While in University waaaaay back in the 80's I had a friend who was taking a course on ancient Celtic culture. He was quite amused about a recipe he had found in the rare book collection in Celt called "quietness" it was essentially a fermented mead that one would feed to children to get them to sleep.

Benadryl probably has less of a hang-over...

15 more minutes and one of us was going out the escape hatch. Think of it as the kids' beer service cart.

This is one of those issues that makes me look back on the past thirty years with a chuckle and a shake of the head (to say nothing, I will admit up-front, of a bit of smugness at my child-free state). Your kid's prepared to scream for seven hours straight while you fly from Toronto to London? Give him or her something to keep em' quiet. Why the hell not? This sort of "debate" is right up there with the militant breastfeeding issue and the question of in just what circle of hell a woman who has a glass of wine during pregnancy will end up. My generation, born in the late 'sixties, had mothers who often smoked, drank, fed us from bottles, and sometimes rubbed our gums with brandy to relieve the pain of teething. And yet I and most of my peers seem to be healthy, have no-less-rich relationships with our parents than anyone else, and seem reasonably able to operate general relationship machinery with those around us. And yet we turned into the generation that worries about giving its children a little something on the (generally fairly rare) occasions when they must travel long distances with us in airplanes. It's a funny ol' life.

I'm not even sure it actually works for carsickness--I was never awake as a child to know. What I do know is that I was always grateful for the fact that it helped me sleep through large portions of the long car rides for my childhood vacations. Being asleep was better than being bored, uncomfortable, and cranky. That it may have also spared my mother some trouble didn't occur to me until later.

I actually sat next to a father and his young daughter during a cross-country flight a few years ago. When I commented on how well-behaved and happy the little girl was during the long flight, he admitted he had given her a children's Benadryl. I, and all the other nearby passengers, thought it was a great idea. Not only was it a kindness to the people around her, but it helped with the physical discomfort that small children feel while flying--their ears are blocked and hurt, etc. As a frequent traveller who has had to endure long flights, including international flights, with screaming, crying, restless, and disruptive children, I frankly wish airlines would hand the stuff out for free. Giving your child a children's Benadryl doesn't endanger their health or hurt them, and it makes the flight more pleasant for them and you and everyone else forced to share the plane with you.

An old remedy for teething pains...

... than Dramamine for kids. Giving a recommended dosage -- what they would get if they had a cold -- is safe, it works and it doesn't have any lasting effects.

Having flown several times internationally with my son when he was under a year old, I can say that I was sorely tempted to Benadryl him, just so that I wouldn't have to live in terror that he would scream and cause the other passengers to want to throw us both out of the plane. I understand the anxiety that flying causes for parents, not to mention the hell it can be for other passengers.

However, Benadryl cannot be said to be totally safe. There was a case here in Montana in which a daycare provider was Benadryl-ing the kids on a regular basis and it ended up *killing* one of her charges. I realize that giving a wee dram on a one-time basis is a different matter, but I couldn't live with myself if I hurt or harmed my child just to ensure peace and quiet for a bunch of people I'll never see again.

Flying today is horrible for everyone, not just for passengers on whom a crying baby is inflicted. It's just one more of the many circles of airline hell.

If your children have a history of convulsions, epilepsy or asthma, they should not be given Benadryl.

Pediatric Use

Benadryl should not be used in neonates and premature infants (see CONTRAINDICATIONS).

Benadryl may diminish mental alertness, or, in the young pediatric patient, cause excitation. Overdosage

may cause hallucinations, convulsions, or death (see WARNINGS and OVERDOSAGE).

General

Diphenhydramine hydrochloride has an atropine-like action and, therefore, should be used with caution in

patients with a history of bronchial asthma, increased intraocular pressure, hyperthyroidism, cardiovascular

disease or hypertension. Use with caution in patients with lower respiratory disease including asthma.

I vote that small children and their parents be seated in a special area - the cargo hold, for instance.

Seriously, though, airlines should reserve a block of seats for families or those with babies and small kids - stick them all together so that at least half the plane can be away from their incessant caterwauling..and away from selfish, doting parents who seem to think that they can't or shouldn't control the social behavior of a four or six year old who gleefully kicks the back of your seat for four hours straight. Let them have their seatbacks pummeled by someone else's little darling, since they seem to find it so cute and innocent.

As for drugging kids - what about the caffeine and sugar in pop, chocolate? The high fruit sugar megadose from slugging *healthy* juice all day? We drug our kids all the time, but don't think of it that way.

While I would never give a child OTC medicine to quiet them down, I would certainly use a herbal concoction or tea, as humans have done for centuries. However, parents, don't let my dislike of drugging kids with OTC meds stand in your way - dose your screaming imps onboard the plane, and thanks very much.