long-haul night flight with one year old - medised?

[loisstella]

I'm taking the risk of becoming a very unpopular parent, but I need some advice.
We live in the middle east and my one year old is too big for the basket on the plane (she never liked them much anyway) and we are about to go on a night flight to the UK - she will be traveling on my lap. She will be very excited about this journey....
To make sure she gets some sleep, and hopefully not keep the entire plane awake all night I think I need some help getting her to nap.
I have heard medised has a light sedative. is it okay to give her this? any other tips (medical or non??)

its not something I've tried. I suspect others may criticise but you know whatever gets you through it. Having had a toddler talk nonstop on transatlantic flights I know how hard it is.

However, make sure you try it before hand. some kids it has the opposite effect and makes them hyper.

Can you see your GP before you leave?

My top tip would be make friends with all the cabin crew the moment you board. They can make your flight much easier.

You have my sympathies, travelling with a one-year-old. A night flight shouldn't be toooooo bad, though.

Hi loisstella, there may well be people that criticise you for thinking of the medised route but if they do, they've never travelled with young children

I only discovered medised last summer and tried it a couple of times and found it good as a short term solution. Prior to discovering it I just used calpol which made them a bit sleepy. The advantage of the night flight is in theory they should sleep anyway. I live in the Middle East too and our usual flight back to the UK is around 1 - 2am (ME time) and so the kids are pretty knackered before they even get on the plane.

I've not been back to the UK since last year but seem to recall I've read something recently about medised along the lines of children under 2 shouldn't have it now so perhaps you should check that out.

Good luck

Mumoverseas is right that medi sed now for the over sixes although people do use it under that age ( but would echo the other poster who said that it can get opposite effect).
Would echo whoever said about making the cabin crew your friends

I wouldn't use Medised - it can have the opposite effect (esp at altitude) and make your child hyper. It can also depress breathing, especially at altitude, and can give them an awful 'hangover' the next day.

A medium haul night flight shouldn't be too bad - let her run/crawl herself ragged round the airport before you board, put her in her pyjamas, give her a milky drink and snuggle in with blankets and a pillow. They turn the lights off for a night flight anyway so she will probably sleep without too much distraction.

I did London - Perth with a 13 month old with only a 2 hour stopover at Dubai, it was hard work but do-able so I am sure you will find it easier than you think!

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Medised have themselves advised that their product should not be used in under 2s.

If this is a night flight you will probably board late evening so she will be pretty much tired out if she has not slept previously.

I would not worry unduly about the other pax if you are yourself seen to be making an effort to keep your daughter quiet and calm.

How big is she that she doesn't fit in the sky-cot thingie?

Medised is apparently not licensed for under 6's in the UK . this is due to the risk that illness could be masked by the sedative effect.

My baby only just fit in the cot and he is a smallish 10 month old.

Gosh, that's weird, All of mine would have squeezed in the cot up to at least 2yo, 2 DC are smallish but 1 was a hefty toddler. maybe different airlines offer different size cots?

I thought problem with Medised was the risk of people double dosing with Calpol or other paracetamol-containing products (Medised is mostly paracetamol).

My DS fell asleep on my lap at that age, being rocked and sung to (very quietly so only he could hear - not singing nun style!). Are you sure she won't sleep? One isn't old enough to really understand that the flight is about visiting family unless you keep mentioning it