At home, putting infants to sleep is a no-brainer. You place them in their crib – and pray they’ll sleep all night. But when traveling, there are many do’s and don’ts regarding sleep safety and getting infants to sleep in new surroundings, the latter often a real hassle. 1. Never “co-sleep,” even for a night […]
Children/travel/illness/insurance: A Primer
March 21, 2015 by
An informal survey of several dozen parents planning major family trips showed that about half of them did not know whether their children (or themselves) are fully covered for all medical expenses incurred away from home. Many confessed that they have never read their insurance policies, not even the large print. Many were not familiar with penalties […]
Air Travel/Infants/Health: Frequently Asked Questions. An Update
February 28, 2015 by
1. Can newborns travel safely by air? Commercial jets are safe for healthy newborns. However, infants with a history of serious medical issues – (significant premature birth or heart and lung problems around the time of birth), for the first year, even if the infant shows no symptoms, may have difficulty compensating for lower oxygen […]
Infants/Air travel/Excessive Crying. An update.
November 27, 2014 by
Forget lousy food, airports delays, and turbulence. One of air travelers’ biggest nightmare is sitting near a cute, cuddly little baby that suddenly morphs into a nonstop, noise machine emitting high decibel, ear-piercing, headache-producing, sleep-preventing terror. An even worse nightmare: it’s your child. Here’ what you should know: The vast majority of infants do NOT […]
Should young infants travel by air? (An update)
October 15, 2014 by
No single answer fits all infants nor all situations. Moreover, the answer changes based on new findings – like the one that just came to light: apparently, very rarely, parents may accidently suffocate infants sitting on the parent’s lap. Here is what is known: No government agency regulates the age at which newborns may fly. […]
Children/Air Travel/Ear infections/Prevention/Treatment
April 12, 2014 by
Should children fly with ear infections and colds? 1. No studies exist to help you make the decision. While saying “no” is prudent, doing so ruins long planned family trips, often unnecessarily. Worse, sometimes it strands families on vacation. The scenario: An infant is cranky and has a fever or an older child complains of […]
Children/Travel/ADHD/Medication
March 4, 2014 by
For children who take medication for ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is discontinuing their medication for travel a sensible option? Here are some thoughts: 1. You’re not alone in having to face the question. One in ten American children has been labeled as having ADHD. Four to five million take medication. And the numbers are […]
Planning for your child to be a UM traveler?
February 19, 2014 by
What is a UM traveler, you ask? In airline talk, a UM (usually pronounced “U. M.” but sometimes “um”) is an Unaccompanied Minor traveling without an adult, with airline personnel providing some supervision. 1. Qualifications for UMs are surprisingly scant. On most major US and international airlines, if children have reached their fifth birthday (yes, […]
Healthy Trips to Exotic Places
November 24, 2013 by
Parents can take children to almost any place in the world if they prepare themselves to deal with the occasional health and safety issues that children may encounter while traveling, says Perri Klass MD in her recent New York Times column, 18 and Under (November 19, 2013.) Click here to read the entire article. I […]
The Littlest Travelers of them all
September 9, 2013 by
Many kids travel even before they’re born, hitchhiking, so to speak, while comfortably embedded in their mothers’ wombs. All the ado about traveling during pregnancy is to ensure that these hitchhikers remain safe/healthy during their journeys. Here is what you should know: 1. Prevailing attitudes about pregnancy are overly optimistic. While pregnancy is a normal […]
