Is it safe to fly when your baby has an ear infection?

[CeilingThomas]

Hello, my 12 month old DS has been given antibiotics for the second ear infection in as many weeks. I suspect the first course (finished on Saturday) didn't clear it and it got worse again until I got more antibiotics this morning.

The thing is, we're due to fly to Ireland for my inlaws 70th birthday party on Friday (3days time) and it's an important weekend for my DH and his family.

I'm worried we'll be putting our son at risk of, at best a lot of pain and at worst a perforated ear drum. But I also don't want to be so cautious that we miss what would be a very special weekend needlessly.

My DS also had a bad cold for the two weeks preceeding the ear infections so he may have blocked ears, potentially increasing risk of perforation.

What is the general consensus, would you go?

Thanks in advance!

You could check with your doctor, but I'd strongly recommend against your DS flying unless you're completely sure the infection has cleared. The altitude changes could be painful enough when he's so little without an infection (some children are more sensitive than others), with an ongoing infection it would almost certainly be excruciating.

I wouldn't go. Ear infections can be very nasty, I would definitely get your ds better before going anywhere.

Thanks very much for the replies, I'm going to book and appointment for Thursday to get the Drs advice. Even if the infection has gone there's no way of knowing if his ears are blocked though I guess.

We were always told by our paediatrician that flying was an absolute no with an ear infection as it could make it significantly worse.

If the infection is clearing well and your GP thinks it is okay you may want to ask for decongestant drops for him (Otrivin for children) - used to be over the counter but is now prescription only. If you give that 1 hour before the flight each time you fly it may help or ask the doctor for advice how to use them, it will drain the ears better and quicker.

Can you otherwise consider going by ferry?

Ferry is a great alternative, we went last time by ferry. This time we're only going for the weekend as my DH can't get any more time off work. It'd be a lot of travelling for the amount of time we'd actually get to spend there but might be worth it because at least we'd get to see the family even for a short period.

Thanks for the info re Otrivin, sound like it could be a good option. I'll ask the dr when I see her tomorrow.

Meant to add that my gut instinct is telling me to be ere on the side of caution and not go and your replies are reassuring me that I'm not over reacting, so thank you!

Where in ireland are you going? We took our son over when he was 12 months, and the first flight really upset his ears. He developed an infection and it was a nightmare getting a doctor. Nearly had a fit when my sister in law told me the prices for appointments and prescriptions over there. In the end FIL pulled a few strings and got us an appointment, but if you do decide to go please make sure you see what the gp access arrangements are where you are going.

Palehousewife - that's an excellent point. I hadnt even considered the differences in healthcare provision. We're going to a small village near Monaghan. Inlaws might be able to pull some strings with their GP but with it being a weekend too, appointments might be hard to come by. The more I think of it the more I'm favouring bowing out of this trip.