Sedating kids on planes
Cue chat room critics who preached the gospel I've heard many times on the chat board I frequent."It's just wrong.Take a sleeping pill yourself, fine, it's your body to do with what you will, but medicating children unnecessarily in order to have a more convenient flight is something I'd never do.""It is never acceptable to drug children unless it is for medical reasons and then only under medical supervision."And my personal favourite: "If I had them, ABSOLUTELY NOT. Discipline is the key to keeping children behaved on a flight."The last one sticks out particularly to me given that the baby in question in this blog was ONE.He did not have access to case notes and legal findings.
However, it’s probably best to stick with a pediatrician you trust, and one that knows your child’s medical history well.
I don't believe for one second the poster who said she has never been annoyed by a baby on a plane.
If you don't think your kids are ready for a plane flight, then unless the trip is truly necessary, you might delay it for a year or two. Some good reasons why you might not want to give your child an antihistamine like Benadryl can include that: While it might seem like a quick and easy solution to potential problems you might have when flying with young kids, most pediatricians try to discourage parents from giving kids anything to sedate them on an airplane. These other tips for flying and traveling with kids might be helpful and could make using a sedative unnecessary: If you really think a sedative is going to be necessary during a flight, talk to your pediatrician about the risks and benefits and be sure to try it before the flight to make sure your child doesn't have a bad reaction and become irritable and hyper.
Do they have a history of stress or discomfort on a plane? Do they have a hard time relaxing enough to fall sleep on their own? Determining the problem leads to the solution, but remember that normal toddler/child behavior doesn’t necessarily warrant sedation and maybe other distractions can be used.
(CNN) -- If the kids become too much to handle, slip 'em a little cold medicine.
