to give my 3 year old a dose of piriton before a long flight?

[gemmalovestiggy]

DD 3 is very hard work, stuggles to sit still for longer than 10mins. Whilst getting holiday jabs nurse said "large dose of piriton before take off should do the trick".....kind of thought she was joking but I am very tempted!! AIBU?

If I was weighing up the options of

a)Taking my child on a long flight which would more than likely make them distressed and result in them screaming and disrupting other passengers.

and

b)Drugging said child.

I would go for

c)Not taking a long flight and holidaying in this country or travelling by ferry.

It seems a no-brainer for me.

I haven't read five pages but I'm sure if you are going to do it, do test before the actual flight to get the right reaction.

I must admit that I had a 'back up' supply - just a single dose portion (each) in my hand luggage in case the flight was unbearable. On my last trip London to Oz. Survived that trip on my own with 1 & 2year DS!

I searched high and low for information on what to give, as an alternative to the known 'phernogan'(Sp?) became such a no no. My sisters with older DC's used this often on long trips.
Reading so much on the net just made me super scared on the side effects, I'm sure most of it was hype.

this thread is funny!

DH and DD and i travel all the time internationally. like, at least 4 times a year. most trips involve more than one connection and at least twice a year we have a 24 - 26 hour trip.

this is almost entirely work related travelling.

DD is a SHOCKER or a traveller. actually, thats a bit of a lie, she used to be awesome but now is old enough to know whats coming and resent the trips!

she absolutely wont sleep on a plane. so far we havent drugged her because we have managed to always fly with more than one of us (so am not trying to cope on my own) and always day flights so other passengers not sleeping.

BUT

thats all about to change and we are going to have to take night flights (flight schedule has changed) and i am going to have to travel on my own and damn skippy im going to drug her!

in fact, this thread is a handy reminder to try a dose on her in advance............

YABU - very

Medicines are there to medicate - if you use them when it isn't necessary you are teaching your child it is ok to take pills/drugs for non-medicinal purposes.

Your child is hard work, but you have chosen to take a long holiday flight. Instead of planning to drug your child you need to be planning how you can enjoy each others company for the flight.

Start off with a strategy - what inflight entertainment is there? - Virgin have great programmes for kids on their flights to the U.S., not sure about other carriers. If not much is provided then can you borrow a personal DVD player?

Your child is 3 and will enjoy being read to or doing simple puzzle books. Visit a pound shop and pick up some small toys that you can bring out at various points in the trip (not when being badly behaved - that would send the wrong message. Can you taking some 'making' activities? There are loads of hints and tips for parents journeying with small children.

Accept that you are not going to be relaxed on the flight and teach your child to enjoy being on a journey as an adventure.

Personally I never took mine on a plane until the youngest was 7 but we did have long car journeys to visit family (6 hours plus)

That's all very well cucumber BUT what when the journey is necessary? And what if dvda xnd puzzle books don't work? And the child isn't used to having to sit and stay in one place? You make it sound so easy and that's because you've never done it! I don't think parents have the right to judge others if they've never been there done that themselves. I have traveled with 0 to 8 year olds long haul for years and have to say that the children aged 18 months to 3 years were the hardest to travel with as they did not know how to sit still for prolonged periods, they got tired xnd couldn't sleep, they were loud and rambunctious. They also were excited, loved the plane etc. But you can't expect a child to tolerate 8 hours in a confined space and you shouldn't judge parents who choose to use a medication to help their child be calm/sleep. What about parents who give calpol for teething? Some say its not necessary. Its all a judgement call for the parents to make and based on what they personally feel is the right thing for them to do at the time.

Having done it several times and always on my own (so no other adult to share dealing with Ds) I have never medicated him and never would. As others have said medication is there for a reason and doping a child to mean that you don't have to bother entertaining them is wrong on so many levels.

I wonder how many on this thread who do medicate also do it at home to give themselves a quiet night. [hhmm]

This is probably the most disturbing thread I've ever read on MN.

FWIW we fly regularly. All the time. Train journeys too. It shocked me when I found out there was a certain school of parenting that did this sort of thing.

It's reminiscent of Victorian slum-dwellers soaking teething rings in gin. And in fact, why are you stopping at over the counter medicines to dope your children? Why aren't you heading straight for the whisky/gin? Probably fewer side effects.

I'm off this thread.

YANBU, I can't get worked up about this (& I am one of the the most righteously indignant people I have ever met). I don't think I would do it but I have never flown long haul with a tiny terror. Loving the phrase "chemical upgrade" though [hgrin]

common in North America. My GP said to try it on dry land 1st as some kids can go hyper on it.

"doping a child to mean that you don't have to bother entertaining them is wrong on so many levels.

I wonder how many on this thread who do medicate also do it at home to give themselves a quiet night. "

Oooh, I think I was the first to mention something like medicating a child so that you don't have to entertain them. Just to reiterate what I've already said before in the thread, I only wished that I had, I never did, even on the return flight or anytime since. Never even given her Medised or Phenergen or whatever even for medical reason leave alone for non-medical ones.

