If a decade ago you’d asked your doctor if young children should fly with ear infections, nasal allergies or bad colds the likely answer was an emphatic no, that flying with these conditions could damage the ears. Today, if you asked, the likely answer is a conditional yes. 1. No studies exist to help make […]
Travel/Breast-feeding
October 19, 2016 by
“I carry a light-weight blanket when I travel with my breast-fed infant. If someone seems bothered by my nursing – even though I do it discreetly – I offer them the blanket so they can cover their eyes.” (From a website on breast-feeding.) 1. No reason to curtail your travel plans because you breast-feed. Stories […]
Are Your Infant’s Sleeping Accommodations Safe when you Travel?
September 12, 2016 by
Safety alert! When traveling, many parents put their infants to bed in unsafe positions or locations, increasing the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) and other injuries. 1. Safe sleeping arrangements are often difficult to duplicate away from home. Until infants are one year of age they should be put to bed on their […]
Infants/Sleeping away from home
May 17, 2015 by
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 […]
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 […]
Children/Motion sickness/Prevention/Treatment
January 10, 2015 by
Everyone has a threshold for motion sickness. It may be a hurricane at sea, riding camels for several hours, space travel, or “amusement” park rides that spin you in three dimensions simultaneously, often while you are strapped in upside down. Camels cause it because they sway side to side while they walk. Astronauts experience it […]
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 […]
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 […]
Families/Overseas travel/Medications Part 2 of 2
January 4, 2012 by
This is Part 2 of a two part series. To read Part 1, please click here. You need not be under suspicion of possessing narcotics to be hassled by security and customs inspectors at airports. Families have been hassled for merely carrying everyday, over-the-counter medications, have had the medications confiscated, missed their flights and, very […]
