Drugs for toddlers on long haul flights

S

Sazzy

Registered User
Hi All

Going home for Christmas but flying to London from HK on my own with my daughter who will be 22 months by then. My last flight with my daughter was a complete nightmare - she was knackered but wouldnt sleep and just whinged for 8 out of 12 hours.

It was so bad that I am actually considering giving her some drugs for the flight.

Has anyone else taken this route? Any advice?
Thanks
 
We gave our son homeopathy medecine. He was great and we always took night flight as cara said
 
i must be the only person who tries NOT to get a night flight. my eldest (now 3) just can't sleep in an economy plane seat. he is a great sleeper at home. still naps 2.5hrs during the day and 12-12.5 at night. but get him on those night flights and he moans and cries and gets overtired and eventually zonks out just as the lights come on and breakfast is being served!
i am tempted to try drugs next time as I'll have my 1 yr old with me too but haven't done it yet - so sorry no advice!
 
Ask your doctor. Mine gave us a mild sedative that was completely safe and it worked really well. Trick is you give it to them when they should be going to sleep anyway (nap or bedtime) and it just helps them settle down and get drowsy. Doesn't knock them out or anything. (But make suer you try it out before you go, maybe the night before give it to him half an hour before bed. Apparently some kids get MORE hyper when they take it! Not many, but it's good to know before you try it on the plane!) We have done a few ultra long haul (15 hr) flights and it is hell if your toddler doesn't sleep at all! I also get my son in his pj's, read some stories then let him watch his dvd player in the dark a bit and that settles him and he falls asleep watching. Also really helps if you can get an extra seat so your child can stretch out across 2 seats. Then they can lie flat and be much more comfortable. And, as the others said, overnight flights are the best. I try to pick late afternoon ones where they can eat dinner, play a bit, then do the bedtime routine and go to sleep for the bulk of the flight. Good luck! 22 months is a very tough age for flying. I feel for you! My son was 22 months when we first moved to Hong Kong.
 
Yep, that's the danger with some of these drugs like Benadryl - the can aid your child's sleep on the flight, but it also might have the opposite effect of making them super hyper b/c of the air pressure.

We tried the homeopathic route when my son was 9 months then again at 20 months, but I didn't really see the difference.
 
i also took pjs, stories etc. my daughter was asleep before we even took off. my son had a much more difficult time. but instead of going to sleep at 7:30-8 as normal, it was more like 10pm. then he'd finally zonk out.

our last flight was a daytime flight and it was a TOTAL NIGHTMARE! i am planning on taking both kids to canada again next summer and will ONLY consider a night flight direct to vancouver from now on.
 
Like aussie mum, we actually prefer NOT to take the night flight. When we flew to Vancouver this time, we changed our flight to the one that leaves in the afternoon and that worked like a charm with both our kids, compared to when we flew the night flight the last time. We felt that with the night flight it was harder to settle them, because their regular bed time gets totally out of whack, what with sleeping a bit at home and then getting their sleep interrupted during the time we're leaving for the airport, falling asleep on the way to the airport and waking again at the airport/boarding the flight... it took a while after take-off before they could get back to sleep. With the afternoon flight, they had plenty of time to get comfy (as much as they could under the circumstance) and settle down before their regular bedtime, so going to sleep was not an issue.

Re: medication. Our doctor did warn that it would be a hit or miss, so we decided not to. Other friends who've tried told us that the meds didn't really make a difference.

Good luck with your trip.
 
Like aussie mum, we actually prefer NOT to take the night flight. When we flew to Vancouver this time, we changed our flight to the one that leaves in the afternoon and that worked like a charm with both our kids, compared to when we flew the night flight the last time. We felt that with the night flight it was harder to settle them, because their regular bed time gets totally out of whack, what with sleeping a bit at home and then getting their sleep interrupted during the time we're leaving for the airport, falling asleep on the way to the airport and waking again at the airport/boarding the flight... it took a while after take-off before they could get back to sleep. With the afternoon flight, they had plenty of time to get comfy (as much as they could under the circumstance) and settle down before their regular bedtime, so going to sleep was not an issue.

Re: medication. Our doctor did warn that it would be a hit or miss, so we decided not to. Other friends who've tried told us that the meds didn't really make a difference.

Good luck with your trip.
 
My little girl is exactly like aussie mum's child. She just doesnt sleep. She is busy playing with the controls, turning the night light on, pressing the stewardess button - she is completely knackered but just wont switch off. Then she cries and cries and sleeps for a few hours and then she is awake again - just dont want to go through that again by myself.

We have booked the night flight to London and then an afternoon one for the return flight.

I do put her in her pjs, take stories etc and her bedtime bear. I did everything i could but it was just a nightmare.

I will seek medical advice - thanks all
 
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