Living one thousand miles away from family makes for a lot of flying for our kiddos. This little guy in the photo has been on 17 flights in his 2.5 years of life! And usually, he’s awesome. We use snacks, drinks, naps and pacifiers to get through the parts of the flight where the pressure changes. But on our most recent trip, we went through some crazy storms, and the pressure drop was significant. All of the children on the plane were crying, my two included–talk about chaos. But we had this rockstar flight attendant with over thirty years of experience and she let us in on the best trick for getting ears to pop!
Are you ready for it?
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Pour steaming hot water onto paper towels and stuff them into the bottom of two cups. Then, hold the cups so that they’re sealed over your kid’s ears (or even yours if you need it!) SHAZAAM. Instastopcrying.
Any flight attendant would be HAPPY to get you the hot water you need to make this work (because nobody likes a screaming child on a plane and it’s their job to make people like the flight.) Just remember to keep your cool and ask politely.
>>>Also, if you’ve ever flown with a sinus infection or clogged nose, you know how painful it can be. Sinus pressure is no joke while flying. This trick works wonders for you, too! I add a drop of peppermint oil to the hot water. Inhale the minty steam and then put the cups over your ears. You may look silly, but you’ll feel so. much. BETTER.
So, for your sake, your kid’s sake, and for the sake of all other flying people in the world, please tuck this trick into your back pocket. You may need it in the most dire circumstance.
Want to read the rest of my tips for flying with babies or toddlers? Click on!
Wow that is pretty brilliant. I’ve never heard that tip but I will definitely keep it in mind for future flights.
I always took snacks for my pre-school son. I once fed them all to the inebriated old man next to me. He said he had not eaten all day and kept ordering more drinks!
You’re an airplane hero!
This is an AWESOME tip. Mine have flown overseas, domestic, and all kinds of places regularly and no one ever told us this. My husband gets horrible sinus or “barometric” headaches so I’ll let him know this as well :)
YES! I had a sinus infection while flying for the holidays and I had a new appreciation for people who struggle with that all of the time! It seriously hurt more than childbirth at some points. But the peppermint oil/steam combo saved me. Hope it helps your hubby too! Thanks for stopping by, Rachel! Love your blog.:)
How long do you keep the cups there? Do the ears pop pretty quickly or do the cups need to stay there for fora while?
Good question! I think the ears pop fairly quickly, the soothing definitely starts immediately, but our son kept his on for ten to fifteen minutes. I’m not sure if he NEEDED them on that long, but it did distract from the turbulence! I flew with a sinus infection and did this and found that I just wanted to keep them on as long as I could to keep my nasal passages clear. So, however long it feels right, I’d say! The steam won’t last forever so, that might be a good indicator. Thanks for the question, Marina! Happy travels!
Great tip, thanks! Flying with two little ones in July. Do you wring the water out or put them in the cups soaked? Does water go in the ears or leak out?
Fantastic question! I’m not sure that wringing them out would be advisable because the water would be so hot, but try to just get the paper towels damp, not so much that water is leaking into the ears. Wring them out if necessary (only if they’re cooled enough!) I didnt see our rockstar flight attendant do it, but when I’ve done it for myself, I’ve put the paper towels into the cups dry and then poured a few splashes of the hot water in. :)
When I would do this for my ears, I would only need to leave them on until we were at the altitude we were flying for the rest of the trip, then I would put them over my ears again has we started to descend for landing.
It works.. I use it when I fly even without the hot compress inside. You use it at take off and when landing . In between you dont have too. I am going to be flying soon and I bought noise cancellation headphones instead of holding the cups on my ears as alot of people look at me oddly. So because it’s to suction to your ears I’m thinking these headphones will do the same
Did the noise cancelling headphones work?
I’m a 16 year flight attendant for a major US Airline. My company, at least, now discourages (actually prohibits) this method. Two reasons: the risk of burns from the hot towels, and the increase of swelling of the eardrum as a result of the heat. They tell us that this could actually cause the eardrum to rupture. The recommended treatment for blocked ears is to preform the Valsalva Maneuver. For kids too young to figure that out, I encourage them to make their mouth a silent lion roar, looking up at the ceiling. If they can yawn, their ears will clear. I have found that for my kids, warning them in advance of the possible feeling of pressure in their ears helps, as well as calmly talking them through it when they are experiencing ear pain. Assure them that as you descend further it will be easier for them to clear their ears. <3<3<3
That’s very helpful, thank you so much for sharing, Beth!
Sure! On my first flight, when I was five years old, I had terrible ear pain. The flight attendants back then actually gave me the hot towels in Styrofoam cups. They called them “Mickey Mouse ears”. I honestly can’t remember if it helped or not. The only thing I remember about the entire flight is being in pain. :(
The thing that helps most for children with chronic ear troubles is using EarPlanes earplugs. They help keep pressure from building up altogether. They really do work!
When I trained in the travel industry 20yrs ago, my lecturer told us about this but without the tissue/hot water…. She said that just holding the cups over your ears creates equal pressure with your head and the pressure on your ears hence no pain. Cabin pressure can change but so long as you hold the cups, your ears have equal pressure inside and out! It means you probably have to hold them over your ears longer than the hot water idea but at least no risk to burns!
I had a stewardess do this for ke on a flight when I was a young child (in my 40’s now). It is absolutely the best thing. Use it for my children too
I as an adult can not get my ears to pop, but there is an ear product called Ear Planes! They are little ear plugs that have a tiny tube with a tiny ball inside it that stabilizes the pressure. You put them in upon take off. & take out if you want while flying. Upon decent put back in. They make for kids, & I wouldn’t fly without them. You find them in stores where they sell ear plugs & ear drops. Thought I’d share as I have told many folks on planes about them.
Just chew gum. I always pack plenty of chewing gums for my flights. For younger kids who cannot chew gum, chew on sth super chewy (jerky, teething biscuits, etc etc).
Sooo happy to read this a week before travelling Europe-USA with a toddler. I’ll defenetely try this .Thank you
So if the objective wass to cash in, now probably was the time.
I found this tip via Pinterest and will be pinning it to my own board. I remember my mom being told to do this by a flight attendant when she had a sinus infection, but it didn’t occur to me that it would work for children too. Thank you!