long trips with children
Here are a few things to keep in mind to make your overseas trips with small children and long-distance trips enjoyable and successful.
For long-distance travel by car
Make sure you understand the course properly and make sure there are places where you can rest easily.
Breastfeeding babies should feed every 2-3 hours, but breastfeeding in a car is not recommended.
Let's make it possible to breastfeed slowly somewhere. Toilet breaks are important for young children.
In the car, the body remains fixed in the child seat. Long hours are hard on babies and children.
If possible, stop the car every 1 to 1.5 hours, get out of the car, stretch your body, move, and take a deep breath.
Frequent replenishment of water is important for children, so please do not make them refrain from going to the toilet.
Unless you have facilities like a camper van, don't spend the night in a regular car.
The air is bad, the temperature is dropping, and it's terrible for children if they can't stretch their bodies enough.
If you have to run overnight, don't push yourself too hard and secure a place to stay overnight along the way.
Avoid long rides on rough roads.Sustained violent vibrations can cause concussions even when seated in a child seat. A severe concussion damages the brain.
Always act with your child's physical condition in mind rather than the convenience of an adult.
When traveling by plane
Depending on the distance and time to your destination, change as much as possible and take a route with as few connections as possible. If there are many transfers, it is difficult for children, but it is also difficult for adults. Transferring with a small child is quite exhausting.
Also, if you have to change trains, make sure you have enough time to travel.
Many airlines provide infant and toddler meals, so be sure to request them.
Diapers and toys may be provided, but advance reservations are required.
Check what services your airline offers.
At JAL, if you are traveling with a mother and a baby or a small child, there are services such as boarding, picking up luggage after arrival, and staff helping you through customs. These services seem to vary from airline to airline. (Of course, there are places where there is nothing)
Check-in early and if there are vacant seats on the same day's flight, it's a good idea to ask to be seated next to you as much as possible.
Infants under the age of 2 do not have a seat, but they can be seated or laid down if a side seat is vacated.
If you check in early and inquire about such a request, it will be unexpectedly accepted, but it is impossible during the busy season,
Traveling during the relatively quiet season is recommended for families with small children.
You can reserve BASSINET for less than 5-6 months. This is a small box-shaped bed attached to the wall in front of the seat,
Seats are limited, so please register early. However, there is a weight limit, usually less than 10kg,
Please check in advance as it varies slightly depending on the airline. Not suitable for ages that require sitting or standing. (Danger of falling)
Some airlines allow you to bring your car seat on board. Also, you can bring a simple stroller (you can leave it with the flight attendant on board), and some airlines will lend you a stroller that you can use at the airport after check-in.
Change diapers and use the restroom just before boarding. I can't go to the toilet until I'm preparing for takeoff and for a while after takeoff.
For children who have become active, if you let them play in the airport playroom before boarding, they may get tired and fall asleep on the plane. ? ? (There are playrooms almost everywhere at international airports.)
The inside of the plane is very dry, so please give water frequently.. (While breastfeeding, it's a good idea to breastfeed at slightly shorter intervals than usual.)
However, when the air pressure drops sharply during takeoff, the air in the stomach expands and causes discomfort. Do not give a lot of water during takeoff as it may cause vomiting. There are blankets on board, but these days, some aircraft don't have enough, so ask the flight attendant to tell you. If you have a thin bath towel or blanket, it can be used as a cushion for your child, a swaddle when you are sleepy, or a chest cover while breastfeeding.
Babies and toddlers can easily get their clothes and underwear dirty by throwing up, spilling food, peeing, etc., so prepare about 3 sets of spare clothes and underwear. Some airlines will provide diapers for you, but even then, 2-3 to a few are good, so pack a few diapers. It would be nice to have a few favorite picture books, coloring pages, and toys. Recently, even economy cabins have dedicated TVs, so you can watch children's programs.
If you have a favorite DVD, it would be a good idea to bring a portable DVD player.
They often get bored on long flights, so it's a good idea to let them walk around the cabin for a while every 1-2 hours.
Small babies are surprisingly able to fall asleep on board, but as they grow older, they can get so excited that they can't sleep.
