Travel health

Flying and Infant Hearing Loss

One of the most worrying aspects of flying with a baby is how it will affect their ears and their hearing. When Loll was 5 mths old we were planning to take him on a flight across the country and so I asked my GP about the pressure on his ears. She said that swallowing and crying would clear his ears - so not to be worried if he cried on takeoff or landing as this would actually help him clear his ears.This advice is also backed up by medical websites such as Dr Greene. In his article on flying and infant hearing loss Dr Greene explains the effect of air pressure on our ears. He also states that: “ Flying can cause pain in babies’ ears, and it can temporarily reduce hearing, but it is not a cause of permanent hearing loss.”

Dr Greene also features an article about flying after ear tube placement.

© 2008 Flying with Baby.