Family trips create lasting memories, and a little planning helps keep everyone healthy and safe along the way. Whether you are driving to the beach or flying overseas, these tips will help you prepare for travel with babies, children and teens.
Plan Ahead
- Check that vaccines are up to date before any trip. For international travel, schedule a visit with us at least 4 to 6 weeks before you leave, because some vaccines need time to work or require more than one dose.
- Look up your destination on the CDC's Travelers' Health website for recommended vaccines and health precautions.
- Infants traveling internationally between 6 and 11 months of age are recommended to receive an early dose of the measles (MMR) vaccine. Ask us about timing.
- Bring copies of insurance cards, your child's immunization record and a list of medicines and allergies.
- Refill prescriptions before you go, and pack medicines in your carry-on bag.
Pack a Children's Travel Health Kit
- Thermometer
- Fever and pain reliever with the dosing syringe or cup, plus your child's correct dose for their weight
- Saline nose drops and a bulb syringe for babies
- Oral rehydration solution packets
- Bandages, antiseptic, tweezers and anti-itch cream
- Sunscreen (SPF 30 or higher), hats and sunglasses
- Insect repellent appropriate for your child's age
- Hand sanitizer and wipes
- Any regular medicines, inhalers or epinephrine auto-injectors
Car Travel
- Use the right car seat or booster on every ride, including rental cars and taxis. Review our car seat recommendations.
- Stop every couple of hours so children can stretch, eat and use the bathroom.
- Never leave a child alone in a parked car, even for a minute.
- For motion sickness, have children look out the front window, avoid heavy meals before travel and take breaks. Ask us before using any motion sickness medicine.
Air Travel
- The safest way for a young child to fly is in an FAA-approved car seat in their own seat. Check the label on your seat.
- To help with ear pain during takeoff and landing, let babies nurse or take a bottle or pacifier, and give older children water or a snack to swallow.
- Bring snacks, activities and a change of clothes in your carry-on.
- If your child is sick with an ear infection or cold, ask us whether flying is okay.
Staying Healthy at Your Destination
- Wash hands often, especially before eating.
- Food and water safety: where tap water isn't safe, use bottled water and avoid ice, raw foods and unpasteurized dairy.
- Sun safety: apply sunscreen 15 minutes before going outside and reapply every 2 hours and after swimming. Keep babies under 6 months in the shade.
- Insect protection: use insect repellent as directed on the label, dress children in long sleeves at dawn and dusk where mosquitoes are common, and check for ticks after outdoor play.
- Water safety: always supervise children near pools, lakes and the ocean, and use life jackets on boats.
- Sleep: bring a portable crib or play yard so babies have a safe sleep space. See safe sleep for babies.
If Your Child Gets Sick While Traveling
Know where the nearest urgent care center or hospital is at your destination. Diarrhea and vomiting are common travel illnesses; offer small, frequent sips of oral rehydration solution and watch for signs of dehydration, described in our article on stomach bugs and dehydration. Seek care for high fever, trouble breathing, a stiff neck, unusual rash, or if your child seems very ill. After international travel, tell us where you went if your child develops a fever within a few weeks of returning.
Have a trip coming up? Schedule a pre-travel visit and we'll help you prepare.