If you have your doctor prescribe medicine for motion sickness and take it just before boarding, it will have a sedative effect and you may be able to sleep.
All airlines allow you to board a baby after one week of age. In Canada, immunizations start at 2 months of age, so I think it's better to get at least the 1st and 2nd vaccinations before leaving.
Depending on where you go, water quality, food types, cooking methods, and hygiene can vary greatly. Familiarize yourself with the food, hygiene, medical and safety information of your destination.
I think it's better to have travel insurance. If a person with Japanese nationality travels to Japan and plans to stay in Japan for a long period of time, they can enroll in National Health Insurance as soon as they register as residents, so it is safer for those with infants.
The problem with airplanes is the change in air pressure, the resulting oxygen thinning, and the low humidity. Changes in barometric pressure affect gas in the stomach and the middle ear. As for oxygen thinning, some papers say that hypoxic conditions affect respiratory depression in infants. (In-flight air pressure is regulated to some extent and is temporary.) When the humidity is low, the mucous membranes in the respiratory tract tend to dry out. This can irritate your throat or cause an infection.
Otitis media caused by changes in air pressure on an airplane is called aeronautical otitis media. This could be an adult or a child. The middle ear (inside the eardrum) contains a small amount of air and is connected to the pharynx by a tube called the eustachian tube.
This eustachian tube is normally closed, but by opening and closing it to allow air to pass through (ventilation), it keeps the outside air pressure (pressure) and the air pressure in the middle ear constant.
However, air otitis media occurs when the auditory tube remains closed due to sudden changes in air pressure during takeoff and landing, creating a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the eardrum. It happens because the eustachian tube that connects the middle ear to the nose has collapsed, preventing air from getting in and out. happens.
Infants cry when their ears hurt. Crying can also be used to clear the ears. Do what your child can do, such as Infants are allowed to suck the breast or fingers.
Rather, the problem is that if you have a cold, inflammation in the upper respiratory tract, otitis media from the beginning, or allergic rhinitis, the eustachian tube will easily become clogged, making the otitis media worse. Therefore, it is necessary to be careful not to catch a cold before boarding an airplane, or to postpone boarding if you catch a cold. If unavoidable, please consult a doctor.
After arriving at your destination, get to your accommodation as soon as possible, drink plenty of water, and rest.(Don't move around on the day you arrive!) Give your baby easy-to-digest foods in smaller portions than usual.
If your child has an ear disorder (irritability, touching their ears, or reluctance to touch their ears) or cannot sleep due to the time difference, give a pain reliever for children (babies) in an appropriate amount according to their age. I think that I can sleep by analgesic anti-inflammatory and sedative effects. If you get a good night's sleep and feel fine, you'll be fine, but if you still feel discomfort in your ears the next day (if you're making a gesture that expresses discomfort), you may have a fever or effusion from your ears. If so, please see an otolaryngologist immediately.
Children lose water many times faster than adults and cannot retain water in their bodies. In addition, the mucous membranes of the nose and throat are easy to dry, and bacteria and viruses are likely to stick to them. They don't have much physical strength, so please make an action plan centered on them so that they don't move at the same pace as adults.
Since it's a long-awaited trip, don't keep moving every day.
Finally, a very important thing that is surprisingly unknown.
If you are traveling abroad with only one parent and child, you must return to Canada with a travel authorization letter for the other parent who will not be traveling with you.Leaving Canada is fine, but for example, when a mother returns to Japan with her child and returns to Canada at a later date, she may be asked to confirm whether she has permission to travel from her father when she enters the country.
This is because one spouse is afraid to take the child and go somewhere.
Please be aware that if you take a child without the permission of one parent, you may be charged with kidnapping.
The key here is the license. Please check the following site for samples.
You may be asked to show it to the immigration officer, or you may not be asked to do so, but if you do not have it, it will become a problem.
Prepare it before traveling and bring it with your travel luggage, and submit it with your passport when you enter Canada even if you do not say anything to the immigration officer when you return to Canada and go through customs.
https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/children/consent-letter
Have a nice trip! !
