable, and may even sleep. Sorry to go on forever and ever, but I have a lot of experience in this department and I know how nervewracking it can be! Good Luck!

I used Dramamine on an 8 hour flight. There is a dosage for young children and boy do they sleep! Just make sure you give it to her earlier, than your flight to give it time to work. I don't like the idea of "drugging" my kids either. But in our case it worked out for the best. Good luck.

I would give her Benadryl before you travel. Kids respond differently. Some get tired and others wired. Mine is groggy for a while and then she is wired, not a good combination on the airplane. I think 1/2 a teaspoon is what we used. Not sure how long your flight is, b ut just take some new things for her to play with or new books. Hopefully she will take a nap too.

Hi M.,

We tried this with our 1st daughter who is now 9 when she was almost the age of your daughter.....it had the opposite effect!!!! Sometimes this happens to her even today whenever I have a reason to give her Benadryl~~ she gets really revved up!
Just a cautionary tale, in case you decide to use other techniques.
Have a great trip!

Hi M.,
Can I just say....OMG its not that big of deal!!!!!!!!!! First of all, Yes it can have a reverse affect, thats why you try it PRIOR to flying to see, You would use about 3mls. I give it to my daughter WITH DOCS APPROVAL and she sleeps like a charm. Not something you should use forever but for certian things its fine, My little one is 23 lbs and she gets the 3 1/2 mls and does just fine, dont let people freak you out for no reason. Yes babies die from overdoses ok but it can happen with anything, tylenol, motrin, all natural products, even water for crying out loud, ANYTHING, soloution.... DONT OVERDOSE!!!!!!!! Use a proper amount, same with anything else in this world. Anyways I just felt I should let you know, I hope you have a great trip and I hope you dont get discouraged because of what other people tell you!

M.:

I used Benadryl with my 2 1/2 year old when we flew to FL and it had quite the reverse affect. She was wide awake and oh my gosh was she mean and crabby. I'm sure everyone reacts differently, just beware. My Dr. was the person who recommended the Benadryl in the first place, so it must work.....On the way home I didn't give it to her and she was just fine....Good Luck!!

We gave my daughter Benadryl on a flight from Detroit to Seattle last year. She was 12 months old at the time and very active. The medicine knocked her out for 30 minutes and she woke up just as the plane was taking off AND STAYED UP FOR THE REST OF THE FIVE HOUR FLIGHT, even though we arrived in Seattle at 2:00am Detroit time. A month later, I flew again with my daughter (no husband to help this time) and didn't medicate her. I brought lots of toys (some favorites and some new ones) and tried to keep her occupied. The non-medicated flight went much more smoothly than the one where we gave her Benadryl. Even now, a year later, I do not give her Benadryl unless necessary because it makes her HYPER FOR A LONG TIME!!! If you do decide to give your child Benadryl, you may want to test out beforehand how she's going to react to it (not at home, though, give it to her and take her to the mall or the store to see if she'll really fall asleep). GOOD LUCK!!!!!!

Hi M.~
You've gotta ask your doc about that one...please! Even if somebody on here does know the proper mg/lb, we don't know your baby like your pediatrician does. I've also heard of Benadryl having the opposite effect on some kids, and you def. don't want THAT to happen! Maybe your doc can give you a better solution, or at least the go ahead on a safe dose! Good luck and keep us posted, I'm flying with my 6+ month old in another month so if you find any tricks, I'd love to hear them!
~L.