When planning family travel, it’s a good idea to put a health plan in place, too. We spoke with Leian Chen, M.D., a mom of two and a pediatrician at UCLA Health Marina del Rey, about what to do if your child gets sick or injured while you’re traveling.
What should parents do if their child gets sick during a road trip or in another state?
For traveling with children, it is always a good idea to plan ahead with packing some commonly needed items so that you aren’t scrambling at the drugstore while on the road. Examples of things to include would be a simple thermometer, liquid acetaminophen (Tylenol), liquid ibuprofen (Motrin or Advil, for infants/children 6 months and up), sunscreen and first-aid items. Other things to consider would be saline and a snot-sucking device in case your little one gets a cold, motion-sickness medications (such as Dramamine, but check with your doctor) if your child is prone to carsickness, mosquito repellant and some hydrocortisone for itchy bug bites if you’re going to a mosquito-heavy area and diphenhydramine (Benadryl) if your child might be at risk for allergic reactions. Of course, if your child is on any chronic medications or has any prescribed emergency medications, make sure those prescriptions are filled and carried with you — not checked into luggage — at all times.
Fortunately, when on a road trip or traveling domestically, you should be able to get help if your child gets sick. Since the pandemic, many pediatricians have been using telemedicine platforms to provide remote care. You can check with your doctor to see if that’s available in case your child gets sick while you’re on the road and you’d like to see a familiar face for help. Otherwise, urgent cares and the ER are always there for you.
What if your child gets sick when traveling abroad?
When traveling abroad with children, there is a bit more advance planning that is needed. I recommend starting this a few months ahead of your trip, if possible, in order to have time to get everything done. You can start with a consultation with your pediatrician for specific travel advice and reference the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s travelers’ health website for the country to which you are traveling. There may be additional recommended vaccines for your child, and some of these may not be readily available and need to be arranged in advance or even at specialty travel clinics. If your child has chronic or complex health conditions, it would be even more important to get some expert advice before you leave.
Depending on where you are going, common medications for children may not be readily available, in which case you may want to pack more of the over-the-counter medications mentioned already. Remember to also consider things like access to formula, baby food and clean water.
You should discuss with your pediatrician whether you need to bring any additional prescription medications in case of an emergency. Doctors will sometimes provide these to international travelers on a case-by-case basis, but it can be hard to know what might be needed, especially when it comes to antibiotics. Chances are that if your child becomes sick enough to consider antibiotics, they should be seen in order to determine which ones are appropriate. For example, the antibiotic your child would need for traveler’s diarrhea is very different from what they would take for an ear infection. In case your child needs to be seen more urgently or emergently while in another country, make sure to have some local contacts who can help guide you, whether a local host or a hotel concierge. You may also want to think about travelers’ insurance, which can help offset the costs of seeking emergency care in another country.
What is your top advice for parents in general when traveling with kids?
We’ve covered a lot about what to do to prepare for your child possibly getting sick when traveling, but the best-case scenario would be if we can prevent illnesses and accidents in the first place. Just like with sickness prevention at home, things like staying up to date with routine vaccinations, hand washing, sanitizing and masking (if appropriate) can help reduce transmission of many infectious diseases. It’s also easy to become lax about car seats and safe sleep recommendations when traveling, but please don’t forget about those!
My best advice for traveling with children is to plan ahead, but expect the unexpected and just go with it. With my own kids, I’ve dealt with a fever on a cruise ship, an ear infection on a ski trip and many, many complaints about itchy mosquito bites. While it would have been easy to let these things ruin our time, we had to learn to be flexible, make the best of it and still try to have some fun. Traveling with kids may not be much of a restful vacation, but it will definitely be memorable. Safe travels!
What health & wellness questions are keeping you up at night? Send your questions to elena.epstein@laparent.com, and we’ll ask the experts.
