If there’s one thing worse than a sick baby it’s having a sick baby while you’re away on holidays. We definitely advise taking a baby first aid kit with you, however, even if you’re traveling to a place without inherent health risks beyond what’s ‘normal’ for your home environment and nothing special is happening, it pays to focus a little more on your baby’s wellbeing while you’re travelling.
After all, when you’re in transit or having a busy day on the road, your schedule is far from “normal”. This means it’s easy to skip regular mealtimes, or forget about keeping up the snacks or liquids as you might at home.
It’s a boring reality, but the part of parenting that requires constant vigilance doesn’t disappear just because you’re in a tropical locale: even if your own food and drink regime is slightly off kilter, try to keep the baby’s habits as regular as possible.
Baby first aid kit
It’s also worth taking some health basics with you; a thermometer, bandaids, baby Panadol if you use this and any teething supports you have up your sleeve, just in case a tooth decides to attempt a surprise entry while you’re away. Buying a pre-assembled first aid kit is a great, simple option to save you the hassle of hunting for all the bits
The most likely things that will go wrong will be similar to what happens to adults; insect bites or mosquito bites (both of which warrant a few simple safeguards, listed in our post about insect repellent and babies), or sunburn (avoid this like the plague – we’ve suggested some baby-friendly sunscreen here).
But if things take a more serious turn, don’t be scared to head straight to the local doctor or emergency department. And remember, make sure your baby is covered on your travel insurance so if you do need urgent medical attention at least it won’t send you broke. You do have travel insurance, right?