So Matt and I are getting ready to buy tickets for another trip home for a family reunion over Thanksgiving, and the thought of being on a plane with Lincoln for 16+ hours makes me tear up a little. It is AWFUL!!! He just wants to run up and down the aisles and when he is tired he throws a fit till he crashes. There is sweet peace for perhaps a half an hour, but then my legs fall asleep with him on my lap. When I try to transfer him from my lap to the bulk head bassinet thingy, he wakes up and gets himself all riled up into a back-arching tizzy (Laila, you know what I'm talking about). Sometimes I have to go to the bathroom with him and let him cry it out for a half hour cause nothing will console him. I love coming home, even more than you can imagine, but sometimes I wonder if the trip with Lincoln is really worth it. I've had a discussion about this issue with several friends and family members, and many people say to make sure he has new toys and just give him some Benadryl to help him sleep.
For whatever reason, I am very conservative when it comes to drug use. I wasn't really raised this way, but I generally don't take a Tylenol unless my headache is so bad that I have to lay in bed, and I don't use "the pill" cause I feel like my hormones are doing just fine... why mess with them? Even when I am prescribed some medicine, I sometimes won't take it unless I feel like things are getting worse. I definitely don't judge other people who do take a Tylenol at the first hint of a headache or those who take "the pill" cause I see the perks and think that people can do what is right for themselves.
As you might imagine, with my ultra-conservative nature on this topic, I am having a major moral debate in my mind over slippin' Lincoln a lil' sumfin' while we're on the plane. In the Gospel Principles manual, Chapter 29, it says, "We should not use drugs except when they are NECESSARY as medicine". I wanna be convinced that it is NECESSARY to give Lincoln some drugs, but I already know it's not because I've been on a plane with him for 16+ hours three times, and we all survived (barely). Can I really get off my moral high horse and just do it to make the flight more enjoyable for everyone on board? I don't know. It's really hard for me to justify it in my mind... drugging my child for convenience. I would really like to hear what all ya'll think about this issue. What I'd appreciate the most are some non-medicinal ideas on what has worked well with your toddlers. HELP!!!
Buy a portable DVD player. It has saved our lives on long trips. Get some Word World DVD's or whatever he is into and get that kids hypnotized by the tube.
ReplyDeleteBenadryl doesn't really work...I've tried it. :)
Hey Adseros, So we struggled with the idea as well, so we talked to our dr. about it. She is generally anti-meds too, but she gave us two enthusiastic thumbs up. She said there is very little medication in the baby benedryl, and so does not have any harmful affect if you adhere to the instructions :)
ReplyDeleteOh! I almost forgot, (actually I did forget, Yuan reminded me) Our dr. also said it is important to do a test run a week before the flight, as some kids actually react to benedryl in the opposite way, ie go crazy and hyper instead of falling asleep.
ReplyDeleteI am totally like you - I hate taking any medicine unless I feel it is absolutely necessary.
ReplyDeleteHowever, if you have tried everything else, I don't see a problem with it. If it is going to make Lincoln feel better (so he isn't cranky, ears don't hurt, bored out of his mind, helps with negative effects of jet lag etc), I would use it. Plus it will make a much happier mommy and other passengers. It isn't like you are drugging him up every day. Its just the flight there and back. I've been on those flights before, they are absolutely miserable!
My nephews and nieces LOVE to play with my ipod touch whenever they can. They have a lot of kid friendly games and most games are free (if not, maybe $.99). Maybe that is worth the investment? Have you tried a DVD player?
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ReplyDeleteWe've had a lot of people suggest the same thing and we just won't do it. I'm sure part of Tash's aversion to it is working in emergency and seeing the results of people drugging their kids with various household meds so that they can get a break.
ReplyDeleteTo occupy kids they say to have something new for them every 30-45 minutes. With Jakob we'd have 7 or 8 things for a long flight and rotate through them. Hotwheels cars, story books, stickers, food, NOT balls (they roll to far).
Find the airline with the nicest flight attendants and use them. Singapore Air was fantastic with the boys. When Jakob was Lincoln's age we had one Air Canada flight attendant between Calgary and Houston who took Jakob for a walk when he was being a turkey and showed him around the plane (including showing him where they cookies are stashed). That was a good flight.
We should get together sometime this month and you and Tash can chat.