If infants are accidentally left on conveyer belts at supermarket checkout counters, it is unlikely that they will be packed with the groceries.
But if they’re placed on belts at airport security they pass through the machine. It has happened. The scenario: Parent places infant on non-moving belt. Parent distracted. Belt moves. Infant enters machine. […]

Posted in Safe & Healthy Travel, Travel No Comments »
Tags: Airplane, Altitude, Travel

To sedate or not to sedate infants for air travel, that is an oft-raised question. Is it truly nobler to spurn sedatives, risk an unruly child, and bravely suffer the heartaches of stares and scorn of outraged fellow passengers?  Or is it more virtuous to sedate infants, perchance they’ll sleep, and endure the thousand humiliations […]

Posted in Safe & Healthy Travel No Comments »
Tags: Airplane, Infants, Jet lag

My posting that has received the most comments — comments often laced with skepticism — are my statements that:

In-flight dehydration is a myth; and
Feeding infants frequently during air travel is counterproductive and may make them uncomfortable.

Please see my answers to the skeptics.
In-flight dehydration is a myth!! It doesn’t exist. Yes, it is frequently repeated by […]

Posted in Travel No Comments »
Tags: Airplane, Dehydration, Travel

When you travel, drinking lots of water helps you stay fit - as long as the water is fit to drink. Being well hydrated helps counteract some of the vagaries of travel: fatigue and jet lag, altitude, and hot and cold environments, to mention a few. Minimal dehydration occurs even before you feel thirsty, subtly […]

Posted in Food & Water Precautions No Comments »
Tags: Airplane, Altitude, Cruise ships, Dehydration, Diabetes, Fatigue, Heart problems, Immune problems, Intestinal illnesses, Jet lag, Kidney problems, Pregnant, Third world

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 […]

Posted in Travel No Comments »
Tags: Airplane, Allergies, Altitude, Dehydration, Diabetes, Ear infections, Immune problems, Infants, Intestinal illnesses, Newborns, Pregnant, Respiratory infections

A small, customized medical kit can be a real lifesaver when traveling with children. Never leave home without it.
1. Buy or assemble a first aid kit.
This is not the same as a medical kit. A first aid kit includes items to treat the inevitable minor illnesses and scrapes children get at home or away. […]

Posted in Safe & Healthy Travel 5 Comments »
Tags: Airplane, Altitude, Diarrhea, Ear infections, Epinephrine kits, First aid, Medications