subject: Be Prepared While Traveling With Your Children [print this page] The number of children who travel or live outside their home countries continues to increase dramatically. An estimated 1.9 million children travel internationally each year. Although data about the incidence of pediatric illness associated with international travel are limited, the risks that children face while traveling are likely similar to the risks that their parents face.
Before leaving on your trip, create anticipation by beginning a countdown calendar with a photo or illustration of the destination. With the countdown beginning, pack your own bags, while your child packs their own (depending on their age). Decide what type of clothing your child will need, but let them choose their favorites in addition to a small toy. In a carry-on bag, pack some hard candies and gum, hand wipes, tissues, books, paper, markers in a small, tightly sealed plastic bag and perhaps a surprise toy for each child.
Keep Vaccines Up-to-Date
It is important to update immunizations for the entire family. When traveling abroad, check with your public health authorities for advisable additional vaccines. Vaccinating children for travel requires careful evaluation. Whenever possible, children should complete the routine immunizations of childhood on a normal schedule. However, travel at an earlier age may require accelerated schedules. Not all travel-related vaccines are effective in infants, and some are specifically contraindicated. Talk to your pediatrician in Edison for an up-to-date childhood and adolescent immunization schedule.
Some routine infant and childhood vaccinations include:
*Hepatitis B Vaccine
*Diphtheria, tetanus toxoid and pertussis vaccine
*Haemophilus influenza Type b Conjugate vaccine
*Polio vaccine
*Rotavirus vaccine
*Measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR)
*Varicella vaccine
*Meningococcal vaccine
*Pneumococcal vaccines
*Influenza vaccine
By talking to your pediatrician before your child travels, whether inside or outside the country, is important to maintain their health with proper vaccines.
Use Repellent
CDC recommends the use of repellents containing active ingredients registered with the US Environmental Protection Agency according to the product labels. Most repellents can be used on children older than two months. Repellents can also be applied to exposed skin and clothing. However, they should not be applied under clothing. Additionally, repellents should never be used over cuts, wounds, or irritated skin. Young children should not be allowed to handle the product either. When using repellent on a child, an adult should apply it to his or her own hands and then rub them on the child with the following considerations:
*Avoid the eyes and mouth, and apply sparingly around the ears
*Do not apply to hands, as children put their hands in their mouths
*Do no apply under clothing
*Heavy application and saturation are generally unnecessary for effectiveness
*After returning indoors, wash treated skin with soap and water, or bathe.
Flying with Your Children
Air travel is safe for newborns, infants, and children, but a few issues should be considered prior to flying with your children. If your child has chronic heart or lung problems they be at risk for hypoxia during flight, and a physician should be consulted before travel. Making sure your child is safely restrained during a flight is a safety consideration because severe turbulence or crash can be enough momentum that a parent cannot hold onto a child. It is important that children:
*Should be placed in a rear-facing Federal Aviation Authority-approved child-safety seat until they are over a year old and weight over 20 pounds.
*Aged one year or older and 20 to 40 pounds should use a forward-facing Federal Aviation Authority-approved child-safety seat.
*Who weigh more than 40 pounds can be secured in the aircraft seat belt.
Ear pain can also be troublesome for your infant or child during descent. Pressure in the middle ear can be equalized by swallowing or chewing. To relieve pressure:
*Infants should nurse or suck on a bottle
*Older children can try chewing gum
*Antihistamines and decongestants have not been shown to be of benefit
Visit your pediatrician in Edison and Woodbridge for more information on how you can properly travel with your children.
by: Gen Wright
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