How can I protect my baby from air pressure on a plane?

Pacifiers and bottles can be great tools for helping babies equalise their ear pressure while flying. The sucking motion helps open up their Eustachian tubes, which allows air to flow more easily through their inner ear and helps prevent discomfort from changes in air pressure.



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Give your child acetaminophen or ibuprofen about 30 minutes before takeoff or landing. Or, use nasal spray or drops before takeoff or landing. Follow package instructions exactly about how much medicine to give your child.

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Mountain Travel With Newborns: Travel to places below 8,000 feet (2,438 meters) is safe. Brief drives over higher mountain passes are safe. If your newborn is not healthy, don't travel above 8,000 feet (2,438 meters). Your child's doctor should give the okay first.

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According to The Health Journal, the most common reason for their discomfort on flights is because cabin pressure presses down on their sensitive ears. Babies' ears are more sensitive than adults' ears, and they cannot equalise the air pressure in their ears as well as adults can.

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FLYING WITH AN INFANT: WHEN IS IT SAFE TO TRAVEL WITH A NEWBORN BABY BY PLANE? In general, doctors recommend you wait to fly until your baby's immune system is better developed. This could be as soon as one month for full-term infants, though most doctors recommend anywhere between three months and six months.

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The TSA will allow you to go through the metal detector while wearing your baby, although you may be asked to undergo an additional screening even if there is not an alarm. The additional screening will consist of having your hands swabbed for chemical residue, and potentially a pat-down.

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If you can't give them an antihistamine, giving them ibuprofen or acetaminophen before the flight can help reduce pain. If your child is prone to severe ear pain when flying, you might give them both Benadryl and Tylenol before take-off.

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Sit away from the engine.
Seats in the front rows are farthest away from the engine and therefore better for your hearing. However, if you have to sit farther back in the plane, choose an aisle seat as they are several decibels quieter than window seats.

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