Traveling for the holidays can be stressful and hectic. Add the extra layer of traveling with kids and you may feel completely overwhelmed. Dr. Hebah Pranckun, a pediatrician at Atrium Health Levine Children's Stanly Pediatrics, shares her tips for keeping your kids healthy and safe while on the go this season.
Car travel tips for parents
Most families will travel by car during the holiday season. To keep your kiddos safe during car trips, it’s essential to ensure they’re properly secured in their car seat. Here are some tips from Pranckun:
- Be sure your child is buckled in an age- and size-appropriate way when riding in the car.
- Infants and young children should always be secured in a car seat.
- Use a rear-facing car seat for as long as possible.
- Regularly review your car seat manufacturer’s user manual for safety information.
- If your child exceeds the height and weight limit for a rear-facing car seat, they can then ride in a forward-facing car seat, then in a car seat with a harness until they’re at least 4 years old.
- Ensure your car seat is installed properly and that the various parts are positioned appropriately on your child.
- Once your child has outgrown a car seat based on the height and weight limit, they should ride in a belt-positioning booster seat. This booster seat should typically be used until your child is 4 feet 9 inches tall (usually around age 8 to 12).
- Most children don’t fit properly in a seatbelt until they’re 10 or 12 years old.
- Ensure their seatbelt fits properly according to safety guidelines.
- Children under age 13 should always ride in the backseat.
- Take driving breaks every two hours or so to let everyone stretch their legs, get the wiggles out and take a bathroom break.
Next, Pranckun recommends keeping a travel pack in the rear seat or truck of the car for long trips so you’re always prepared. The travel pack can include:
- Nonperishable, healthy, age-appropriate snacks.
- Small, car-safe forms of entertainment, like coloring books, sticker books and toys.
- First-aid items, like pain-relieving medications, fever-reducing medications, bandages, gauze, antiseptic spray and any necessary medication specific to your child, such as EpiPens and Benadryl.
- Hand sanitizer and hand wipes.
- Diapers, baby wipes and diaper rash cream.
“Finally, never leave your child alone in a car even if it’s just for a minute or two,” she says. “Doing so can place them in a compromised situation that is not worth the risk.”
Airplane travel with kids during the holidays
If you find yourself at the airport with your kiddos, there are a few ways to make the trek go more smoothly:
- Give yourself plenty of time. “It’s important to allot enough time to get through the various steps of the airport to ensure your family can stay as close as possible at all times and not feel rushed,” says Pranckun.
- Be strategic with shoe choices. While younger kids may not need to remove their shoes while going through airport security, make it easier on yourself by dressing them in shoes that are easy to slip on and off (don’t forget their socks).
- Talk to them about security ahead of time. “Discuss the importance of the screening process with your children and what to expect so that they are not alarmed if this is their first time,” she says.
- Bring a car seat (if age-appropriate). The safest way for a child to travel on an airplane is in a car seat, however, this does require buying a separate airline seat.
- Plan ahead for your destination. Be sure you have a car seat and other car travel necessities available for you to use once you arrive.
- Reduce ear pressure at takeoff. “Sucking on a bottle or nursing for infants and gum-chewing or drinking with a straw for older children can help decrease ear pain during takeoff and landing,” she says.
- Practice good hand hygiene. Wash your hands (and your child’s hands) frequently and have plenty of hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes to help minimize exposure to viruses and bacteria you may come across throughout your journey. You can also wipe down your seat, seat arms and tray table.
- Keep essentials handy on the plane. “Always carry with you a small zip-top bag or pouch containing first-aid essentials and medications your child may need,” says Pranckun.
How to reduce your risk of getting sick while traveling
“Staying healthy during the holiday season can seem like a challenge, but following some easy tips will help you decrease the risk of getting sick during this time of year,” says Dr. Pranckun.
- Wash your hands regularly. One of the best ways to avoid illness is to ensure your children wash their hands often. Have your children wash their hands with running water and apply plenty of soap to lather hands together and scrub for at least 20 seconds. Singing a song like “Happy Birthday” from beginning to end twice will ensure you have washed long enough.
- Practice hand hygiene when soap and water aren’t easily accessible. Make sure to carry plenty of hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes to use as needed through travel as well.
- Remind children to touch their face as little as possible. Touching their face increases exposure to germs that can enter through the nose or mouth and can get them ill.
- Limit exposure to people who are sick. “Unfortunately, when traveling on an airplane, this is not always in your control,” she says. “If you would like to be extra-cautious, wearing a mask and placing a mask on children above the age of 2 can potentially help decrease the risk of getting ill.”
- Stay up to date on vaccines. Staying up to date on all available vaccines also helps decrease the risk of illness by strengthening your immune system. When possible, holding events at larger outdoor spaces instead of small, crowded rooms can also help decrease the risk of exposure.
Regardless of how you’ll reach your destination, be sure your children know their phone number and, if possible, their address, advises Pranckun. Rehearse this well in advance so that this knowledge becomes second nature by time of travel.
It’s also helpful to create a plan for what to do if someone were to get lost or separated from the family. Teach your child who they can trust for help – such as police officers or firefighters – so they feel confident and safe reaching out if needed.
With some planning and preparation, you can help your family stay healthier and safer this holiday season. If you have any questions about your child’s health or vaccination status, talk to their pediatrician. Find a Levine Children’s pediatrician near you.
