Read What to Expect the Toddler Years Online
Authors: Heidi Murkoff
What to Expect the Toddler Years (91 page)
Wherever you decide to vacation, be certain to do a quick safety check before letting your toddler roam. Check for open windows (open them from the top only); open balconies (keep the door to the outside locked); exposed outlets (bring along safety plugs); loose lamp cords (position furniture in front of them); dangling drapery cords or pulls (knot them out of reach); glassware (put it out of reach). Keep the bathroom door closed (you can block it with a chair or a suitcase, if necessary). Also note fire exits and evacuation procedures, just in case. Set up a play area with your toddler’s own toys, imported from home, so he or she will (hopefully) be less tempted to explore and get into trouble. If you are spending a lot of time outdoors, especially in wooded areas, be sure to take the safety precautions recommended on page 645.
URBING THE QUEASIES
Many young tummies, even those that have no symptoms during the average car ride to the market or the zoo, take a turn for the tumultuous during longer rides in the car, and on airplane, boat, and train trips—particularly if there have been unsettling changes in diet (snack bar French fries and ice cream standing in for lunch, for example). Even if your toddler has never had a problem with motion sickness before, and especially if he or she has, take the following precautions when traveling:
Get medical advice.
If your toddler has experienced serious motion sickness before, talk to the doctor about taking along motion-sickness medication—but only as a last resort, since these medications can sometimes have serious side-effects. Never use patch-type medications on children.
Secure Sea-Bands.
Sea-Bands are elasticized bracelets that work to curb motion sickness by putting pressure on an acupressure point on the inner wrist. They’ve been used by sailors for years (but they work on land as well as on sea), are inexpensive, easy to use, safe, comfortable to wear, and frequently effective. Sea-Bands are available through marine and camping supply stores, as well as some pharmacies, health food stores and catalogs, and maternity shops. One size theoretically fits all—but if the bands do not fit snugly on your toddler’s wrists, take them in with a few stitches.
Avoid an empty tummy.
Motion sickness is more likely to be a problem when your toddler’s stomach is empty. So feed your toddler light, frequent snacks when traveling. Pack whole-grain crackers, pretzels, and breads; they are ideal for this purpose.
Skip acidic fruit and juice.
Oranges, grapefruit, lemons, pineapple, and their juices often upset the traveling tummy. Satisfy vitamin C requirements on the road with less acidic fruit and vegetables (cantaloupe, peppers, vitamin C-enriched apple juice). If the weather is hot or your toddler vomits, be sure to replenish lost fluids with frequent small sips of water or nonacidic juice. Sucking on an ice pop may also be helpful. Avoid bubbly, or carbonated, drinks—even plain seltzer or soda water—since they can worsen stomach distress. Toddlers ordinarily require roughly one ounce of fluid for each pound of body weight daily (so that a thirty-pound child needs about thirty ounces, or nearly a quart, of fluid). In hot
weather, during air travel (which is dehydrating), or when the child vomits or has diarrhea, that requirement increases 1½ to 1⅓ ounces per pound. Dehydration is a possibility if a child vomits as a result of motion sickness, especially if it’s hot on board or he’s sweating. If you notice symptoms (see page 606), take action.
JUNIOR JET LAG
Traveling with a toddler to another time zone can sometimes be compared to traveling with Rod Serling into the Twilight Zone—except that the horror can last for several days, rather than just half an hour.
For toddlers, as for adults, making a transition between time zones isn’t easy. Internal body clocks are much more difficult to reset than external ones. Even if we count on an alarm to awaken us on time for work, most of us, accustomed to awakening at a certain time, would continue to wake up at about the same time without the alarm. Our internal clocks tell us when we’re tired enough to sleep and when we’re not, when we’ve had enough sleep and when we haven’t.
But while an adult is liable to roll over and go back to sleep when a glance at an external clock reveals that her internal alarm has gone off at the right time but in the wrong time zone, a toddler isn’t likely to. A toddler is, however, likely to awaken the nearest parent for middle-of-the-night company.
