Travel tip with children: AAP suggestions

Traveling with children can be a delight and a challenge. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has the following tips for safe and stress-free family travel.

Traveling by Airplane

• Allow your family extra time to get through security - especially when traveling with younger children.
• Have children wear shoes and outer layers of clothing that are easy to take off for security screening.
• Strollers can be brought through airport security and gate-checked to make travel with small children easier.
• Talk to your children about the security screening process before coming to the airport. Let them know that bags (backpack, dolls, etc.) must be put in the X ray machine and will come out the other end and be returned to them.
• Discuss the fact that it’s against the law to make threats such as; “I have a bomb in my bag.” Threats made jokingly (even by a child) can delay the entire family and could result in fines.
• Arrange to have a car seat at your destination or bring your own along. Airlines will typically allow families to bring a child’s car seat as an extra luggage item with no additional luggage expense.
• When traveling on an airplane, a child is best protected when properly restrained in a car seat appropriate for the age, weight and height of the child until the child weighs more than 40 lbs. and can use the aircraft seat belt. The car seat should have a label noting that it is FAA-approved. Belt-positioning booster seats cannot be used on airplanes, but they can be checked as luggage (usually without baggage fees) for use in rental cars and taxis.
• Although the FAA allows children under age 2 to be held on an adult’s lap, the AAP recommends that families explore options to ensure that each child has her own seat. If it is not feasible to purchase a ticket for a small child, try to select a flight that is likely to have empty seats.
• Pack a bag of toys and snacks to keep your child occupied during the flight.
• In order to decrease ear pain during descent, encourage your infant to nurse or suck on a bottle. Older children can try chewing gum or drinking liquids with a straw.
• Wash hands frequently, and consider bringing hand-washing gel to prevent illnesses during travel.
• Consult your pediatrician before flying with a newborn or infant who has chronic heart or lung problems or with upper or lower respiratory symptoms.
• Consult your pediatrician if flying within 2 weeks of an episode of an ear infection or ear surgery. 

International Travel

• If traveling internationally, check with your doctor to see if your child might need additional vaccines, and make sure your child is up-to-date on routine vaccinations.
• In order to avoid jet lag, adjust your child’s sleep schedule 2-3 days before departure. After arrival, children should be encouraged to be active outside or in brightly lit areas during daylight hours to promote adjustment.
• Road travel can be extremely hazardous in developing countries. Make sure each passenger is buckled and that children use the appropriate car seat. Let your driver know you are not in a hurry, and that you will reward safe driving.
• Conditions at hotels and other lodging may not be as safe as those in the U.S. Carefully inspect for exposed wiring, pest poisons, paint chips, or inadequate stairway or balcony railings.
• Stay within arm’s reach of children while swimming, as pools may not have safe, modern drain systems and both pools and beaches may lack lifeguards.
• When traveling, be aware that cribs or play yards provided by hotels may not meet current safety standards. If you have any doubt about the safety of the crib or play yard, ask for a replacement or consider other options.

Traveling by Car

• Always use a car seat for infants and young children. All infants and toddlers should ride in a rear-facing car seat until 2 years of age or until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by the car seat manufacturer. Once your child has outgrown the rear-facing height or weight limit, she should ride in a forward-facing car seat. Click here for updated recommendations on safe car seat travel.
• Most rental car companies can arrange for a car seat if you are unable to bring yours along.
• A child who has outgrown her car seat with a harness (she has reached the top weight or height allowed for her seat, her shoulders are above the top harness slots, or her ears have reached the top of the seat) should ride in a belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle’s seat belt fits properly (usually when the child reaches about 4' 9" in height and is between 8 to 12 years of age).
• All children under 13 years of age should ride in the rear seat of vehicles.
• Never place a rear-facing car seat in the front seat of a vehicle that has an air bag.
• Set a good example by always wearing a seat belt, even in a taxi.
• Children often become restless or irritable when on a long road trip. Keep them occupied by pointing out interesting sights along the way and by bringing soft, lightweight toys and favorite music for a sing-along.
• Plan to stop driving and give yourself and your child a break about every two hours.
• Never leave your child alone in a car, even for a minute. Temperatures inside the car can reach deadly levels in minutes, and the child can die of heat stroke.
• In addition to a travelers’ health kit, parents should carry safe water and snacks, child-safe hand wipes, diaper rash ointment, and a water- and insect-proof ground sheet for safe play outside.

Sources:

• AAP policy statement: Restraint Use in Aircraft
• HealthyChildren.org: Car Safety Seats, A Guide for Families
• Federal Aviation Administration
• Centers for Disease Control

**info from the AAP and healthchildren.org