FLIGHT RISK
BOARDING a crowded plane with a small child feels like entering a game of Russian roulette.
Will your little one sit contently the entire journey, happily distracted by their toys and in-flight entertainment?
2
2
Or will they yell for hours, bringing with them judgy looks from strangers (as if you can actually stop them yelling).
Whatever the outcome, the moments leading up to take-off can be stressful: as you wait to see what the next few hours may bring you and the hundreds of other people aboard.
A doctor has shared some tips on how to stop the screaming from ever starting.
"Flying can be torture for kids as it hurts their ears," explained Irish pediatrician Dr Niamh Lynch, in a video shared on TikTok.
"That's because the higher we get the lower their air pressure gets.
"It's important for everyone that the pressure in the outer ear and the middle ear is the same otherwise there is a lot of pressure on the ear drum," she said.
When the plane takes off, the pressure is the outer ear is lower than in the middle ear.
This is particularly the case for children, who's ear tubes are smaller and do not equalise the pressure as well as adult ears.
Most read in Health
And when the plane begins to descend, the opposite begins to happen.
"As the plane gets lower the air pressure gets higher, so we have an imbalance.
The air pressure is now lower in the outer ear and higher in the middle ear.
You help your child equal out the pressure in their ears is by encouraging air through the Eustachian tubes, the expert said.
These are the tubes that connect the ear to the nose.
And here is how to clear them:
1. Give them something to suck or drink
Parents should offer their kids something to suck on.
This is because swallowing can open the tubes to allow air flow to the middle ear.
"A breast bottle or soother (dummy) would do," she explained.
2. Encourage them to yawn
Yawning also opens the Eustachian tube, Dr Niamh explained.
"So encourage older drinking to drink or yawn," she said.
3. Don't let them sleep when landing
If your kids are asleep when you begin landing, make sure you wake them up, she said.
Read More on The US Sun
"At the point it's time to start equalising pressure again," she said.