Although experts consider it easier to adjust to a time zone that is behind your own, many parents find that taking young children to a time zone that is ahead is less stressful. A family from Philadelphia visiting Seattle is likely to be awakened long before dawn each morning by their youngest tourist, who will consequently begin to unravel from exhaustion before dark and before dinnertime each evening. But a family from Seattle vacationing in Philadelphia will have only to contend with the logistics of having a midnight-oil-burning, sleep-in-all-morning toddler.
No matter which way in time your trip will be taking you, these tips for traveling three or four time zones may help make the transition smoother (see below for wider time zone jumps):
Reset your toddler’s clock only if it’ll be worth the effort.
If you’ll be away from home for less than a week, it’s wiser to keep your toddler closer to his or her accustomed schedule. Otherwise, by the time you get onto the new schedule, it’ll be time to reset the internal clocks for the return home. If you’re planning a short trip but must operate on the new time for logistical reasons (for example, you have plans early each morning and can’t wait for your little sleep-to-all-hours to wake up), read on.
Start to reset before you start out.
If you’re going west to east, at least three days before your scheduled departure, begin trying to get your toddler to bed a little earlier in the evening and up a little earlier in the morning. If you’re going east to west, try to push bedtime forward a little more each evening. Also be sure to keep the few days before departure low-key, especially for your toddler. Avoid a hectic schedule and demanding activities, which could be fatiguing—and fatigue makes jet lag worse.
Reset your watch.
As you set off on your trip, set your watch to the time at your destination, and continue adjusting meals and sleep patterns to the new time. If your toddler tends to sleep when in motion, napping a lot as you go and making keeping to any schedule impossible, that’s okay, too. The scrambled schedule may so confuse your child’s body clock that it doesn’t know day from night—which will probably ease adjusting to the time zone at your destination.
Reset gradually, if you can.
If you’re driving, or to a lesser extent, traveling by
train to your destination, you’ll be able to accustom your toddler to the new time zones one zone at a time. It will be even easier if you’re taking it slowly, spending a couple of days in each time zone.
Reset completely.
It’s not enough for a traveler to sleep when the locals do. To help reset your toddler’s internal clock, you’ll also have to work at getting him or her to eat, wake, nap, and play when they do. Start the first day by waking your child at a reasonable hour rather than letting him or her sleep in. Do it gently and be prepared to suffer the grumpy consequences (letting sunlight into the room will help). Breakfast shortly after you get up and continue to stick as closely to the new time as possible for the rest of the day. By the end of the day, exhaustion is sure to have set in and your toddler should be ready for an earlier-than-usual bedtime. Skipping the nap might help a child to adjust to an earlier bedtime more quickly, but it could also backfire. An overtired toddler may welcome sleep less graciously.
In spite of your efforts to reset your toddler’s biological clock, he or she may stay tuned in to home-time, at least for a while. Be ready with some quiet entertainment in case your child awakens in the middle of the night and refuses to go back to sleep. Also have a snack handy in case there are pleas for “breakfast” at 3
A.M
.
See the light.
Sunlight appears to play a major factor in helping our bodies reset our biological clocks. So the entire family will adjust more quickly to the new time if you spend as much time as possible in the bright light outdoors as soon after your arrival as possible. Going west to east, you should make a special effort to get out early the next morning; east to west, in the late afternoon. (If you’re out in the hot sun, be sure to take appropriate precautions; see page 466.)
When you’re traveling through more than four time zones, different factors need to be considered. Going west to east, from Los Angeles to London, for example, entails a radical eight-hour change. Many parents find that taking a late-night flight (10 or 11
P.M
.) works well. The children usually sleep a good part of the flight, but their sleep is broken up enough, especially when light streams through the windows at dawn, to leave them exhausted the next day. So exhausted that they are usually willing to go to bed earlier than their accustomed bedtime and closer to nightfall in London.
When flying home from London, a late night flight may again serve well. Although a toddler is likely to spend a somewhat restless night on the plane, it’s likely that if you arrive home very early in the morning, he or she will be exhausted enough to go back to sleep. The darkness and the familiar surroundings will help.
