Articles and blog posts about Benadryl use for babies on planes create a dramatic opinion spectrum in regards to outcome and parenting analysis. For us it was neither overly positive or negative.

With our Doctor’s okay and dosage recommendation, we gave Julia Benadryl for an eight hour flight to Italy. This was a decision we made over several months and had come up because she typically cries before going to sleep. Occasionally in the past, she would be upset for hours before settling at bedtime. Poor kid. And poor flight if this struck on travel day.

Everything went well. She was fine before and after the Benadryl. She slept in my arms, and seemed to feel more insecure than she might have without the medicine. I think she wanted to see what was going on around us but was really drowsy, so kind of hung out in an in-between state.

At one point we transferred sleeping Julia via Boppy pillow to my husband, and I was able to lay down. It was a successful flight. I’m not sure it was due to any one decision that we made going in.

For the return trip we checked the Benadryl, and gave her pain medicine for teething. She napped better in my arms and played happily in my lap for the full flight. When we travel again, I will take all to be prepared, with no inclination towards using.