• Travel
• Destinations

we all look forward to a fun vacation, though sometimes we have to come back home to rest up! Here are some tips if you will be traveling by airplane with your children:

• If that baby has been diagnosed with an ear infection, get your doctor’s advice as to when you can fly with your little one. Also ask advice on whether to fly if your child has a chronic lung or heart issue.
  
• Children are best protected in the airplane when they are seated in a car seat (though they may disagree strenuously with you about that fact!). This does mean purchasing a ticket for your child, and if that is just not in your budget, try to fly at times when there may be empty seats available. Check with your airline to see if they allow booster seats in the airplane. You will want to be sure to bring car seats and/or booster seats along for use on your trip, and if you can’t belt the children into them on the plane, you can check them as luggage.
  
• Make sure your children understand it is NOT funny to joke about bombs or terrorists while anywhere near airport security or while on the airplane. You can be assured that the police will NOT think it is funny, and you and your family may be delayed. This is not a good start or end to a vacation!
  
• Make sure you have snacks and toys in your carryon to entertain and distract your child, especially if you will be going on a long flight. Your child and your fellow passengers will thank you!
  
• The airplane trip up to elevation and also back down to the ground is difficult for all people with sinus issues (if you have felt that pain, you know!). Your baby will have the same difficulties unless you help him equalize the pressure in his middle ear. Try doing this by giving him a bottle or pacifier to suck on, especially on the way down. Older children can chew gum or blow up balloons to help them equalize.
  
• Think through the security check issue – be sure you leave enough time for your family to get through security and all the (sometimes unpleasant) surprises those nice security people can throw your way! Be aware that little Jimmy may be upset to see his toy soldier disappearing into a dark x-ray machine – he’s likely to think that the bad guys won the war and took his soldier away forever! Talk with your children about what will go on, and that everything that is put in the machine will come out the other side exactly the same!
  
• If you happen to be flying internationally (lucky you!) then you will want to take a few extra steps when flying with children. Adjust your child’s sleep schedule a few days before leaving to as close to the new time zone as possible. When you arrive, spend some time outdoors in the bright sun to acclimate her to the new time. Also make sure that your children have received all the vaccinations they may need to be fully protected in the country you are visiting. You may call your local health department to determine which vaccines are recommended for the country you are going to be visiting.

• Make sure your children are buckled in safely in the car or booster seat recommended for their age and height. Children must have reached their first birthday and the 20 pound mark before it is safe for them to ride facing forward. Older children usually need to have reached a height of 4 feet, 9 inches before they are ready to get out of the booster seat.
  
• Children less than 13 years old shouldn’t ride in the front seat. That includes those infants in rear facing car seats! If there is airbag deployment in an accident, your infant could be very seriously injured.
  
• When you’ve heard “Are we there yet?” for the 15th time, you might want to get out the goody bad that you so thoughtfully prepared before the trip! Make sure there are snacks and toys and coloring books, or other things your child might be interested in. Be sure to schedule a stop about every 2 hours so you and your child can stretch your legs and let out a little of that pent-up energy!
  
• The website http://www2.ncid.cdc.gov/travel/yb/utils/ybGet.asp?section=recs&obj=travelers-health-kit.htm has a great list of things you may want to include in your traveler’s health kit.

Fireworks:
Common sense would dictate that you monitor your children while they are around fireworks. Don’t take for granted that they should just KNOW how to light fireworks and that those fireworks are dangerous. Children see bright lights and loud sounds and forget (or don’t know in the first place) that those neat sounds and lights come as a result of a lot of heat and explosive energy. For example, sparklers, which many parents view as a “safe” activity for children, can reach temperatures of up to 1000 degrees! Many a child has lost a finger or worse from fireworks so be very vigilant with your child. You want him to survive the 4th of July holiday with all his appropriate body parts!

Boating safety:
Never assume your boat is safe and it won’t sink! Any number of unforeseen problems can occur, and you don’t want to scramble your children into their life jackets at the same time you are trying to address an unexpected crisis! Make sure the jacket fits snugly, and won’t ride up over his face when he is in the water. As a good example, you adults should wear life jackets too. Don’t use inflatable toys as life preservers – as a rule, they just don’t fit the bill! Make sure the children know how to avoid the propeller area at the back of the boat, and the driver will always want to put the motor in neutral when people are entering and exiting the boat from the back.

Open water swimming:
Don’t ever let your child swim alone, even if he won the gold medal at the Olympics! It’s not safe. Be sure a lifeguard, or at least someone who can swim well, is always in attendance. Don’t let your children (or yourself) dive in water if you haven’t yet checked the depth or checked for underwater objects that could injure someone. If you are swimming in the ocean, be sure your children are not more than an arm’s length away from you so you can grab them quickly in the event you need to. Keep them away from fast moving water – it has more power than you can imagine, and can easily sweep your child away. This is not a fun end to your trip!