Using Benadryl on a Plane

From Mommyplace.com WiKI Page

There are a lot of conflicting opinions on whether it’s OK or not to use Benadryl to encourage a baby or toddler to sleep on the plane.

Some Doctors strongly recommend against it. Some Pharmacists and Nurses will tell you it’s a mild drug so it’s OK to use it with common sense.

Many Moms will say it’s OK and others will not.

You should first talk to your Pediatrician to get their point of view. My Pediatrician’s biggest caution was that in some children it can have the opposite desired effect; meaning that it can make children hyper. I talked to him about this before an eight-hour plane ride to Hawaii. I decided not to give my 9 month old son Benadryl on the outbound flight and it was miserable. He cried most of the way, got overtired on the flight, and then could not sleep the first night during our vacation. The 2nd day I bought some Benadryl and did a “test run” that night. My son went to sleep almost immediately and slept for 12 hours. So, we gave him Benadryl on the return flight (which was a red eye) and he slept for most of the flight and was happy the last hour of the flight. I also gave my 18 month old son Benadryl on a 2.5 hour flight that departed at 10pm over the Holidays and again had a great experience.

I am not recommending you give your children Benadryl on planes. You should talk to your Pediatrician and other Moms first. What I am recommending is that if you decide to do it, be sure to do a “test run” first to see how your child reacts. It’s much easier to deal with a hyper child at your home versus a plane. Also, it is common sense to try any medication on the ground where you can rush to an ER if necessary versus being on plane 30,000 feet above ground.