Hi I will be traveling with my son at nine months old. Any suggestions to protect his ears from the noise? Mainly the noise of the flight crew speaking over the loud speaker when he sleeping.
Cheers all the best
thanks gals. We have flown a few times so far but this is going to be a 10 hour flight. I use ear plugs due to all the noise and peoples chatter. I guess I was just thinking ahead. I do agree about the plugs being a choking hazard.
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Most likely the white noise of the plane will keep him from being startled by announcements.
If you do try earplugs, I'd get him used to it before the big day. If he won't accept them, don't worry yourself. He'll be okay.
The thing to address is changes in cabin pressure, especially during take off and landing. Get him sucking on something to ease the pressure in his ears. Nursing, bottle, pacifier, anything that he will suck.
Luck!
I don't know if this helps but, I will be traveling with my son when he is 9 months old too and I am going to take earplugs (the soft purple ones for sensitive ears) and cut them down a bit to fit in his ears. I plan to introduce the earplugs a few days before so he's used to them. I've checked with his pediatrician and she say's it O.K. Maybe this will work for you too.
I've not been overly concerned with protecting babies from normal noises (in fact the engine noise might help him sleep???)
The main thing is to make sure your son is sucking/chewing/eating (anything to get his jaw moving) at take off and landing when the altitude/air pressure is changing.
Have fun! My little boy LOVES plane rides. I miss when we were flying fairly often before he turned 2.
I never used ear plugs with my son. I agree that when a baby is out, he's out! However, I was concerned about the announcements waking my son up, too, when he was young, but I would just cover his ear with my hand, so it wasn't as loud. Good luck on the long flight!
Hi L.,
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What makes babies scream in airplanes is the changing of the air pressure on their ears. I wouldn't suggest using earplugs. If you nurse ... that's the best way for them to relieve that pressure. If you are worried about nursing in public you could bring a sling for the child to cover up while nursing or just drape a blanket over the child and your shoulder. I've worn large stretchy shirts so I can just put the baby inside the shirt. Other options are bottles but if it's breastmilk in the bottle you may have trouble passing through security with it.
I'd suggest allowing the child to suck something (bottle, pacifier, breast) just so it calms him through the noise and try getting the child used to noises before going by leaving a radio on while he sleeps or something.
just to let you know...just took my 2 month old on a 3 hour flight and he slept through the noises of the flight and loudspeakers, what i do suggest is for you to feed them on lift off and landing due to the fact that you can pop their ears that way...i nursed my son on the way up and the way down and he slept on the plane the whole time both ways
Hi L.,
I second what Kristina G said. I took my (then) 11 month old on a plane and was advised by my doctor to have her sucking (either nursing or from a bottle) at take off and landing to relieve pressure in her ears. It worked beautifully.
I just took a plane ride with my now 3 kids (7,7 and 9)and the baby in front of us cried nearly the entire way (from Australia-16+ hours!!!) because her ears bothered her. The parents did not know about this important tip. It was a dreadful experience for the parents and the baby (and we felt horrible for them too).
The earplugs are a thoughtful idea but I wonder if your baby would just pull them out anyway. I occasionally wear ear plugs and they create a very strange hearing sensation and would have me wanting to pull them out if I didn't know why I put them there in the first place!
Good luck and safe and happy travels!
Having flown a lot with a baby and then toddler daughter, I don't think you need to worry about this. When they're out, they're out. If anything, the white noise is a good thing to help keep them asleep. I think that the ear plugs are more of a physical distraction/choking hazard than a benefit.
