Managing your child’s medications while traveling can be the difference between a full and fun filled trip or cutting the vacation short to go home. Forgetting medications could even result in an emergency room trip in a strange city.
Pack your child’s medication in an accessible, easy to remember place within the vehicle. Do not store any medicines in the trunk of your vehicle. Depending on the weather, they could freeze or get too hot. Many medicines are changed by extreme temperatures.
If traveling by plane, put medications in your carry on bag so they are always with you.
If driving, store all medications is a lockable container so children can not get to them. Accidental poisoning is a leading cause of hospital emergency visits.
When you think of vacation in Martha’s Vineyard, seldom do you picture happy, active children enjoying vacation with mom and dad. But, that is just what you’ll find. Martha’s Vinyard isn’t just for adults anymore.
Younger children will feel right at home watching the ebb and flow of the Atlantic Ocean from the lawn of Winnetu. Or, take your kids for a ride on an authentic 1940’s era fire truck.
While mom and dad explore the galleries, your kids will have a blast and feel catered to at one of the many programs designed just for them. From sports clinics just for kids to arts programs, Martha’s Vineyard has something to engage and thrill just about every child.
What do you do when the unthinkable happens? What do you do when the family reaches their destination, ready to begin their vacation, only to discover that the most important family member (next to mommy, of course) didn’t arrive alongside everyone else?
We’re talking, of course, of the Favorite Toy–the scuffed and battered teddy bear that shares the secrets and pillows of the toddler, their “bestest friend ever!” When that best friend gets lost on the way to the vacation, what is a parent to do?
First off, try to reassure the child that Harold can indeed be found. Then, if possible, take the child by the hand, retrace their steps, and hopefully Harold will be found, happily soaking in the sunshine beside the pool, right where the child left him. If Harold isn’t found, though, that could ruin a child’s whole vacation…so, use a little bit of forethought and make sure that doesn’t happen.
Jet Lag leaves adults tired, cranky and many times, physically ill. For children the adjustment from one time zone to another is even more difficult. Young children, especially, are very sensitive to any changes in their schedules and react poorly to sudden time differences.
Avoiding jet lag for your children makes good sense for everyone.
If traveling by air, try to travel during your child’s normal sleep time in the new time zone. It is likely they will nap during part of the trip.
Push fluids. Keeping well hydrated will go a long way toward alleviating symptoms of jet lag. Water is best, sports drinks are good, but avoid carbonated sodas.
A sick or injured child can turn a fun filled family vacation into a disaster. Prepare for the unpredictable before you leave home.
If anyone in your family takes prescription, over the counter medication, or supplements regularly, be sure you have enough on hand for the trip. You may not be able to find them in a strange town.
Remember, not all OTC medicines are available everywhere. If there is a specific brand of allergy medicine your child uses occasionally, take it with you.
For prescriptions, carry a new written script with you.
Hotel cribs can be a real time and space saver. With limited room in the vehicle and long hours driving, it’s always nice to arrive at your hotel and find baby’s crib set up and waiting. But, to ensure baby’s safety through the night, take a few minutes to make sure the crib meets safety standards before bedding your little one down for the night.
The crib should be assembled and set up correctly.
The hotel crib should be sturdy and not sway or rock when you shake it.
If the crib has wheels, make sure they are locked.
Crib mattress should be well supported and fit in the crib snugly. There should be no space between the mattress and the crib walls.
A pleasant walk is often the perfect way to see the sights on vacation, and most kids will enjoy the journey. Just remember to keep the kids and their needs in mind while out for your stroll.
Toddlers will enjoy exploring at their level–poking in the dirt, pointing out flowers and spider webs, basically getting muddy and having a blast. Don’t pressure them into hurrying up, just try to move along at their speed. They’ll tire soon enough, and when that happens, a good baby carrier–especially a comfortable backpack–will almost be a necessity.
Preschoolers will also enjoy exploring at their own wandering pace, though some will balk if the path gets too rough. Encourage them to find their own way over rocks and trees, and they’ll feel right at home. They might even want to stop and splash through streams or rain, or collect leaves or pine cones. A diaper bag with a change of clothes or ponchos might come in handy on these trips.
Many kid friendly hotels and restaurants boast play areas for your children. While these playgrounds can give harried traveling parents a few minutes respite and give kids with cabin fever a way to burn off some energy, parents need to keep a few safety tips in mind.
First, check with the staff to be sure the play area wasn’t painted with lead based paint. Wood playsets are generally treated with chemicals, so be sure to have kids wash their hands after playing on them. With either type of outdoor play set, be sure your children don’t put their mouth on them.
Keep the play area surface in mind. Wood chips, play mats and other “spongy surfaces” are safer than gravel, dirt, and grass. Because the soft spongy materials absorb energy better, your child is less likely to break a bone when they fall. Watch very young children around wood chips. They are just as likely to taste them as to play in them.
Long drives are a challenge for kids. Kids want to be active, and sitting in a car for a long drive can really test their patience. One way parents can help to make the time pass more easily is by having a wide variety of games and activities in mind for the trip. After all, a driver can only listen to so many rounds of “Ninety Nine Bottles of Juice on the Wall” without trying to drown it out with some heavy metal from the car stereo.
Depending on the age level, something as simple as “I Spy” would work. One player selects an item outside the vehicle, and says “I Spy something Orange!” The rest of the players take turns trying to guess what that person has chosen.
If you’re looking for skiiing nearly 365 days a year, then Whistler-Blackcomb is the place to go. Located less than two hours from Vancouver, British Columbia, Whistler will be the site of the 2010 Winter Olympics. It has over eight thousand acres of territory, including over two hundred ski trails, and receives thirty feet of snow per year, on average. And, since the peak of Whistler Mountain has year-round snow, a trip in June doesn’t mean leaving the skis behind.
Winter fun abounds, with skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, heli-skiing (helicopter ride to the top of the mountain), and the Coca Cola Tube park, where entire families can ride inner tubes down the slopes.
In the summer, the upper peaks remain snow covered, and the lower hills become the Whistler Blackcomb Mountain Bike Park. The Zipline Ecotour is a fun and exciting way to explore old-growth forest–by zooming across a cable a hundred feet off the ground. Other summer activities include a combination bungee/trampoline, ATV and jet boat rides, whitewater rafting, bungee jumping, and a climbing wall.