Travel with children

Traveling with children

Travel and holidays with the whole family are quality time for everyone. Unfortunately, holidays are no obstacle to illnesses and ailments. If you are traveling with small children, it may be a good idea to put together a slightly different holiday pharmacy than if the traveling party only consists of adults. Be prepared for "all conceivable" situations and rather bring a little too much than too little.

Motion sickness

Children over 6 years of age can use Postafen (over-the-counter medicine) for motion sickness. Postafen should be taken 1-2 hours before departure, to prevent the symptoms of motion sickness. 

There are also  acupressure bands  that can be used against motion sickness in children. It is an elastic bracelet with a "rubber ball" that is placed just below the wrist. The rubber ball stimulates an acupuncture point known to prevent and reduce nausea. 

Children with diarrhea and vomiting

Children who get diarrhea and/or vomiting become more easily dehydrated than adults. If it is also hot, dehydration can happen even faster.

Good advice against diarrhea and vomiting

Give the child a drink. The most important measure is to counteract the fluid loss. The smaller the child is, the less it takes for the child to become dehydrated. The body also loses important salts and sugar, and it is important to replace this loss.

• Children who are still breastfed/receiving formula should still be given this, in addition to any other drink

• Do not give children soft drinks. Soft drinks contain a lot of sugar and little salt, and are not optimal for preventing fluid loss

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Feed again as soon as possible. When the child has taken in sufficient liquid for 4 - 6 hours, the child can benefit from regular food again.

How much fluid does the child need? In general, we can say that the more liquid, the better, and that it is better to drink something than nothing. Minimum fluid intake should be:

• Children under 1 year: 1 deciliter of fluid per kilogram of body weight per day

• Children over 1 year: 0.5 - 1 deciliter of liquid per kilogram of body weight per day

A good indication that your child is getting enough fluid is that the child urinates every 3 - 4 hours.

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Sunscreen for children

Children often need a somewhat higher sun protection factor than adults. Children are outside a lot and the need for good sun protection is important.

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Children with fever

If a child gets a fever when you are on holiday, it is easy to get worried. A good tip is to have a fever thermometer in the holiday pharmacy. Then you can easily find out whether the child has a fever or not and how much the child may have a fever.

Paracetamol (pinex) in a medicinal form that is easy to get into the child is also a good idea to take with you. Suppositories, oral solution, disintegrating tablets or granules are suitable forms of medicine for small children.

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Insects and children

Remember to bring mosquito netting to the pram during the holiday as well, then you will keep little pests away from the child. Insect repellents for use on the skin should generally not be used by children under the age of three. An alternative for children under the age of three can be insect repellents to be used on clothing.

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Band-aids for children

Band-aids for children are important to have with you. Often the subject can be decisive for the "effect". LenaPharm has plasters for children with many funny motifs.