Travelsprouts

Per one mom:  “I carry a light-weight blanket when I travel with my breast-fed infant. If someone seems bothered by my nursing – even though I do it discreetly – I offer them the blanket so they can cover their eyes.” There is no reason to curtail your travel plans because you breast-feed. Stories thatRead more

Safety alert! When traveling, many parents put their infants to bed in unsafe positions or locations, increasing the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) and other injuries. 1. Safe sleeping arrangements are often difficult to duplicate away from home. Until infants are one year of age they should be put to bed on theirRead more

Do your summer plans include plans to protect your kids from the sun? 1. Summer vacations increase sun exposure. (So do winter vacations in snow country.) While you may be savvy about protecting your kids from everyday sun-related hazards, summer vacations add numerous factors to contend with: more hours of sun per day, more timeRead more

1. When planning family travel and outdoor activities, include telling young children what to do if they lose sight of you. (Avoid the word “lost;” It seems to scare children.) Generally, young children panic when they don’t see you and realize that they are in an unfamiliar setting. They look all around and then runRead more

With spring and summer just around the corner, it’s time to review how you protect your kids (and yourself) from mosquito bites. While most bites are merely annoying, there is a tiny percentage of mosquitoes that carry disease-causing viruses, a percentage that may be increasing slightly with the emergence of Zika, West Nile and otherRead more

The uproar regarding pregnant women visiting Zika-infected countries bolsters the opinion that travel during pregnancy is never without some risk. The fetus, the littlest traveler of all, the hitchhiker, so to speak, seemingly safely and comfortably imbedded in the uterus, is susceptible to many travel-related conditions and illnesses. Travel further complicates pregnancy by removing womenRead more

The US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) strongly recommends that all infants and young children be seated in an appropriate safety seat (also referred to as a child restraint system or CRS) for air travel. But, to the dismay of many safety advocates, the FAA refuses to enact laws to mandate such seats, leaving the decisionRead more

1. To enter a car safely, the only thing in your hands should be your car keys, says a website on safety. (Hardly helpful advice for parents with young children.) In fact, placing car seats into cars is hazardous even in good weather. It involves compromising your balance. Bending awkwardly. Standing on one leg. HavingRead more

Forget lousy food, airport delays, and turbulence. One of air travelers’ biggest nightmares is sitting near a cute, cuddly little baby that suddenly morphs into a nonstop noise machine emitting high decibel, ear-piercing, headache-producing, sleep-preventing terror. An even worse nightmare: it’s your child. But hold on! There may be a solution to the screaming infantRead more

Crying infants and unruly children may be a greater distraction for a driver who is the only adult in a car than are texting or using a cell phone. Undisciplined and unrestrained pets also present problems. 1. Distraction of all kinds cause 80% of crashes and 65% of near-crashes. Distractions contribute to 16% of allRead more