Cruise ships/Children/Intestinal diseases/Norovirus Should the frequent outbreaks of intestinal illnesses aboard cruise ships deter you from taking your family on a vacation at sea?  Our thoughts at the end of the article. (This is the second of a three-part series. Our previous posting: Children/Cruise ships/Health and safety. Our next posting: Intestinal diseases/Children/Treatment and preventing spread.) [...]

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Tags: are cruises safe from norovirus, CDC, children, cruise, cruise ship, cruise ships norovirus, cruise with family, cruises with kids, family, Health, intestinal diseases, Intestinal illnesses, leafy greens norovirus, norovirus, norovirus cruise ship outbreak, norovirus lettuce, norovirus outbreak, norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships, shelffish norovirus, Vacation, viral infections

Of the 14 million passengers who sailed from American ports last year, 1.5 million were children. Families are the biggest growth segment for cruise ship companies. Every ship being designed has children in mind. Some ships are planned entirely for families. (Some adults without children are clamoring for adult-only voyages; children have overtaken ships, especially [...]

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Tags: cruise ship, Cruise ships, health insurance, immunization, influenza, Medical kit, medical services, norovirus intestinal disease, Vaccine

Warning: hotel bathrooms are hazardous for your children – even more hazardous than the bathrooms in your home.  1. Upscale hotel plumbing is all about sleek appearance. Even adults have difficulty deciphering the numerous knobs on tubs and showers, for example. One never knows where the water is going to come out, and at what [...]

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Tags: bathroom accidents, bathroom hazards, bathroom safety children, children safety, Dr. Karl Neumann, hot water, hotel bathrom safety, hotel bathroom, hotel bathroom accidents, hotel bathtubs, slip-proof, toilet drowning, water pressure

Update on Children/Vacations* Unreasonable parental expectations and poor parental planning mar more family vacations than obstinate children. While traveling with kids will always have its ups and downs, savvy parents can keep the inevitable squabbles down to a manageable few. Here is what you should know: Your primary goal should be kids having fun. Family [...]

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Tags: airport, behavioral issues, campers, children, Destinations, Dr. Karl Neumann, homesickness, hotel rooms, inclement weather, kids, Kids Travel Doc, kids travel doctor, motion sickness, museum, parents, ski resort, Toddlers, travel doctor, vacations

You’re planning to take your family to Disneyworld: parents, two children, one in fourth grade, the other in second. You are as anxious to go as they are: you’re feeling guilty. Lately you’ve spent too little time with them because of your work schedules. You find a package that seems too good to be true: [...]

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Tags: disneyworld, kids travel, Kids Travel Doc, kids travel doctor

Blame well-meaning parents for many an infant’s miserable air travel.  Conventional wisdom says that infants become dehydrated in flight unless you keep pouring fluids into them. Columnists write, “Make infants drink a bottle for every hour in the air.” “Never let a flight attendant pass by without asking for fluids.” “Make them drink, drink, drink.” [...]

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There is nothing novel about infants traveling by air. They have been doing so since time immemorial, long before adults. Legend has it that they were “delivered” by storks, and were never the worse for their trips. Of course, stork flights skimmed rooftops, eliminating concerns of high altitude and accompanying ear issues, dehydration, and excessive [...]

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Tags: Air Travel, Altitude, cabin air, child restraint systems, Ear infections, feeding infants, inflight, nasal allergies, newborn, safe travel, sedation, upper respiratory infections, window seat

Are your children’s vaccinations up-to-date before traveling by air? According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in the past year alone there were more than 3,000 known airline passengers traveling while ill with a contagious disease.   1. The aircraft cabin environment abets the spread of disease-causing microorganisms. Infected passengers cough up, sneeze out [...]

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Tags: air travel children, air travel infants, aircraft cabin, CDC, chickenpox, contagious, disease-causing organisms, diseases transmitted, flu epidemics, ill passengers, ill travelers, in flight, infectious illness, influenza vaccination, measles, medical staff, microorganisms, mumps, passengers traveling with disease, pertussis, spreading disease, symptomatic, traveling with infants, typhoid, unvaccinated children, unvaccinated visitors, vaccinated children, vaccination children, vaccine-preventable, yellow fever

Facts about infants/air travel/in-flight comfort/feeding: (This is an update of an earlier posting – but bears repeating). Check the top twenty entries on Google regarding infants/air travel/feeding or air travel/infants/health. Nineteen say that you must give infants lots of fluids to prevent them from becoming dehydrated. One entry says that in flight dehydration is a [...]

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Tags: Air Travel, air travel with infants, air travelers, Diarrhea, feeding infants, in flight dehydration, in-flight comfort, infant feeding, infant health, Infants, Kids Travel Doc, kids travel doctor, sweating, Vomiting

Choosing the most effective cold weather clothing for your kids is becoming more of a hassle – ironically, because such clothing is becoming more protective. Some garments, if not used correctly, are counterproductive, actually increasing a child’s risk of experiencing cold-related problems.    Here is what you should know:   1. Sophisticated clothing increases perspiration. [...]

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Tags: absorb moisture, cold air, cold weather. cold weather clothing, cold-induced coughs, cold-related problems, cold-water immersion, cotton, diaper, freezing point, garments, gloves, headwear, inner layer, insulation, kids, layers, loose-fitting, middle layer, mittens, moisture, muscular activity, outdoor activities, perspiration, polyester fabric, rain, rapid cooling, scarf, scarves, serious cold-related problems, skin, snow, snow suit, sweating, synthetic fibers, waterproof, waterproof mittens, wet clothing, wick, wind chill, wind chill factor, windchill, windchill factor, young children