Pilot shares two ways to stop baby crying on a plane that ‘really works

Travelling with babies or toddlers on planes can be a stressful experience, especially if they’re crying and you have no idea how to console them. Takeoff and landing can be uncomfortable for many people due to the pressure changes, but while adults and older kids can chew gum or swallow to make their ears pop, babies can’t. So in response to the pain, tiny tots tend to cry – and it can be quite distressing for parents too. But according to Jimmy Nicholson, a pilot from Sydney, Australia who also appeared on The Bachelor Australia in 2021, there are ways to “stop your baby crying on a plane”. In a recent TikTok, the pilot explained he had “done the research for you” by asking “a ton of mums”, and found two things that “work” – but he warned the second thing was “out there”. Explaining why it’s uncomfortable, Jimmy said: “Aircraft increases altitude, gases in the body expand like when you release a balloon. Descend, the gases need to leave your body. Leaves through your ears, your nose, or your bum. Us adults, we can swallow, chew gum, do the Valsava [a breathing technique that can unclog your ears], that helps get rid of the bases inside your body.” Babies can’t do these things to relieve the pressure, but parents could help them along. “Number one, breastfeed on descent. Apparently it works. It helps the baby do a Valsava. The sucking and swallowing motion gets rid of trapped gases in their ears and sinuses”. Parents in the comment section of the video agreed this method worked for them, with one person saying: “Bottle on take-off and landing every time! About one-to-two minutes after take-off I find.” Another added: “Mine had a bottle up and down. They were fine each time.” For the second hack, Jimmy said it’s “a bit out there”, but explained mums had told him that getting the child to suck on an ice cube helped. He added: “Ask your flight attendant for an ice cube, give it to your baby, and try to get them to suck on the ice cube, and this will help unclog their ears.” However, an expert previously warned against giving small children ice cubes. According to owner of Tiny Hearts Foundation and former paramedic Nikki Jurcutz, there’s a misconception that ice melts quickly so therefore it’s safe, but according to the expert it takes seconds for a child to potentially choke. In the comment section, one mum suggested using “a dummy in your bub uses one” as “ice can be an obstruction risk”. Another simply added: “Ice cube causes chocking, so that one is a no.”