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 […]
Infants and young children/Sunglasses
July 19, 2015 by
Hey Mom! Make room in your already bulging diaper bag for one additional item, sunglasses. For your infant. The earlier children begin to wear “shades” the less likely they are to have cataracts and other eye problems when they become grandparents. 1. Any old shades won’t do. Infants’ eyes are especially susceptible to the sun. […]
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 […]
Infant car safety seats are unsafe for infants away from cars
November 4, 2014 by
Infant car safety seats are life savers when correctly used, reducing traffic-related fatalities by about 70%.* But the seats are responsible for numerous problems and, rarely, deaths when inappropriately used away from cars. Moreover, car seat plus baby is heavy. Improper carrying can cause you, the carrier, needless aches and pains. 1. In the US, about […]
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. […]
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 […]
Children / car seats
April 7, 2013 by
Keeping young kids safe and comfortable in car seats is ever more complicated. The seats are becoming more sophisticated, costly and difficult to install correctly, and are subject to frequent recalls and changes in height/weight and facing forward/facing backward issues. Complicating matters even further, thousands of children are injured each year due to the misuse […]
Leashes/Children
September 22, 2010 by
I recently received this email: “Dear Dr. Neumann: Do you think it’s OK to place a leash on my 20-month old daughter? I use it mostly for travel, especially at airports and amusement parks, but also at malls. What an attention-getter! Some strangers tell me that leashing children is cruel and stunts curiosity and independence […]
Infants and Children/Noise/Hearing Loss
April 17, 2010 by
A memorable highlight of 2010 Super Bowl XLIV between Green Bay and New Orleans occurred after the game ended, and had little to do with whom you rooted for or who won (New Orleans). During the victory celebration on the field, the winning quarterback, Drew Brees, held his infant son high in the air amid the roar of […]
