Melatonin for a long flight?

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rzab

Wed, Jul 10 2013, 1:52 pm

We are going to Israel and I was wondering if people have had experience with giving their children melatonin for the flight. I know that some people are very opposed to it and on the other side some people even use it daily, but I haven't seen people talking about using it only once or twice. Thoughts? What have your doctors told you about it?

chocolate chips

Wed, Jul 10 2013, 9:39 pm

I spoke to my pharmacist and he told me melatonin is more of a long term fix. Ie if your kid has problems falling asleep at night, you would try melatonin at the same time each night for a week or more and it would help.
As a one time thing it is not guaranteed to do much of a difference.

He suggested child benadryl although he did recommend to try it before flying since sometimes it can have adverse affects on a kid (my cousin was bouncing off the walls from it!).

In the end I used nurofen (motrin) and my son slept for 3 hours.

Mama Bear

Thu, Jul 11 2013, 12:24 am

Dramamine is meant for motion sickness and in my experience causes drowsiness, so at least it's something that is appropriate for the cause Very Happy

rzab

Thu, Jul 11 2013, 3:01 pm

I heard that Dramamine could have the opposite affect and make kids hyper, have you ever had an issue with that?

baker1

Thu, Jul 11 2013, 4:00 pm

I would definitely recommend it! I also give it to my kids on long trips in the car and it works like magic, with no side affects! I love it and its the only way I agree to take long road trips- ( 10-12 hour trips).

luckyme

Thu, Jul 11 2013, 7:12 pm

Melatonin will make your child sleepy, and is a really good choice. It can definitely help regulate sleep in the long term, by getting them to sleep at the same time every night (and then wean them off). However, it will also put them to sleep on a one time basis.
Just be sure you get the "time release" formula, as otherwise, they might wake up when it wears off...
Dramamine could also work - I have a car sick child- and it always knocks him out.
I would NOT use Benadryl for this purpose, as it can be dangerous, best left for allergic reactions, H"S. Most people I know have used a higher than normal dosage to put kids to sleep.
In recent years, many children have OD'd on it, and consequently the manufacturer removed the dosage information from the bottle for younger children, 5 and under, saying "Do not use"
Non sequitur:
I also love the product Earplanes. You put them in like earplugs on takeoff and landing, and they naturally help regulate pressure in the ears- preventing much misery. I buy them at Walmart.

chocolate chips

Thu, Jul 11 2013, 7:49 pm

rjava wrote:

I heard that Dramamine could have the opposite affect and make kids hyper, have you ever had an issue with that?

Yes it can have the same affect as benadryl.
To the poster who wrote about not giving these because of overdoses, sorry to say parents who do that are stupid. Why would anyone ever give their kid an overdose? That is irresponsible and selfish. At the end of the day if you are flying with kids you have to prepare yourself.
I flew alone with my almost 2 year old, a 7.5 hour flight with a change, it was a total nightmare there and a very almost total nightmare back but I did it because I wanted to go to my parents.
I have a friend who has flown 30+ hours alone with her kid.

If you do plan on using medication, whatever you use, try it on your kid one day BEFORE you fly.

FranticFrummie

Thu, Jul 11 2013, 7:58 pm

chocolate chips wrote:

If you do plan on using medication, whatever you use, try it on your kid one day BEFORE you fly.

THIS!

ESB

Sun, Jul 14 2013, 11:52 pm

I gave melo chew when I flew to Israel, it worked great. I only give 1/4 of a pill. If you plan on doing it I would recommend giving it to your child before flying he doesn't react.

In general I see that melo chew causes to fall asleep but its not a peaceful sleep. DD tosses and turns when I give melo so I stopped.

watermelon

Mon, Jul 15 2013, 12:25 am

Why not pack activities, toys, nosh, DVD player, coloring books...etc? The idea of intentionally knocking kids out is very creepy IMO.

luckyme

Mon, Jul 15 2013, 12:55 am

Using Melatonin should not be an everyday occurrence. Instead, use it for correcting sleep hiccups, and within special circumstances -like a long flight with a child who's sleep rhythm might be interrupted.
Livestrong.com has good information regarding dosages.

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