Travel health essentials for families

Travelling with children does not need a different kit, but it does need different quantities and a few extra habits.

What is different about children

A child dehydrates faster than an adult: their surface area is proportionally larger and their reserves smaller. An episode of diarrhoea that would inconvenience an adult can put a child in difficulty within a day.

Their skin burns faster. An exposure that leaves you slightly pink can give them a real sunburn.

And they fall over. Scraped knees, cuts, small wounds: the plaster supply empties far faster than on an adults-only trip.

What to double

Plasters. Take twice what you would pack alone. Patterned ones are accepted far more readily, which is not a detail when the patient is three.

Sunscreen. Two bottles rather than one, mineral filters for young skin, and a hat that covers the ears.

Rehydration sachets. The single most important item in a family kit. Take plenty.

Repellent. In a sensitive-skin version, and check the minimum age on the label. Not every formula suits young children.

The thermometer

A thermometer changes the nature of a night-time worry abroad. It does not replace a consultation, but it tells you whether to look for one.

On the plane

Children cope badly with pressure changes, especially on descent. Drinking, feeding or swallowing something during the descent relieves it most of the time.

Pack a full change of clothes in the cabin, and enough to occupy them for longer than the scheduled flight.

Before you go

Discuss your trip with your paediatrician well in advance, particularly for a tropical destination or a long stay. Vaccination recommendations and precautions depend on age and cannot be given by an online shop.

Take the vaccination record, or a legible photo of its key pages.

Finally, note the name and address of the nearest medical facility to your accommodation. Looking for it at three in the morning with a feverish child is an experience nobody needs.