10 Ways To Keep Your Kids Safe On Vacation
Parents make it their life mission to protect their kids, from the moment they’re born to way past they’re grown up. This is never an easy job, of course, even from the comfort of your own home, but it gets particularly tricky when you take your children to new and different places. Traveling with kids can be incredibly fun, exciting, and educational, but it is also risky at times, with a new set of hazards you may not encounter at home. Here are ten things that you can do to limit these hazards and keep your children safe when you travel together.
- Do Plenty Of Research
Before you can take the necessary safety precautions, you need to really understand the risks you and your children could face while you’re away. The only way to do this is by researching your holiday destination. Ideally, you should do this before you even decide to book, as the information you discover may change your mind. You could also check with locals and hotel staff when you arrive, as they may have dealt with certain risks, like illness and bugs, first hand.
- Speak To Your Doctor
While you’re carrying out your research, you may find out about certain illnesses and diseases that are common in the area or country you’re visiting. To protect yourself and your children from sickness, you should book an appointment with your family doctor and make sure that you’re up to date on your immunizations. Your doctor may also suggest additional vaccinations and medications that you haven’t considered, so make sure that you follow their advice.
- Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Many people see travel insurance as an unnecessary vacation expense and ignore it in a bid to save money. However, if there happens to be a medical emergency while you’re away, the last thing you want is for your child to be stuck in an inadequate hospital because you can’t afford the medical bills. Thankfully, most travel insurance policies cover medical care, as well as any evacuation costs. This can save you lots of money and worry for a minor cost.
- Establish Some Vacation Rules
When you head off on holiday, most regular rules and routines tend to go out the window. That being said, you should establish some specifically for your trip. For example, you should tell your children not to run off, not to walk up to or touch any animals, even ones they think are friendly, and not to eat or drink anything unless you give it to them. You will also want to set meetings points whenever you arrive somewhere new, just in case one of your kids gets lost and can’t find you.
- Write Down Your Details
Unfortunately, depending on the ages of your children, they may not always be able to find the meeting point you set or even attempt to head there. To make this situation a little less stressful and dangerous, you should write down your details somewhere and attach them to your kids. This could mean writing on their arm, giving them a business card, or creating identity bracelets. You should also dress them in bright colors and carry a recent photograph to show people.
- Be Cautious With Rentals
Although some parents can and do, it isn’t always possible to take your own car, car seat, stroller, and crib with you on vacation. This means that most parents have to use a rental agency instead. If you intend to do this, you should proceed with caution and only go with companies that are trusted and reputable, especially when it comes to your car. With car seats, cribs, and strollers, you should ensure that you check them over carefully before putting your child in them.
- Carefully Inspect Your Accommodation
Whether you’re staying in a hotel, apartment, holiday home, or somewhere else, your vacation accommodation could also pose a threat to your little ones. With that in mind, it’s crucial that you take the time to inspect the space and search it for any potential risks. If you’re struggling to spot these hazards, then you could use House Method’s childproofing guide for some advice. Take particular care in areas your child may be left alone, like their bedroom and the living room.
- Watch For Stomach Bugs
Kids are incredibly susceptible to stomach bugs, so you need to take extra care by sanitizing your accommodation and making sure that you each wash your hands frequently, especially before eating. You should also be careful about where you eat and only dine in restaurants and cafes that you’ve researched yourself. Before you go away, make sure that you find out about the water situation and only drink from the tap if you know that it’s safe to do so.
- Make Sure You’re Prepared
As a parent, you’re probably used to having to be prepared for almost anything. You’ll pack extra clothes in case your kids get dirty, extra food in case they get hungry, and extra toys in case they get bored. Keeping them safe is no different. You’re going to want to bring a first aid kit and medication in case they get sick or injured and take photographs of them every morning in case they get lost. This may seem over the top at times, but it’s worth it for their health and happiness.
- Stay In The Shade
When you’re heading to a hot country, it’s only natural to want to spend a lot of your time in the sunshine. However, it’s important that you’re cautious when doing so and avoid times of the day when the sun is at its peak. You should also make sure that you apply sunscreen to your children regularly throughout the day and that they cover up their skin as much as they can. This will help to reduce sunburn, dehydration, and, of course, the chance of developing skin cancer.
Keeping Your kids safe on vacation can be somewhat of a challenge, but, hopefully, with the advice above, you’ll find the task a little easier.
