Getting sick puts a real damper on a family vacation. But traveling can be tiring, and if you’re not eating as well as you usually do at home, your system can become more vulnerable to picking up a bug. Staying healthy is tough when airplanes are basically flying metal tubes filled with recycled virus-filled air and shared surfaces – yuk!
If you think too much about it, you may get all Howard Hughes-ish and never leave the house! That’s why you need to take action. There are ways to better your chances of staying healthy when traveling with little ones. Even little, teeny ones!
Tips for Staying Healthy When Traveling with Kids
1) Boost your immune system:
Holidays and vacations are usually not synonymous with good eating habits. Most people indulge in rich food and more alcohol than they typically have at home. And rightly so! Little kids may also enjoy more desserts and juice as vacation treats. But sometimes just a change in the water composition or the consumption of more fruit than usual that can set your stomach off.
Give your guts a leg-up by taking probiotics before, and during your trip.
Registered nutritionist and Stratford BnB host Theresa Albert says that it’s safe to supplement a baby as young as four months with probiotics. And she often sprinkled some on her daughter’s tongue after nursing. A multi-vitamin for you and for your toddler can help pick up the nutritional slack.
2) Get your rest…
It can be all too tempting to get up and get moving from dawn to dusk and cram as much into your vacation as possible. But the more tired you are (and really, what parents aren’t tired?) the more susceptible to viruses and germs. One of the bonuses of travel with a napping baby, is the nap! Take that time to rest yourself.
Everyone knows you’re supposed to nap when the baby does. But no one I know ever was able to do that. When you’re away from home, there’s no other distractions that require your attention. Take advantage of that and whittle down that sleep deficit!
3) Wash your hands…
Yes, we are still reminding people that practicing good hand hygiene is vital at the best of times. You’re sharing surfaces like doorknobs and serving spoons with hundreds of other people who sadly may not practice as good hygiene as you. Wash your hands. A lot. Wash baby’s hands. A Lot. Bring along a good hand moisturizer and/or a moisturizing hand sanitizer and use it frequently.
Germs and viruses may be tough, but they’re no match for good bacteria and old fashioned soap and water! Just taking these small steps can help arm yourself and your family against an illness while you’re away. On vacation you’d rather worry about more important things like choosing between swimming in the ocean or the pool 😉
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See Also:
- Information & Tips for Traveling with a Baby or Toddler
- Beach Vacation Travel Essentials for Babies List
- A Complete List of our Resources for Flying with a Baby or Toddler
- The Complete Guide to Baby Travel Gear
- Everything You Need to Know About Traveling with a Newborn
- Planning Your First Vacation with Baby
- Printable Baby Travel Packing Lists
- Traveling with a Baby? It Gets Easier…
- Traveling with a Baby? It Gets Harder…
These are the good tips! I just want to add that for good health during travel you should avoid places with bad ecological and epidemiological situation and take into account presence (absence) good local food and water.
Thankyou for this post! Traveling with kids is made easier by boosting my immune system with probiotics, that’s for sure!
Supplementing your overall health with probiotics is definitely a good idea! Thank you for the useful info!