Why Do Toddlers' Ears Hurt When the Plane Takes Off or Lands?

The flight's been smooth the whole way, your toddler's finally dozed off — and then, right as the plane starts to descend, they wake up screaming. It's not something you did wrong, and it's one of the most predictable moments of flying with a young child.

1Why Descent Is the Hard Part

Ear pain on a flight comes from the change in air pressure. A small passage called the eustachian tube normally equalizes pressure in the middle ear, but in young children that tube is narrower than an adult's, and it's easily blocked by the mucus from an ordinary cold or by enlarged adenoids. When the pressure outside and inside the ear doesn't equalize, the eardrum gets pushed and it hurts — which, per Nemours KidsHealth, is exactly why so many babies and toddlers cry during descent. The pain is uncomfortable but temporary, and it usually eases within minutes once the tube opens back up.

2What Actually Helps

1. 1
   Keep her awake for takeoff and landing, even if it means skipping a nap you were counting on — people swallow less while asleep, and swallowing is what opens the eustachian tube.
2. 2
   Offer a bottle, pacifier, or nursing right at takeoff and landing for babies and toddlers — the sucking and swallowing motion does the same job. Keep a bottle-fed baby sitting upright while drinking, not lying flat.
3. 3
   Keep fluids coming throughout the flight, water especially — cabin air is dry, and swallowing is the mechanism that matters here too.
4. 4
   Encourage yawning on purpose during descent; it works the same muscles.
5. 5
   If your child often hurts on descent, giving acetaminophen or ibuprofen about 30 minutes before takeoff and landing is something Nemours KidsHealth lists as an option — check the dose with your pediatrician first if you haven't given it before.

For a preschooler old enough to follow instructions, chewing gum or sucking on hard candy (only once they're past choking risk, generally over age 3) and a simple "pinch your nose and blow gently with your mouth closed" trick during ascent and descent can help too.

3If Your Child Already Has an Ear Infection

If your toddler has an active ear infection, a doctor may suggest postponing the flight until it clears — pressure changes are more painful with an infection, and there's a higher risk of a torn eardrum. Kids with ear tubes typically equalize pressure more easily and have an easier time overall.

4When to Call the Pediatrician

If your child already takes an antihistamine or decongestant, ask the doctor whether to keep up that routine on travel day. And if ear pain lingers for more than a few hours after landing rather than easing up, that's worth a call — not something to just wait out.