I was cruising the eye and ear care aisle at CVS last week on vacation, waiting for my daughter’s ear infection prescription to be filled (womp, womp) and trying to find something that might help her ears for the plane ride home. On a whim, I grabbed a few packs of Alpine Pluggies for her (and for me, actually), and wow, I have to say that they made a huge difference for the plane ride home.
Related: The cutest travel pillow for kids when they’re too big to fall asleep in your lap
These special earplugs, available in sizes for kids and adults, actually help regulate ear pressure, which, as you probably already know, can be a big issue when you’re flying, especially with little kids. Unlike some other earplugs I’ve seen (and tried), these are super comfortable, even when you wear them for a long flight. My 5-year-old (and I, actually) had them in for a total of four hours and didn’t complain once. And I like that you can still hear pretty well with them in, something that really bothers me about other earplugs.
The best part is that none of us had any ear pressure issues, or stuffy ears upon landing, something I suffer from pretty consistently every single time I fly. I was actually a little congested, and worried that I might have some pain, so let’s just say I was extremely pleased that I had absolutely none. And my daughter with the ear infection had no issues either.
Related: 6 simple tech tips for travel with kids that work every time
Now, they are supposed to be safe for water too, which I’m interested in trying since it turns out my youngest is prone to swimmer’s ear. I’ve noticed the reviews aren’t as high when they’re used for that purpose, so I’m curious to see our experience with them for that.
Considering how well these worked for me, I’d say if you’ve got an upcoming flight this summer with your kids, they’re definitely worth a try. I’ll be wearing them every time I fly now, and honestly, so will my kids, ear infection or not.
You can find Alpine Pluggies at your local drugstore, or online at our affiliate Amazon.com.
Leave a Reply