How to Clear a Baby's Ears on an Airplane

Flying with children can be a positive and exciting experience. Using some researched techniques you can make it fun for your children and for the adults involved. The change in pressure that we experience while flying can be even worse for young children and babies. By helping your baby keep her ears clear you are creating a better flight for everyone.

Things You'll Need

• Pacifier
• Sippy cup
• Bottle
• Blanket

Instructions

1. Book a seat with as much privacy as possible. Window seats work well though aisle seats are best. This will allow you freedom to get up and change baby easily during the flight. It also makes it easier to create a little space for your baby while in-flight.

2. Create a space for yourself and baby. You can use a blanket as a cover or partition between you and the passenger closest to you. This will keep baby from getting distracted during the take-off and landing.

3. Nurse or bottle-feed your baby just as the plane begins to take-off. Wait for the airplane to taxi down the runway and turn for the take-off. Sometimes, planes will have to wait here for a moment and you don't want baby to become full or disinterested during this wait time.

4. Offer the pacifier or a sippy cup of water if baby decides to stop nursing during your ascent.

5. Show baby how to yawn. Babies love to imitate from a very young age and yawning will help to open up the ears and sinus cavities.

6. Return the baby to the private nursing position when the captain announces that you are about fifteen minutes from your destination. Airplanes will make a slow descent, dropping a few thousand feet every couple of minutes. You will need to keep baby nursing or doing one of the other activities you engaged in during take-off for the remainder of your flight. If baby has fallen asleep, wake the baby. You will have a much happier baby if your baby is awake to clear ears throughout the take-off and landing process.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are shy about nursing next to a stranger, cover with the blanket and place the pacifier under the blanket as well. They will assume you are using the pacifier to help baby clear ears and to fall asleep.