This is a column in a series from Dr. Scott Hamilton, director of the pediatric emergency department at Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center, offering practical guidance on preventing and treating illnesses and injuries so kids can stay healthy and out of the emergency department.
Jane, a mom from Lafayette, was at Walt Disney World with her constipated 3-year-old son. One morning before heading out, she gave him a laxative.
“Within an hour it started to take effect,” Jane recalled, “In front of the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, he’s pulling down his pants, because when you gotta go, you gotta go! I've never seen my husband run so fast … ”
The moral of the story: prepare for vacation bodily function disasters. Pack medications for pain, fever, and diarrhea, and bandages and ointment for boo-boos. You decide on the laxative!
If your child has wheezing issues, toss in that inhaler. You don't want to be driving around an unfamiliar city at 11 p.m. looking for a 24-hour pharmacy — I've been there.
Jane always packed extra clothes for her kids, anticipating spills and vomiting. However, she didn’t throw extra clothes for herself into the carry-on, when her son barfed on her at the beginning of a plane flight. While he had fresh clothes, she wore his vomit for five hours, down her back and into her pants.
Speaking of airliners: tray tables, armrests, seat belt buckles and air vents are all touched by multiple people, and may not be regularly cleaned between flights. They can harbor more germs than the flush button in the airliner toilets. At one toilet per 50 passengers, that's saying something.
Bring disinfectant wipes to clean your hands and those surfaces as you settle into your seat. Otherwise you increase the risk of catching a diarrhea and vomiting bug for you and your family.
Kids can be embarrassing on the road, especially sitting close to strangers in restaurants or airports. Jane’s son loved to chat up those around him. Loudly. At first she and her husband were mortified, until they realized that most people love kids, no matter how deafening.
Children’s conversations can be fun for other folks, distracting them from their own travel woes. Instead of fussing at your kids for talking to others, pick your battles wisely.
While vacations are for fun and relaxation, they are stressful — some more stressful than others. Besides travel strains, moving into unfamiliar hotel rooms and navigating new territories takes some effort and grace. Which kind of vacation are you planning?
A pool resort or beach destination is much easier on your nerves than an exhausting Disney trek. Kids get more anxious with regimented schedules in those places, despite how magical they are. And when children are stressed, they're more likely to get sick.
Thus, “picking your battles” means being patient with them as well as the whole travel hassle. Isn't that pool resort sounding better and better?