Yes, planes can hurt toddlers' ears due to rapid air pressure changes during takeoff and landing, which can cause pain (barotrauma) because their Eustachian tubes, connecting the middle ear to the throat, are smaller and can get blocked by colds or mucus, making it hard to equalize pressure. To help, encourage swallowing, sucking (pacifier/bottle), and yawning; for very young babies, specialized earplugs or muffs can manage noise and pressure changes, but always consult a doctor if your child has an ear infection or congestion.
What Can Help Ease Ear Pain?
Babies and toddlers need ear protection only when the plane is lifting up or at the time of landing. This is to prevent air pressure fluctuation which can cause pain.
For most people, any ear pressure or muffling resolves within a few minutes to a few hours after landing. But if your ears still feel blocked after a full day—or worse, if you experience pain, hearing loss, or dizziness—you could be dealing with barotrauma or fluid buildup behind the eardrum.
Timing is Everything
Red-eye flights can be a good option because your child is more likely to sleep through the journey. For daytime flights, be prepared with activities to keep them engaged. Download a few favorite shows or apps, pack coloring books, and always have a few surprises up your sleeve.
A bulkhead row is also a good choice for a toddler who may squirm around. The same caveat applies, however—if you need your bag of tricks to keep your toddler entertained, note that you cannot access it until after takeoff. Otherwise, a window seat is always a good idea.
Changes in air pressure during flying can cause ear-drum pain and perforation, vertigo, and hearing loss. It has been estimated that 10% of adults and 22% of children might have damage to the ear drum after a flight, although perforation is rare. Symptoms usually resolve spontaneously.
Flight attendants that are subject to pressure changes throughout their careers do seem to be more capable of equalizing pressure through manoeuvres such as the Valsalva. This may be due to the fact that continuous pressure changes creates a more pliable tympanic membrane.
It's probably not necessary to postpone your flight if your child has a cold. Children are usually just fine flying when congested, although they may experience some additional ear discomfort during takeoff and landing. The one major exception is when the cold is complicated by a serious ear infection.
In my role as an audiologist, I'm often asked whether babies and children should wear hearing protection. The answer is: absolutely! Noise that's potentially damaging to an adult's ears is even more dangerous to a child's.
Yes. CARES is certified by the FAA for all phases of flight: taxiing, take off, turbulence and, landing. Kids Fly Safe joins the FAA in urging all passengers to remain “buckled in” whenever they are in their seats.
During flight, changes in altitude affect air pressure inside the cabin, leading to discomfort and ear pain. Sometimes, the discomfort or pain can linger even after the flight, causing emotional distress in travelers. Do headphones help with airplane pressure? The answer is a resounding yes.
There is no specific seat on a plane that significantly reduces ear pain. However, sitting near the wings in the aisle seats can be more stable and might reduce discomfort due to less turbulence. Having easy access to an aisle seat can allow you to move around more easily and perform pressure-equalising techniques.
Children swallow more often when they are awake. Also, waking up with ear pain can be frightening for your child. Give your child acetaminophen or ibuprofen about 30 minutes before takeoff or landing.
Easing Your Baby's Ear Pressure During Flights
Helpful strategies include: Feeding during takeoff and landing: Nursing or bottle-feeding can encourage swallowing, which relieves inner ear pressure. Offering a pacifier: Sucking motions are effective in balancing ear pressure.
Use the Valsalva maneuver during takeoff and landing.
Gently blow, as if blowing the nose, while pinching the nostrils. Keep the mouth closed. Repeat several times, especially while landing. This can keep the pressure between the ears and the airplane cabin equal.
The 35/7 rule for flight attendants limits Reserve Flight Attendants to a maximum of 35 flight hours in any seven consecutive days, primarily for scheduling purposes to manage fatigue and ensure safety, although actual operations can sometimes exceed this if waivers are used and regulations are met. While Lineholders often work to a 30/7 (30 hours in 7 days) limit, they can also complete trips exceeding 35 hours if they waive the rule. This rule, alongside recent FAA mandates for longer rest periods (like 10 hours after 14-hour shifts), aims to provide adequate recovery for cabin crews.
Common symptoms include: Ear pain: This pain can come on suddenly and may go away quickly. Fluid draining from your ear: It may look like pus or have blood in it. Sudden hearing loss: Sounds may seem muffled or harder to hear.
If you are unable to clear the ears with the usual methods of yawning, swallowing, sucking a sweet or gently blowing your nose with the nose pinched shut, then ear pain starts to build up due to the Eustachian pressure tube becoming congested. The poor Eustachian tube then fails to pop open as a pressure release valve.
Symptoms of a ruptured eardrum may include:
Keep Your Kids Safe When They Fly
The safest place for your child under the age of two on a U.S. airplane is in approved child restraint system (CRS) or device, not in your lap. Your arms aren't capable of holding your in-lap child securely, especially during unexpected turbulence.
Consider Your Child's Sleep Habits: If your child has an easier time sleeping in new environments, a night flight may be a good option. However, if your child has trouble sleeping without a routine, a daytime flight may be more comfortable.