Beth McGregor, co-founder of www.TravelingWithKids.com tells us, "Fluctuations in cabin pressure cause temporary changes in the middle ear, which can result in pain. Sucking helps equalize the pressure in the ears. If you are a nursing mother then the best thing for your child is to keep feeding your child during the flight and while traveling. The reason is two-fold. First, the immunities that you pass to your infant are great to help your baby fight off sickness and second, the act of swallowing will help your infant relieve the pain from varying fluctuations in cabin pressure." Since babies feel ear pain from takeoff and landing just as adults do, you want to be sure you have a way of alleviating the pressure. If you are not breastfeeding, a pacifier or a bottle can provide your infant a chance to suck which can lessen the pain. In a pinch, you can let your baby suck on one of your clean fingers.
Keeping your baby protected from germs is another important concern when traveling by plane. Beth says, "Air travel exposes an infant to lots of people and their germs, especially in re-circulated cabin air." Try to request a seat in the front of the cabin where there are no seats in front of you. If you can get a whole row to yourself, you can limit your baby's exposure to germs from others. Discourage strangers who might want to hold your baby. In addition, using disposable changing pads and washing your hands before and after changing your baby in a public restroom will help protect him from germs. Make sure your baby is healthy before you travel as the stress of flying could make whatever illness he has worse.
The air inside of a plane can be very dry and infant's nasal passages are very small. In order to help keep your baby breathing freely and comfortably, take along a bottle of saline nasal spray. A squirt in each nostril before and during the flight can help your baby's nasal passages stay comfortably moist.
Sometimes air pressure at a cruising altitude can cause air to be trapped in your baby's intestines. Some infant gas drops such as Mylicon might help ease the pressure in your baby's tummy and prevent painful gas.
If your baby is bottle fed, be sure to make your baby's bottles at home before you get on the plane. If you need water to make a baby bottle on the plane, be sure to use bottled water. The water in an airplane may not be safe for your baby to drink and you do not want to take the chance. Most flight attendants will warm up a baby bottle for you if you ask but if they won't, a portable bottle warmer that runs on batteries is a great backup item.
