To protect a baby's ears on a flight, encourage swallowing during takeoff and landing by breastfeeding, bottle-feeding, or offering a pacifier to equalize pressure, and try to keep them awake during these times; you can also use noise-canceling earmuffs for noise reduction and consult a doctor if the baby has congestion before flying.
Short answer: Yes--use hearing protection for infants on flights when feasible. Airplane cabin noise levels and pressure changes can stress a baby's ears; protection reduces noise exposure and often eases ear discomfort during ascent/descent.
Chew gum or suck on hard candy (only if your child is over 3 years old). Take a bottle or pacifier or breastfeed. If you bottle-feed, make sure your baby is sitting upright while drinking. Yawn frequently.
Have your child chew sugar-free gum or suck on hard candy when taking off and landing. It helps with ear pressure. Most children can learn to do this at about age 3. Bottles (for infants), breastfeeding, or sucking on pacifiers can also help prevent ear pain.
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.
Simple ways to protect your baby's ears
Sucking and swallowing help equalise pressure. Offer a dummy if used: The sucking action can relieve pressure when feeding is not due. Keep baby awake for ascent and descent: Swallowing is less frequent in sleep, so try gentle play or a cuddle to keep them alert for these phases.
Your baby might have some discomfort at high altitudes (the same as you would), but as long as she's three months or older (her lungs won't be mature enough prior to that), it's not dangerous to take her on that family trip to the mountains.
Airplane cabin noise hovers around 100 decibels, and is even louder during takeoff. Using cotton balls, small earplugs, or noise-canceling headphones may help to decrease the decibel level your baby is exposed to, and also make it easier for them to sleep or relax.
Dr. Kim shares several techniques you can try to relieve the discomfort of airplane ear: Swallowing and yawning: Swallowing can help open the Eustachian tube and equalize the pressure in your ear. Try chewing gum, sucking on hard candy, or sipping water during takeoff and landing to encourage swallowing.
It's not uncommon for babies to cry during airplane travel. Underdeveloped eustachian tubes in their ears are the primary reason they experience discomfort while flying. Their tubes are shorter and more horizontal than adult tubes, making them more prone to becoming blocked as cabin pressure changes.
First, choose the bulkhead, the window, and near the toilets. These seats are the most convenient spots for families when flying. Second, if you have an infant, get a bulkhead seat, and request a bassinet, a crib that attaches to the cabin's front wall.
Pacifiers or Teething Toys: These help soothe and distract, especially during takeoff and landing. Favorite Comfort Item: A small toy or blanket can provide a sense of security in a new environment.
Most parents say it's easiest to travel with a baby from 3 to 6 months, but experiences get trickier during the 9–18-month window because kids are on the move and feel things more. Wherever you're off to, the travel is part of the journey.
Engage In Distractions
Distractions are extremely valuable in calming crying babies during plane travel. Even the simplest items or activities can have a big impact. You can make the little ones' time in the loud and metal contraption easier.
Caregiver health and planning. It is important for caregivers to think about their own health too. Flying with a child can cause added sleep loss and stress. And adults are at risk for new germs and illness, as well.
BABY earmuffs are recommended for ages 0-18 months and are safe for newborns. KIDS earmuffs are recommended for ages 6 months to mid-teens or until your child grows out of them.
Airplane ear, also known as ear barotrauma, happens when the pressure in the middle ear doesn't equalize with the cabin pressure. This often occurs during takeoff or descent when the air pressure changes quickly. In infants, whose ear structures are still developing, it can be especially painful.
Swallowing or yawning can unclog blocked ears when you are going up or coming down from high altitudes. Chewing gum the entire time you are changing altitudes helps by causing you to swallow often. This may prevent your ears from getting blocked.
This can equilibrate pressure in the middle ear to the outside and sometimes force air from the inside of the nose to the middle ear. Steaming. Boil a pot of water and inhale the steam to help reduce the thickness of the secretions inside your ear.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), she noted, has one major recommendation: Postpone ear piercings until the child is mature enough to take care of the pierced site herself. "That's clearly the best way to reduce the risk of infection," Rossi said.
And did you know that babies' hearing is extra sensitive? Sounds on an airplane can be overwhelming. Hearing protection not only helps with loud noises, but also prevents overstimulation and makes it easier to take a nap on the way.
Here's how.
Overall, to spend 1 day at altitude, practitioners recommended a median altitude of 1200, 1500, 1600, and 2000 m for infants under 1, 3, 12, and 24 months, respectively. Their main recommendations for infant protection focused on cold protection, increased hydration, and increased humidity level in the ambient air.
Altitude and the age of the baby: Do not exceed 1,200m before your baby is three months old or 1,500m before six months, 1,700m up to 12 months, and 2,000m after 1 year, with a gradual increase. Health and comfort: Ensure your baby is well-hydrated and protected from the cold and the sun.