Safe Travels During the Holiday Season
November 1st, 2008 by Kathy Sena
Because so many families will be traveling during the upcoming holiday season, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have teamed up to offer health-and-safety tips for family travel on the road or in the air.
Traveling by car
• Always use a car safety seat for infants and young children. A rear-facing car seat should be used until your child has reached 1 year of age AND weighs at least 20 pounds. Once your child is at least a year old and at least 20 pounds, he can ride in a forward-facing car seat, but it’s best to keep him rear-facing to the highest weight and/or height allowed by his car safety seat.
• A child who has outgrown her car safety 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” and is 8 to 12-years-old).
• All children under age 13 should ride in the rear seat of vehicles.
• Never place a child in a rear-facing car safety seat in the front seat of a vehicle that has an airbag.
• Set a good example and wear your seat belt.
• Plan to stop driving and give yourself and your child a break about every two hours.
• Never leave your child alone in a car, period.
• In addition to a traveler’s health kit, parents should carry water and snacks, child-safe hand wipes, diaper-rash ointment, and a water- and insect-proof ground sheet for safe play outside for infants and toddlers.
Traveling by airplane
• As in motor vehicles, a child is best protected on an airplane when properly restrained in a car safety seat appropriate for the age, weight, and height of the child. When she weighs 40 pounds, a child can use the aircraft seat belt. You can also consider using a restraint made only for use on airplanes and approved by the FAA. Belt-positioning booster seats cannot be used on airplanes, but they can be checked as luggage so you have them 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 each child has his own seat. Discounted fares may be available. If it’s not feasible to purchase a ticket for a small child, try to select a flight that is likely to have empty seats.
• To decrease ear pain during descent, encourage your infant to nurse or suck on a bottle. Older children can chew gum (ages 4 and up) or blow up a balloon (ages 8 and up).
• 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 two weeks of an ear infection or ear surgery.
International travel
• Make sure your child is up to date on her vaccinations and check with your doctor to see if she might need additional vaccines.
• To help avoid jet lag, adjust your child’s sleep schedule two to three days before departure. After arrival, children should be encouraged to be active outside or in brightly lit areas during daylight hours to promote adjustment.
• Conditions at hotels and other lodging may not be as safe as those in the U.S. Carefully inspect for exposed wiring, pest-control poisons, paint chips or inadequate stairway or balcony railings.
• 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