Help needed on flight...

[goingpotty]

Can anyone help? We are taking our 20mth DD on her first flight in a few weeks time and as my DH and I both suffer badly with ear pain on take off and landing we are worrying that DD will suffer too. Does anyone have any advice on what to do to help her other than offer her a bottle to suck on as we have just gone through a month battle to get her to stop taking it.

Also, any ideas for on-lap entertainment?

how about a walkman with something on it (nursery rhymes or songs) to distract, and if its a novelty she might be totally engaged with it.

popping ears: barley sugars, have a yawning competition when plane begins descent.

lap top entertainment: etcha sketch, books, kims game with the inflight meal trays

How longs the flight? I suggest taking a new toy with you that will provide lots of entertainment value. Also get a window seat if poss (tho must warn you that dp was daft enough to show dd how to pull the window blind up and down and she spent the entire flight playing with it and it drove me mad). Take lots of snacks with you, I took cooked carrot sticks, peas, rice cakes and raisins which kept dd very happy. Take a beaker of water/juice with you to suck on take off and landing. Maybe go out with her and choose a nice beaker to take (Avent magic cups are good for this as they take alot of sucking to get at the juice and can be used after without the inside bit)

goingpotty, no help to your DD, but do you and DH know how to equalise the pressure in your ears during take-off?

I learned to equalise when scuba diving and it really helps when flying.

Take-off: stretch your jaw like a huge yawn and waggle it from side to side at the same time.

Landing: hold nose, close mouth and blow until you feel your ears 'pop'

taking a decongestant before the flight will clear your sinuses and help make equalising the pressure easier.

Its about equalising the pressure in her ears ...

Karvol on a muslin/handkerchief near her nose helps

Anything that will keep jaw moving, so eating raisons, fruit

Sucking on anything, so giving a drink of milk in a beaker, or straw cup (doesn't have to be a bottle) - whatever she normally drinks out of

As for entertainment, books work if she likes being read to

Have done 8 flights with dd who is now 20 months old. Have always coped with the ear pressure thing by just keeping her snacking on rice cakes, breadsticks, sultanas, drinking out of her beaker, etc.

How long is the flight? I'll be honest, I think this is the worst age for flying. All they want to do is walk up and down the plane. If it's a 2 hour hop, see if you can time her nap to take place then. Otherwise, I give my dh (22 mths) a bottle (which he in not normally allowed) with 5mls of the cough syrup which makes him sleepy. It is usually enough to send him to sleep. Lots of exercise beforehand too!
Otherwise, favourite books, drawing book and crayons, (or one of those magic boards)and simple jigsaws. Oh and lollipops are great for keeping them quiet AND their ears clear. Bit sticky but it's worth it.

We used drinks when dd was at that age. The lure of a carton of apple juice (a treat in her eyes) meant that she drank all the way through take off and landing and didn't bat an eyelid.

There are earplugs called "earplanes" that you can get which are supposed to equalise the pressure.

the decongestants really work. I havn't had a problem since i started taking those before take off and one again before landing.

Thanks so much everyone - there are some brill tips here I shall 'hit the shops' at the weekend for my props!
Tarantula - you made me laugh re the window blind - it's definitely the kind of thing that my dd would do too!!

Stickers and a sticker book or paper to stick them to. And be prepared to walk up and down the plane a lot!