Vacation Travel: Keeping children safe and healthy

Vacation Travel: Keeping children safe and healthy - Traveling with children can be a great way to explore new places, spending time together as a family, and visiting friends and relatives who live nearby. For the safest and healthiest possible, consider these travel tips.

 
Wear the important things in your medicine cabinet

      * Pack prescription medications your child. Make sure you have enough for the whole trip.

      * Bring commonly used over-the-counter medications such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), antibiotic ointment, medications against colds (as recommended by your doctor) and diphenhydramine (Benadryl).

      * Keep a thermometer and bandages on each trip; which can come in handy. Consider a pair of pliers, so if your child is often chips.

Children need car seats

* Make sure you have the proper place to the age and weight of the child, and is properly installed in the vehicle is moving. The website of the American Academy of Pediatrics offers tips on choosing and installing car seats. 

* If traveling by plane, the Federal Aviation Administration strongly wear safety seats for infants and toddlers and attachment to a seat tickets recommended. Remember that you have to buy a separate ticket for the child to use the seat.

Check with the airline to see if there are discounts available. The seat must be less than 16 inches wide to fit; Be sure to measure before you go! Booster seats are not allowed on planes.

Be aware of common health problem Travel

       * If your child gets dizzy easily, make sure it is high enough in the car to see out the window, as this can help. Keep a broken window open for a breeze, and have snacks like pretzels available; both can help eliminate nausea. If your child is particularly bad car sickness (eg, she vomits each way), talk to your doctor about medications that might take.

        * Ear pain can be a problem when people steal. Having a baby nurse or take a bottle during takeoff and landing is a good idea because it helps to fight against the evils swallow ears. For older children, they try to have a drink, chew gum (sugarless, of course!), Or play a game yawn to prevent their ears hang.

        * Since schedules and what you eat when traveling to different frequency than when you are at home, constipation (not having a bowel movement often as usual) may occur. Give your child plenty to drink, and make sure it is not the fiber (fruits, vegetables, whole grains) in your diet. 

        * Germs can be anywhere when traveling. Carry hand sanitizer with you at all times to help you carry within them with you!

Do not forget to child sealing

        * Bring a test kit for the child with outlet covers, cabinet locks, and everything you use at home.

        * If you are staying in someone's home, you can not be held throughout the childproof. Ask if there is a room can be completely childproof, so you can relax more while your child is there. 

Think of the greatest dangers, such as medication, cleaning products, knives and potential choking hazards. Ask if these and other particularly dangerous things can be moved and / or blocked out of reach during your stay.

        * For babies and toddlers, a portable crib can serve as a bed and a safe place to play.

        * Consider safety gates to block stairs you or to help keep your child safe. Your host can appreciate that scaling, if the guy that open, contrary to what needs to be done is used.

Do your homeworks

        * Note medical information of your child, especially drug allergies (if you forget the name of the antibiotic that gave the eruption Know before you go!), Health problems and prescription drugs. Keep it with you at all times. If your child needs to see a doctor while you're away, she needs to know these things.

        * Bring your child the names and phone numbers of everyone you see doctors, including specialists, if you see a doctor or need to communicate with them.

        * Ask your doctor about the best hospitals in the region where you travel, if you know where to go if necessary.

        * Make sure to bring your health insurance card, and check with your insurance company about coverage in your area. Most urgent care business is covered if your child needs, but you may need to call for approval or go to a particular hospital.

If you are traveling outside the country ,,,

* For travel to some countries, your child may need special vaccinations. For the latest recommendations, visit the section of the health community on the website Centers for Prevention (CDC) and disease control. 

Do this for at least six to eight weeks before your trip, as most vaccines must be given at least one month before the trip and you can have an appointment at a clinic Special trip for some vaccines. 

* Ask about specific health risks, such as malaria and dengue fever in the country where you are traveling and you can talk to your doctor before going on how to prevent them. 

The CDC website can help with this. It also has a large number of practical and useful information on topics such as food safety and water and traveler's diarrhea. 

That sounds like a lot, but mostly it is just a matter of planning. And it can make a big difference when it comes to make your trip memorable for all the right reasons.

By: Claire McCarthy, MD