Keeping Kids Healthy During Holiday Travel

*please check local regulations for COVID travel requirements and remember it is up to all of us to help keep each other safe. Keep to your bubbles, get vaccinated and wear your masks

Whether you’re flying or driving to your holiday destination this year, getting from point A to B with kids can be challenging. Add in a sick child while you’re traveling and it can be a real cheer breaker. But by taking a few precautions and being prepared, you can minimize stress on yourself, your child, and, yes, everyone traveling with and around you. Here are a few of the common travel troubles for kids and what you can do to minimize or prevent them.

Ear Pain

It's common for kids to experience ear pain during a plane's takeoff and landing. This is caused by pressure in the middle ear as it tries to keep up with the rapidly changing air pressure. Encourage kids to swallow, yawn, or, if they're old enough, chew gum. It may help infants to nurse or suck on a bottle. You may also want to consider giving your child a pain reliever, such as acetaminophen 30 minutes before takeoff or landing to minimize the discomfort.

Motion Sickness

Carsickness, travel sickness or motion sickness – we all know someone. It’s caused by a conflict between the eye and ear: The inner ears detect movement, but the eyes, focused within a car or other vehicle, do not. The mixed signals entering the brain can cause nausea, dizziness, vomiting, and cold sweats. While motion sickness often happens on ships and boats, it can also affect kids when they travel in planes, buses, and cars. To help deal with travel sickness consider the following:

Have kids eat a light meal or snack before you leave. Motion sickness is worse on an empty stomach. 

• Avoid eating during short trips. For longer trips, sip drinks and eat light, small meals and healthy snacks. Keep crackers handy. They help absorb stomach acid and can sometimes help calm an upset stomach. 
• If someone’s feeling queasy, have them look outside of the car and focus on the horizon or a distant point. 
• Keep the window cracked to allow fresh air to circulate.
• Make stops at rest areas and parks. Let your child walk about and get some fresh air.
• Ask your paediatrician about medication for motion sickness.

Diarrhea

Diarrhea and other stomach problems can be common during travel. Often, they're caused by bacteria or other germs entering the digestive tract, usually from contaminated food or water. Diarrhea is especially a problem for young kids and babies, who can become dehydrated more quickly than adults. Simple precautions include:

• Consider drinking only bottled water when traveling or a nutrition based beverage formulated for kids.
• Use only purified water for mixing infant formula and foods.
• If you're breastfeeding your infant, continue to do so.
• Remind kids to wash their hands often.
• Keep pacifiers, teething rings, and toys clean.
• Keep an alcohol-based hand sanitizer and wipes with you at all times.
• Keep children hydrated.

Here at gnubees we know how important it is to keep kids hydrated and to make sure they’re getting the nutrition they need to boost their immune systems. That’s why we created our naturally flavoured nutritional beverages for kids called gnubees and do they pack a punch. Loaded with protein, fibre, calcium and magnesium, our gnubees are made with real fruit juice and come in a variety of family approved flavours like Rockin’ Raspberry, Mango Tango and Go Bananas. And our convenient drink pouches are perfect for travel and require no refrigeration. Take us with you for the holidays and we’ll do our part to provide a nutritious, hydrating, and tasty beverage your kids will love.

Check us out at https://www.gnusante.com.