By Sean Andrews in London
A US parent and baby website has provoked debate by revealing 38% of parents have sedated their children on a flight or would consider doing so.
The questionnaire on BabyCenter asked whether parents had ever given their children sedatives on a flight and if so which ones. The results showed one-third of parents saying they would never consider doing so and a further 24% saying they had never felt the need. However 18% of parents were happy to give drugs such as antihistamines or Benadryl to their children to keep them quiet during longhaul flights and a further one-fifth say they would consider doing so.
As of today at around 15:00 UK time, around 2,500 people had responded to the poll.
The response has caused division between parents responding to the poll; with some claiming it is a sign of bad parenting. Whereas, “some parents decide that the surest road to a smooth travel experience is to give their child a sleep-inducing medicine,” the website says.
The poll has sparked discussion, with the Wall Street Journal picking up on the story and running a subsequent reader feedback article. Correspondents sharing their experience argue that sedating a child does not give them a chance to learn to be quiet, meaning they may continue to be disruptive on aircraft until they are much older. Meanwhile others argue a screaming child on flights cause stress not only for the parent, but for everyone else onboard.
The gap in opinion is based as much on parental philosophy as on juvenile health concerns. For example, the American Academy of Paediatrics has not issued any opinion as individual doctors have different views. “If you asked 100 paediatricians, you would get 20 strongly in favour, 60 who didn't think about it much and 20 strongly opposed.” says Richard Gorman, past chairman of the academy’s National Committee on Drugs. “Good doctors can disagree about this, just as thoughtful parents can disagree,” he adds.
External link:
Read the results of the BabyCenter poll into whether parents had ever sedated their children on flights
Source: Flight International
