How to travel with a child: advice from Dr. Komarovsky

The long-awaited summer has come, the time for vacations, and many parents face an urgent question: how to properly organize a vacation with a child? However, there are two main stumbling blocks. The first is the acclimatization of the child, and the second is the choice of the most suitable transport for the children to travel. The famous pediatrician Yevgeny Komarovsky tells at what age you can take children abroad, as well as gives practical advice on how to make it easier for your child to travel on an airplane and a long trip in a car, bus or train.

How is acclimatization in children

Common sense of parents is important for the adaptation of the child at the resort / istockphoto.com

The first thing we worry about when planning a vacation with children is acclimatization. How will the child cope with the climate change? How long does it take for him to adapt to the new environment and start getting real benefits from the rest? That is why many parents refuse to travel to other countries: they say, the native climate will bring the baby a much greater health-improving effect. According to Dr. Komarovsky, these fears are mostly groundless, and we can talk about acclimatization only when we really change the climate very dramatically.

“The topic of adaptation when moving within the same hemisphere is greatly exaggerated,” the pediatrician said. - Even if you change the climate drastically, from hot to cold or vice versa, then you will need to be careful forever. In particular, be more careful about heatstroke or frostbite. In fact, the main thing at the stage of adaptation is not to try to immediately master all the delights of the resort. "

Komarovsky advises not to "get to the sea" immediately on the day of arrival. With a child on the beach, you need to start with half an hour, the next day, increase the time to two hours. Another basic rule: at the stage of environmental change, categorically do not force the child to eat. Even if the appetite is present, it must be restrained. But you need to drink, and as much as possible. And not juices with cocktails, but pure quality water.

At what age can you take a child on a plane

Children older than two weeks of age can be taken on the plane / istockphoto.com

If the child does not have chronic problems with the cardiovascular system, a trip to another country can be planned absolutely calmly. But here the parents face another logical question: what to do with the flight and at what age can the child be taken on the plane? Many doctors prohibit flights with small children. Evgeny Olegovich is no exception, but at the same time he clarifies: by small children you need to understand children of the first two weeks of life. Already in the third week, it is quite permissible to fly with a baby in an airplane.

The main problem that not only children, but also adults face on the plane, is a sharp drop in pressure, explains Evgeny Olegovich. But if for adults this is just a temporary discomfort, then because of this, children develop a spasm of the auditory tube, which causes real pain, and in some cases can even lead to otitis media. That is why many doctors prohibit flights with children in the first two weeks of life: they have a very narrow auditory tube, and its spasm can lead to very bad consequences.

In older children (even infants), this problem can be dealt with in a simple and affordable way. It is enough to drip the nose with vasoconstrictor drops before planting. There is no need to do this in advance before the flight, the pediatrician emphasizes. Landing is the most critical stage of flight in terms of spasm of the auditory tube. A single instillation of the nose in this case will relieve pain and help prevent otitis media from developing. This is especially important if the child has predisposition to ear inflammation, but will not hurt as a preventive measure.

Another important point during a flight with infants is regular hydration of the mucous membrane. The air in the plane is very dry, so small children need to bury their nose with saline more often. The only thing here you need to remember about the restrictions on board: the plane will not be allowed to bring a bottle with a volume of more than 50 (in some cases more than 100) ml.

What to do if a child is seasick in transport

Try to plan a trip in the car for a child's sleep / istockphoto.com

If you are planning a trip by car or bus, then motion sickness can be an urgent problem for you. Many children are susceptible to this problem, especially when it comes to a long journey (longer than a few hours). There are many different drugs for motion sickness now, but Dr. Komarovsky warns that they should be bought only after consulting a family doctor. They are far from always harmless to the body, and can cause, for example, stomach problems.

If the child is seasick in transport, you can try simple life hacks for motion sickness. With young children, it is good to adjust the trip so that the child sleeps most of the time on the road. There are rules for older children. First, do not feed the child an hour and a half before the trip. Secondly, stop as often as possible (if you are traveling by car). If the rules allow, the little traveler should be seated as close to the driver as possible. In the car - in the front seat, in the bus - in the first or second row of seats. Something cold in the mouth helps a lot from motion sickness: for example, drinking chill water in small sips, eating ice cream or sucking on mint candies.

Evgeny Komarovsky emphasizes that the problem of motion sickness is not only the vestibular apparatus, but also the psychological attitude. Most often, before a long journey, children are already ready for the fact that they will be rocked, ready for unpleasant sensations. Therefore, parents on a trip need to be as efficient as possible distract a child : play mindfulness games with him, sing songs, count cars passing by.

Another important nuance that provokes motion sickness is the lack of fresh air in transport. Many mothers categorically refuse to open the windows in the car or bus for fear that the child will be "blown". However, a slight draft will not only not harm a healthy child, but, on the contrary, will help alleviate the symptoms of motion sickness. Naturally, there is no need to go to extremes and make a wind rose in the car: put the child away from the draft, but at the same time in direct access to fresh air.

What to choose for travel: car or train

The train ride is comfortable, but not always clean and safe / istockphoto.com

The first thing parents should think about before organizing a trip with a child is whether they can provide him with maximum safety on the road. It is from this point of view that you need to make a choice between a car and a train, Dr. Komarovsky is sure. On the one hand, travel on the train (especially over long distances) is much more comfortable: the child does not feel sick, there is no need to sit in one place, there is a constant opportunity to move and stretch his legs. On the other hand, in our country there are still such trains in which it is difficult to find a frequent towel, and it is scary to go to the toilet. If you have a question between this type of transport or your own (clean and safe) car, it is better to opt for the second one.

If you are traveling with a child on a train, the alpha and omega for you all the way is hand disinfection. Now there is no shortage of antiseptics, but do not forget that gels for hand disinfection with isopropyl alcohol at a concentration of at least 60% are most effective. A similar gel is applied to the hands for at least 30 seconds. The further you go and the more people around you, the more often you need to use it.

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