Still don't think it's U for someone to give a one-off dose on a long plane journey. Doesn't mean said parent is the type who medicates to get a good night's sleep .

mega you quoted me. I just wonder at what point parents do start doing this? I'm sure it happens. I know people who regularly use Medised to have a quiet night and continue to do so even when I shared what my ds's paediatrician said about it. They would also medicate on long haul flights.

Ds has got easier as he got older and now I no longer have the worry of wondering how he will be on the flight.

I've always under medicated - ds gets Calpol only if he really really needs it. Probably I'm cautious because ds was prem and spent the first few years of his life on continual medication.

Well I know someone who regularly medicated her boys when they were babies, because it made them "relaxed". I don't know what made her start, she was doing it from birth. That is a situation that should be roundly condemned.

The problem with long flights is that you are limited in what you can do to help your child. You're sitting in one place for hours while the child(ren) get bored and cranky and you're putting all your effort into keeping them happy while being nervous about the people around and what they are thinking. Some children really play up and scream the place down. I think it's a completely different situation and can understand why a parent would want to medicate, and even the medical profession is not against it as long as it's a rare occurance. If you're in a position that you have to do regular flights then I think parents would be hesitant to medicate.

It annoys me how people often assume you have the option to take a car / train / holiday in the UK instead. A lot of us do not have family here, so yes, the option exists to only holiday in the UK - and never see grandparents, cousins, uncles and aunts. I don't think that's very healthy either.

That aside, I wouldn't drug because ds reacts differently to the same medicines at times. I have flown with him on meds (got ill on holiday and had to take them, so no, I didn't have the choice not to fly) before, and yes, he slept for 8 hours straight, which he never does at home. I was very worried as he was also very pale, as another poster mentioned earlier. At the same time, I have given him allergy medicine at home (consultant paediatrician advice for something else), and he didn't sleep longer than 2 hours at a time. It did help for the allergy though. At other times, he slept well on it.

So, in summary - no, I wouldn't drug on flight as too risky (for me). I have no problem with someone else giving something mild though if they know how their children constantly reacts to it. I was shocked at stories my mom told us of people in the 70's drugging their children to sleep in the cars whilst they partied. (Mom never did, for what it's worth, but then, we all react bad to medicines, so it would have been stupid anyway.)

Well MOST people do have the choice. And, if your child is a very bad traveller, then let your family come to you.

Wow Mutt, so you think it's wrong for people to take medication to deal with anxiety/insomnia? REALLY hope that if any of your friends or family, especially your children, ever suffer with these awful, soul destroying conditions that they have the sense not to ask you for support.

Reading this thread with interest as we are due to fly soon.

Come on mums we are talking about a single dose of a medication you would give your child to treat a rash or runny nose when they can't sleep/breath!!

Remember you can't open the door and leave on a plane! If your LO is really distressed and needs something, your wouldn't give them a single dose of Piriton BUT you would if they had a rash!!??? That's far more cruel IMO.

A single dose of Piriton is not drugging your child!

My DD has been to NZ twice and was fine the first time at 6 months, and pretty good the second time at 2.5. She doesn't react well to piriton it makes her hyper so I didn't bother. the doc gave me phenegran as she had suffered briefly with travel sickness, we took it with us and she was fine and didn't need it.
If your child has never flown before the Usborne book about flying is excellent, DD is rather literal at times so wanted to spend the whole flight sat bolt up right with her seatbelt on. Luckily the airlines gave us lots of empty seats and she slept for the night part. I don't recommend sitting separately though, we did try it on one leg and she wouldn't settle in either location. Grass was always greener.
Good luck and don't worry.

Because, Niggle, it is one child flying if we go there, vs 6 children needing to if we want our respective brothers and sisters to fly here. That, and the fact that it is often more difficult for older people to fly - my mom had a brain op a year ago so is advised not to, and dad currently undergoing radiation treatment for cancer. But hey, don't let me stop you from banging your head against the wall.

In which case I would argue that your situation is an exceptional case and should be differentiated from the "but we want a nice long-haul holiday and will drug our child to achieve it" brigade.

Glitterknickaz ......er...yes....if you can't cope with the behaviour then drug your child, no problem.

Piriton, medised and all those supposedly drowsy drugs make my dd hyper!!!

dd2 gets phenergan before any length of journey.

one dose the night bedfore, then again the morning of the trip.

if we dont, then you can guarentee you will be a vomiting child for the whole journey.

thing is, that it doesnt always work. trip tp wales was fine, no problems, she sl;ept through mosty of it. jounrey back was later in the day, she was still sick several times, plus it took an extra few hours to get back due to traffic.

phenergan yes, it is designed for the purpose! Piriton is not for that . Also there is not mention of him being frightened etc, just very fidgety which suggests he could be entertained in flight rather than being drugged.

Vodka or gin might work better

Maybe just take a sleeping pill yourself ? you won't care what happens then :)