www.freemanhealth.com/peds
SponSor Content
By Dr. Laura Henness, Freeman
Health System Pediatrician
While family gatherings for
Thanksgiving and Christmas offer
opportunities for memories to made,
getting to that memory-making
destination can be more complicated
when you have little ones in tow. Here
are some tips for safer and happier
holiday travel:
✓
Stay safe while staying warm in
the car. When the temperatures
drop, it can be tempting to bundle
your little one up until they look like
Ralphie's little brother on A Christmas
Story. However, thick coats can
compress in the event of a car accident,
making the safety straps on your child's
car seat less effective. The safest way
to keep your child warm in the car is
to dress them in thin layers and then
put a blanket over the safety straps for
extra warmth, if needed. Then when you
reach your destination, you can put that
adorably fluffy coat back on them!
✓
Stay alert for household dangers.
You may have covers on your
outlets and locks on any cabinets
that hold household cleaners, but that
doesn't mean that Uncle Joe has the
same level of childproofing at his house.
When visiting family or
friends over the holidays,
watch out for potential
dangers like unlocked
cabinets, unattended
purses, hot radiators,
unguarded staircases
and accessible cleaning
products.
✓
Stick to routines
when possible. Have
you ever felt drained after a
holiday gathering, even if you
truly enjoyed it? As much fun as it
can be to travel and see family, it also
comes with an element of stress. Help
your children enjoy the trip and reduce
stress by keeping them in their routines
as much as possible, including sleep
schedules and timing of naps.
✓
Help ease meltdowns. There can
be so much "new" on a family
trip that it can be overstimulating or
even overwhelming for small children.
Help prevent meltdowns by letting
them know what to expect in advance
and making time to connect with them
through some unhurried one-on-one
time periodically. And if a meltdown
happens anyway, give your child lots
of love and hugs, and remember that
crying can be a pressure release – your
child may feel better after letting some
tears flow!
For more information about holiday
safety, visit healthychildren.org for
American Association of Pediatrics
recommendations. Visit freemanhealth.
com/pediatrics for more information
about pediatric services at Freeman
Health System.
Tips for Traveling
with Children
8 • NoVeMBer 2022 • www.officialKidsMag.com
