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Good preparation is essential when families travel. Dr. Christian Uebler, senior physician at the Josefinum, explains how long children are agonized and why singing in a car helps.
Where should the ideal family vacation go?
No generally valid recommendations can be given for the travel destination. The crucial question is: How is the way there and how is the journey well prepared? Flying is also generally not advisable. However, I can say that the smaller the child is, the more strenuous a long journey is and the less the children can cope with a change in their usual rhythm. Therefore the usual organic rhythm of bedtime and meals should be maintained. Families with babies in particular often choose a holiday destination within Germany or like to travel by train. For children, the train has the unbeatable advantage that little holidaymakers can move around there more freely than in automobile or plane.
So you shouldn’t go on a long-distance trip with small children?
A trip to another time zone is the more difficult the smaller the children are. Generally, it can take up to 14 days for children to get used to a new time zone. That’s why parents simply have to reckon with lumpy and sleepy children. This can of course affect the quality of the vacation. The same applies to the climate zone of the travel destination: children should not be exposed to extreme heat. In hot travel countries, children should be able to stay in rooms with suitable temperatures for children.
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Dr. Christian Uebler, senior physician at the KJF specialist clinic Josefinum, gives tips on how families can go on vacation stress-free.
Picture: KJF / Jacklin
How should parents arrange the journey?
Parents should first think about how long the whole trip takes, where breaks can be taken and what times are reasonable to avoid traffic jams and possibly also to integrate the child’s bedtime. For example, you can cover a distance in the early morning, then take a long break at a beautiful lake off the highway and continue in the early evening. In any case, the usual daily rhythm should be maintained and a stop should be made with meals with enough time to move and run around. In the case of small babies, it is necessary to stop for regular breastfeeding or feeding meals and for changing diapers anyway. Parents should always be prepared for a possible traffic jam with sufficient food and drink in the car. And the little ones want to be busy while driving. Some children love radio plays, others like to sing with mom and dad, others may already be looking at books and reading. Parents should have something up their sleeve for entertainment on board.
What do parents need in the first-aid kit?
In airplanes and cars, children often have problems with pressure equalization in the ear because they are not yet able to regulate it as well as adults. Therefore, I advise you to pack decongestant nasal drops as well as a pain reliever and fever medication so that earache can be treated. Parents should also take plasters and a disinfectant spray. By the way: With all diseases with which one would have gone to the pediatrician at home, parents should also go to the doctor with the child on vacation. And, of course, sun protection is generally an important topic on vacation because children’s skin is much more sensitive to the sun. That is why it is essential to wear a sun hat and airy clothing and to apply sunscreen repeatedly. (AZ, kru)
Editor’s note: This article is a contribution from our online archive.
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