On these longer trips, whether west to east or east to west, making an effort to expose everyone in your party to midday (rather than early or late) sun on arrival will make resetting internal clocks easier.
Don’t expect to reset your internal clocks overnight. It generally takes at least a few days. It also takes a great deal of patience. Your toddler is likely to be somewhat cranky, clingy, and generally out of sorts at first. Respond with sensitivity and you’ll get better results. If possible, avoid major outings during the first couple of days of your trip; these adjustment days are best spent relaxing on a beach, splashing in a pool, or just hanging out. Take it easy again for the first few days on returning home.
In general, be less attached to a schedule while you’re away than you are at home—the new schedule is only temporary. Do whatever works. In the end, you may be pleasantly surprised to find that your toddler hardly notices the time change.
Factor out fats.
Greasy foods can also aggravate motion sickness, so keep your toddler away from fries, chips, burgers, rich desserts, and other fatty foods.
Add some air . . .
In a car, fresh air from an open window can minimize motion sickness. On a ship, a walk on deck may help. On a plane, redirecting the overhead air vent is about the best you can do.
. . . and a seat with a view.
Watching the horizon can help to relieve motion sickness; when possible, seat your toddler next to a window, and periodically call attention to sights in the distance. Discourage looking at books or any other entertainment that requires focusing close up since this can exacerbate motion sickness. Even though the ride in the front seat of a car is smoother than it is in the back (and thus less likely to induce queasiness), for safety reasons, it isn’t recommended that a young child ride in the front
Encourage napping.
If your toddler is able to sleep, or at least rest with his or her eyes closed for most of the trip, the chances of motion sickness are greatly reduced. Discourage a lot of moving around; it could make your child feel worse.
Distract.
Sometimes getting one’s mind off one’s stomach can help. Use toys, songs, talk, spotting games, and so on.
Have a bag handy.
Be prepared for the worst, just in case none of the above do the trick. Pack some large zip-lock plastic bags within reach if you’re driving or traveling by train (planes supply air-sickness bags in the seat pockets)—but keep them out of your toddler’s reach. Also have an extra set of clothing, plenty of wipes (they can be used to clean up your child, clothing, seats, upholstery, and carpeting), and air freshener handy, too.
If your child does begin to feel sick, he or she may not know what the sensation is or be able to describe it. Some toddlers just complain about not feeling well, others complain of sore throats or clutch their throats with their hands. Some cough (a reaction to gagging). Some look pale or “green around the gills.” There may, however, be no obvious symptoms until your child throws up.
If motion sickness strikes while you’re at the wheel, stop at the first opportunity, clean up as best you can, and have your toddler close his or her eyes and rest for a few minutes before you resume driving. Applying a wet cloth to your child’s forehead may also help, as can getting some fresh air. Try not to overreact to a bout of vomiting, which may make a toddler feel that he or she has done something wrong.
ACKING FOR THE ROAD
Among the traveling companions you may want to consider taking along to make your trip more enjoyable for all:
A carryall.
A single many-compartmented diaper bag, tote, or backpack can hold the basics you will need with you at all times. A shoulder strap will make carrying the bag and a toddler simultaneously easier. Keep your purse or wallet, with most of your cash and/or traveler’s checks, credit cards, travel documents,
tickets, and prescriptions, zipped safely inside the main compartment. Tuck some ready cash and one or two credit cards in an easily accessible side pocket or in a pocket of your clothing. The following should also go in your carryall.
Diapers or training pants.
For the toddler still in diapers, pack enough diapers for your expected hours of travel plus one extra day’s worth, so that you will be prepared for unexpected delays, misplaced luggage, or an attack of traveler’s tummy. Also carry a supply of plastic bags (reuse supermarket produce bags), with ties or rubber bands (or just knot them closed) for dirty diapers when there is no immediate disposal facility. Be sure to pack the bags in a zippered compartment or make them otherwise inaccessible to your toddler. Pack additional diapers in your luggage. Check in advance to be sure that you will be able to replenish your diaper supply on arrival at your destination; if you are going abroad and disposables won’t be available, pack enough for your entire trip.